[Info-vax] VSI OpenVMS Hobbyist Program Announced.

[Bill Gunshannon]

On 7/3/19 4:56 PM, Steven Schweda wrote:
>> I never understood this non-standard port thing. [...]
> 
>     If you expose a server at port 22 for a while, and then
> switch it to a different (non-standard) port, then I predict
> that you'll see the difference.

You have misunderstood.  I know what it is I never understood why
it is.

> 
>> [...] The bad guys find it the first time they scan your
>> host [...]
> 
>     Apparently not.  Or else, they only try the obvious ports,
> and don't actually scan them all.  I don't know; it's not my
> malware.

Back in  my days of admining systems at a University I watched
these scans go on every day.  I had systems discovered within
minutes of being put on the Internet.

> 
>> [...] and people who might have a legitimate reason to
>> connect can't [...]
> 
>     Anyone "who might have a legitimate reason to connect"
> would know the appropriate port number to use.  And adding
> "-p <different_port>" to a command is not a serious hardship.
> 
>     Understand now?

I had a friend who had network service from a company that
prohibited any servers.  He wanted a web server so people
could see his gaming activities.  The ISP expired DHCP several
times a month assigning new addresses.  He assigned different
port numbers to his web server at pretty much the same rate.
How was anyone supposed to actually find this server?

The University was the same way.  I was the admin for the
CS Department. They wanted us to put SSH on some oddball
port.  How would anyone outside of the organization ever
learn what that port was?  Unless I advertised it in which
case it kinda defeated the purpose.

Like I said, I fail to understand the actions of some people.

bill