Aladdin Safe Surf trial

[#1]

http://community.plus.net/blog/2008/05/02/plusnet-launch-network-security-trial/?WT.mc_id=ec_int_200...
When I read about this my immediate thought was that its a great idea. But then I read some interesting comments on a Security newsgroup.
"I'm guessing that they do the same thing Phorm does, install
hardware in the ISP's gateway, then inspect all traffic running through
it. "
and;
"The ostensible difference is that Phorm is trying to make money by
profiling users traffic and serving up targeted ads, where eSafe is
trying to make money by profiling user traffic and cleaning it up.

If a private company was installing it on their network and using it to
keep the network and their data secure that's their business. If an ISP
is doing it I'd be more concerned. Looking through their pages they
filter and clean lots of different types of traffic. I'd be worried
about potential data collection, traffic shaping, and false positives of
various sorts."
Does anyone else have any concerns about Aladdin? As I said, it seems a good idea but there's just that nagging worry about PN permitting someone else to profile all our traffic.

[#2]

As long as it's opt in I would have no objection. I wouldn't use it as all my PC's have fully up to date Internet Security which will also pick up anything which comes in via USB stick, CD, etc.
With respect to viruses etc. this probably isn't any different to the present email scanning system in terms of spying.
However I do have one major concern which is that there would probably be no means of running scheduled scans on your PC and anything which got through because the virus signature wasn't on the list wouldn't be picked up subsequently.
Now any half decent Internet Security package which is set for regular scans would recheck when new definitions are issued and also would monitor the PC for any suspicious activity. So although it is much better than nothing I would worry about user complacency.

[#3]

Aladdin is not meant to replace desktop antivirus and firewalls, it provides an additional line of defence. It also provides a parental control function that prevents access to unsuitable content using a profile selected by the parent. Details of the parental control profiles are given at the end of Ian Wild's blog which was linked to by the original poster.
As Ian Wild said the service will be opt-in and only traffic for those that opt-in will pass through the device.

[#4]

Quote from: spraxyt

Aladdin is not meant to replace desktop antivirus and firewalls

Agreed but some users will see it that way specially as there will be a charge for it.

[#5]

Quote from: spraxyt

Aladdin is not meant to replace desktop antivirus and firewalls, it provides an additional line of defence. It also provides a parental control function that prevents access to unsuitable content using a profile selected by the parent. Details of the parental control profiles are given at the end of Ian Wild's blog which was linked to by the original poster. As Ian Wild said the service will be opt-in and only traffic for those that opt-in will pass through the device.

Absolutely right. It will not replace your normal privacy/security measures, and seems to be a valuable addition with extra benefits.
And without question it will be opt-in.
My reason for comparison with the evil (IMO) Phorm is that it involves a third party profiling all your traffic. Something about that makes me feel uncomfortable. Its a reputable company, but the the US has far weaker Data Protection laws than we do.
Ok, I'm just paranoid 

[#6]

For information, the FAQ in the Aladdin Trials Forum contains the following entry (provided by PlusNet)

Quote

Privacy Where is data collected by the eSafe units stored? Aladdin only creates logs in eSafe farm that is installed in the ISP cloud. The main purpose is problem trace and statistic collection. eSafe creates logs that are based on source IP, and not on userID, thus no direct connection exists between the customer and their IP. We (PlusNet) have a full control over who can access files on eSafe and those files never leave the appliance in any way. More than this – we could configure eSafe to operate without logs at all. This would make the system work even faster.

[#7]

Many thanks for pointing me in the right direction, sprayxt!

[#8]

Quote from: spraxyt

... the Aladdin Trials Forum ...

Where do I find this forum?

[#9]

When PN add you to the Aladdin trial, they should also add you to an 'Aladdin Trials' security group which will make the board visible for you.
There's no huge secret about whats on the trial board, mainly FAQ's and threads reporting potential problems etc.
There are a couple of reasons its not visible to everybody;
That particular board runs with different rules to the Community Site boards.
Its moderated by PUG under slightly different posting rules.
It may contain some links that may be less 'family friendly' that have been uncovered during testing as sites which should be blocked and aren't. (for example)
If you've been added to the trial, the board should be visible to you, but if thats not the case, shout up and we can get it resolved.
(Having the board here rather than at the PUG site as in past trials is a bit of a trial in itself - we're all just seeing how well it works in principle.)

[#10]

Quote from: James_H

If you've been added to the trial, the board should be visible to you, but if thats not the case, shout up and we can get it resolved.

I'm shouting 

[#11]

Quote from: Username

I'm shouting

I understand you are not on the trial - have you signed up for it?

[#12]

PM Sent...

[#13]

… and received, thanks.
I'll ask PN staff tomorrow to resolve what needs to be done.