[AuckLUG] Funky ways of getting where you want with SSH

[Justin Cook]

Tunneling through SSH is pretty easy. You can do it with putty. Someone 
probably already said this, but damned if I actually read anything on 
the internet longer than three lines.

*Justin Cook*
Developer
http://www.skull.co.nz/

	

*Skype*
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Mark Foster wrote:
>
>
> On Mon, 10 Jul 2006, Peter Harrison wrote:
>
>> Liz Quilty wrote:
>>> Surely if work has blocked it then you shouldnt be using it.
>>
>> In an ideal world companies would have efficient firewall processes 
>> which would quickly evaluate a request to modify a firewall rule, and 
>> to quickly implement a change.
>>
>> Most companies however either have nobody responsible for the 
>> firewall - it is simply an appliance, often one that is in the ADSL 
>> router itself, or in larger organisations it is controlled by a 
>> administrator whose sole purpose in life is "ensuring security"; thus 
>> any change to the most limited configuration is a security threat.
>>
>> The consequence is that the average developer hasn't a hope in hell 
>> of changing a organisations firewall rules, while needing vital 
>> resources outside the organisation to complete a project.
>>
>> Being right about a companies poor resourcing in the 
>> security/firewall area is cold comfort when you are living on the 
>> street after bing kicked out of the flat when you were fired for not 
>> completing that project on time.
>>
>> Okay, perhaps I'm exaggerating a little, but the point is that often 
>> developers do whats needed to get the job done, and most of the time 
>> there is no question about the means. However, once or twice in the 
>> states employees have been taken to task about "evading company 
>> security measures". Hard places and rocks come to mind....
>
> Speaking from experience in this very environment, theres often more 
> to it.
>
> SSH can be used to tunnel - potentially in _either_ direction.
>
> Beyond that, unless it is required for work-related purposes it simply 
> doesn't feature on the company radar, very likely. You're there for a 
> purpose.
>
> I used to fight tooth-and-nail to retain shell access at work - fought 
> to justify it, to keep it, etc etc.  The difference is that over the 
> last few years work has gotten to the point where even if I had shell 
> access, I'd be rarely using it. I'm busy enough now that if I get to 
> check my mail via webmail twice a day I'm doing well.
>
> Thus, if you were really busy at work, you wouldnt be worried about 
> it. ;-)
>
> If on the other hand you could justify SSH outbound from the office, 
> then they'd be able to provide an 'approved' means to do so.  One 
> company I used to work for used to provide a single dedicated system 
> that was permitted through the firewall, and everyone with a need to 
> administer systems on the network had to work via that box.  It was 
> closely monitored and audited.
>
> So at the risk of jumping on the bandwagon, if its blocked, the best 
> thing to do is justify the need to go-around-the-block to those with 
> the power to engineer you a solution, not a 'hack'.
>
> Mark.
>
> (Who despite spending the first 5 years of his employed life on live, 
> internet-connected networks, now spends 99% of his time on networks 
> which don't even have access to the web.  You do get used to it... 
> eventually.)
>
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