Considering what a major problem IP source spoofing is right now, I really
can't see how this is supposed to be a bad thing. I honestly don't believe
the PSN tells you anything more than the IP. One person can use multiple
processors. One processor can be used by many people.
In any event, the PSN never leaves the machine unless specific software
instructions request it. Those same instructions could do just as much
damage to privacy in other ways if they were malicious.
> But consider the problem if, say, some e-commerce protocol decides to
> use it. Development of stuff like that is hampered if they know it
> won't work on linux (and possibly other os'es.) Disabling the number
> may be too late the day it just means you kill your own connections to
> half of the internet sites.
I don't follow you. If I want to use my PSN to secure my Internet
transactions (not that I can think of any way this is possible, but I'll
assume it since you seem to), then why should Linux make it hard for me to
do so? And if I don't want to, then I can choose not to.
> MAC addresses aren't that problematic. They aren't sent all over the
> network, only to the nearest router.
PSNs aren't even sent that far. And I may have no control over that router.
Once it has my MAC address, it can do anything it wants with it. The analogy
with the PSN is perfect.
> IPV6 may change that, but the V6 addresses with
> embedded MAC adresses are only one way of obtaining an IPV6 address.
> There are other ways. And you can easily get a card with a programmable
> MAC address anyway.
Surely the same is true of the PSN. Any ecommerce protocol that doesn't
require me to drop my P3 in a slot can only ask my machine what the PSN is
and trust the software to give it the right answer.
None of this even comes close to a reason to disable the PSN by default.
DS
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