[LUGSB] Tor at sunysb.edu

[Benjamin Bannier]

Josef Sipek wrote:
> On Wed, Sep 26, 2007 at 06:16:50PM -0400, Benjamin Bannier wrote:
>> Josef Sipek wrote:
>>> You'd be surprised. The university has a rather picky firewall that does
>>> packet inspection and if it sees something it considers bad, it blocks it
>>> (try downloading any file via http with the .torrent extension, or watch
>>> some commands to get to an server while others don't when you try to
>>> connect to IRC).
>> Hmm. Difficult to do quick checks with a crippled ping ... maybe I'll
>> check this on a deeper level later.
>>
>> Aside: Since tor uses encrypted packages they shouldn't be able to check
>> on package contents. If these packages are really filtered, the firewall
>> should use lists of tor nodes.
> 
> I'm not familiar with inner workings of tor, does it use a specific port? If
> it does, it's really easy to drop all the packets that match.

Yes, it uses a specific port (9050). I set-up a test server off-campus,
and I was able to connect to that on via telnet.
Trying the same on a registered tor node left me waiting, waiting,
waiting ... so probably my attempt just got DROPped somewhere. Again:
hard to pin that down without ping/traceroute working.

>> And just in case they are really blocked: blocking traffic just because it
>> goes to tor nodes ... well ... anybody sure this is not China?
> 
> Just remember that every ISP (be it Cablevision, or the Uni) has some kind
> of "terms" which you have to follow if you want to keep your service.

Noting on that in the "terms". But its quite obvious that they are
concerned about copyrighted material.

<OT>
And yes, I know. But I honestly believe (not trolling): universities are
nuclei of society, often ones that are ahead in important developments
yet to come. At the same time they are places were democracy can be
exercised at level not possible in e.g. negotiations with out
autocratic, market leading ISP.

And it must be pretty dull places that let such routing go unquestioned.

Dear.

Anyway, isn't free as in Freedom on LUGSB's agenda? ;)
</OT>

Sorry for getting so annoying. But "Actually I am quite serious"®.


b.