🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <MPG.14cb17861394b8e8989f4a@207.126.101.100>,
Philip J. Koenig <See_email_@ddress_below.This_one_is.invalid> wrote:
>There are a significant group of people in the sysadmin and/or
>computer security field that consider simple network scanning
>to be a malicious act - indeed there has been (to my knowledge)
>some degree of effort to criminalize such activities - ie 
>port scanning.

I might agree in general, however when mail servers are a nuisance
(open relay), it is also reasonable to have law enforcement,
government, trade association or some other well established entity
nuisance scan them.  Until some more credible and respected entity
other than ORBS steps forward to fill the role that is demanded, ORBS
will be scanning.  To get them to stop, just solve the problem.

>It is also well-established net.etiquette that probing systems
>external to you without any intention of actually engaging in the
>transfer of information is at the least a somewhat rude act -
>particularly when you are doing it without the permission of the
>target network.

So?  That doesn't mean that there are specialized cases where it is
reasonable.  For example, @HOME found themselves in a bad position
where they felt they had to port scan machines, just to keep from
getting whacked (UDP).  Welcome to the complex world we live in.

>I will add that since ORBS by their own admission simply scans for
>servers which "may potentially be used for spam" rather than servers
>which have any proven association with it

On the Internet, nothing is proven.  Welcome to the Internet.

>the repeated scanning of servers which have proven - over and over
>again - to be NOT vulnerable.. is easily taken as an unecessary and
>even abusive practice.

Ok, why don't you give us the cutoff number for which you consider to
be ok, and any more often, and that would be rude.  And what would the
number be if MAPS did it?  What would the number be is the FBI did it?
This is far more useful I think, then just repeating the same tired
arguments.