RE: [Full-disclosure] blocking Google Desktop

["J. Patterson Wicks" <pwicks@xxxxxxxxxx>]

According to several sources on Google,
(http://www.sharp-ideas.net/hacking_google_desktop_search.php ,
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/2004/10/14/google_desktop.html
)the Google Desktop application operates on TCP port 4664.  When it
communicates to the outside Google web servers, does it use the same
port or go over port 80 to avoid firewall rules?  The application is
banned in our environment, but you never know.

-----Original Message-----
From: full-disclosure-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:full-disclosure-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Michael
Holstein
Sent: Friday, February 10, 2006 2:37 PM
To: full-disclosure@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Full-disclosure] blocking Google Desktop

> I would also venture to say that they should be publicizing
> information for corporations to be able to block this wholesale
> (google desktop and gmail chat), since we all know there are financial
> institutions where people work, and think nothing of saving customer
> data onto laptops.

Agreed. I'm actually working on testing it now, to figure out how to 
write snort sigs to (detect) and/or (block) it -- assuming I can't just 
blackhole *desktop.google.com on DNS.

I might just block their ads as well (/pagead/iclk? in URLs) out of 
spite for them doing this stupid trick with their desktop product.

FWIW, we're sending out notices that this is NOT to be installed on any 
University-owned PC, violators get their machine re-imaged.

Cheers,

Michael Holstein CISSP GCIA
Cleveland State University
_______________________________________________
Full-Disclosure - We believe in it.
Charter: http://lists.grok.org.uk/full-disclosure-charter.html
Hosted and sponsored by Secunia - http://secunia.com/

This e-mail is property of Oxygen Media, LLC.  It is intended only for the 
person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is 
privileged, confidential, or otherwise protected from disclosure.  Distribution 
or copying of this e-mail or the information contained herein by anyone other 
than the intended recipient is prohibited.  If you have received this e-mail in 
error, please immediately notify us by sending an e-mail to 
postmaster@xxxxxxxxxx and destroy all electronic and paper copies of this 
e-mail.

_______________________________________________
Full-Disclosure - We believe in it.
Charter: http://lists.grok.org.uk/full-disclosure-charter.html
Hosted and sponsored by Secunia - http://secunia.com/