Re: Krebs on Security booted off Akamai network after DDoS attack proves pricey

[Florian Weimer <fw () deneb enyo de>]

* Eliot Lear:

> As some on this thread know, I've been working with the folks who make
> light bulbs and switches.  They fit a certain class of device that is
> not general purpose, but rather are specific in nature.  For those
> devices it is possible for the manufacturers to inform the network what
> the communication pattern of the device is designed to be.  This may be
> extraordinarily broad or quite narrow, depending on the device. 
> Conveniently, the technology for describing much of this dates back to
> the paleolithic era in the form of access lists.  That is what
> manufacturer usage descriptions are about.  (Yep- MUD.  There go my
> marketing credentials). They're slightly abstracted for adaptation to
> local deployments.   There's a draft and we authors are soliciting comments.

What's the end goal here?  Charge extra if I'm connecting a TV instead
of a light bulb?

I'm not convinced that expected traffic profiles are the right answer.
We already have that in the server hosting market, and it does
constraint the types of services you can run on hosted servers (for
the hosting providers who does this).  I'm wary of the network putting
severe constraints on application architecture, way beyond what is
dictated by current technology.  NAT more or less killed servers on
consumer networks, and this kind of traffic profiling has begun to
kill clients on server networks.

> The service providers has a strong role to play here, since they drive
> standards for connectivity.  Having some access to residential CPE in
> particular for this purpose, I believe, is very helpful because by doing
> so not only can SPs protect others, but can also provide lateral
> protection within the home.  As I wrote upthread, if consumers come to
> see smart lightbulbs not just as useful, but also as a concern, they may
> wish their SPs to help them.  That's the internalizing of an externality
> that I see possible, and maybe even probable over time.

Most service providers appear to be struggling to maintain up-to-date
software on their CPEs (and their infrastructure), and following
recommended configuration practices as they evolve.  This does not
give me confidence that they could perform device management at
consumer scale.

Do we know how much the average consumer trusts their ISP?  Would they
want their ISP to control the digital (and increasingly, physical)
doors in their home?  My own outlook is rather biased, unfortunately.