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Security at the South Jordan Library
If you visit the library in South Jordan Utah, you’ll be pleased to find that there’s free wi-fi. You might be less pleased to know that they’ve blocked the ports for IPSEC—making it impossible to use a VPN based on that protocol. The library’s answer to queries about this is that “enabling IPSEC would lead to security problems. A hacker who knows what their doing could open up security liabilities for the library.” This information from the librarian at the desk—who gets that question often enough to know the answer.
Of course this ignores the security vulnerabilities that you avail yourself to without a VPN. What boggles the mind is that this implies that the wi-fi is somehow behind their firewall or something.
Can anyone elucidate how having IPSEC ports open on a properly set up public wi-fi network that’s isolated from the internal network of the library exposes them to security problems?
Posted by windley on August 21, 2007 5:39 PM
Comment from James at August 21, 2007 6:44 PM
VPNs require both a TCP port and a protocol named GRE to pass. In terms of security, a VPN bypasses monitoring software used for purposes such as blocking porn and other inappropriate content which could either get patrons excited or torqued...
http://duckdown.blogspot.com/
Comment from Scott at August 22, 2007 10:22 AM
I agree with the first post, that it would hinder the ability to block or record content passing through their pipes, and thus have chosen not to implement IPSEC. It's a short answer to quite possibly a long debate.
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