[LUGSB] Tor at sunysb.edu

[Benjamin Bannier]

Benjamin Bannier wrote:
> 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,

No, actually its not that easy. But :9030 is the most common setup.
There are also nodes running on :80 or :443. But nothing I tested worked.

> 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.