+++ Michael.Dillon@radianz.com [21/01/04 10:52 +0000]:
Uhm, that would be wrong. This is simply "security through obscurity". Yes, it is wrong for the _smart books_. But it works in real life.
Actually, an automated script or manual scan can find it trivially.
If security through obscurity was useless then the USAF would never have developed the stealth bomber.
TINS (There is no Stealth) Stealth only works because of the limited number of frequencies used by military radar. Somebody using a (very) different frequency or a broadband radar would see your F117A just fine. The same applies for digging yourself into the sand. That works fine in a sandy desert, but is no practical methode for hiding yourself on a rocky desert or in the snow. The message is: stealth might work in a limited number of situations. Trusting on stealth will make you look silly in the end. You hiding in a clearly visible pile of snow with footsteps leading to it. Or running an outdated (and exploitable) sshd on port 2222. Like said before: a scripted attack would trivially find your superstealth ssh-port. Connect to $port, wait for 'SSH-1.99*' or a timeout, and repeat for $port++.
If you can use obscurity and camouflage to divert a percentage of the attacks against you
Somebody who isn't smart enough to do 'nmap -p 0-65535 $target' isn't worth diverting. The 'security' gained with that is negliable. 'Camouflage' on the big bad internet is mainly a game of fooling yourself into feeling secure. The newest feature in H4x0rSh13ld Pr0 2003 SE, for the masses. I wouldn't waste time on matters to trivial to have any measurable effect. But. Just opinions. Mine, that is. -- Ruben van der Leij