The key point of the protocol is access to file systems, which is why the main benefits are found in client/server connections between computers and file servers. The most important application scenarios for SMB have already been presented in this article. That’s why with Windows 10, Microsoft decided to no longer actively support the first version and to automatically deactivate it when it’s not used. Even if the old protocol version is practically no longer used, it remains an easy target for attackers who can switch communication down to SMB 1.0 and attack the target system without major obstacles. All SMB versions are usually activated for compatibility reasons – for instance, since this is required by connected printers or other network devices. That’s because SMB 1.0 has a number of vulnerabilities compared to the subsequent protocols, which make the computer susceptible to DoS attacks, for example.Įspecially in networks, the risk of an attack based on the SMB protocol is high. But safeguarding compatibility has since been linked with an increased security risk. Microsoft also stuck with this measure in the subsequent versions.įor years, Microsoft considered it important in its systems that older versions of Server Message Block are also supported by newer editions to ensure smooth communication between older and newer devices. Better scalability thanks to a greater maximum number of clients, shared objects, and simultaneously opened filesįor compatibility reasons, the first protocol version was retained.Improved message signing (HMAC SHA-256 algorithm).Intermediary storage/caching of file properties.Support of symbolic links (connections to files or directories).Optimized performance thanks to the new queue function for SMB requests.Reduction of commands and subcommands from more than 100 to 19.The most important changes in the second protocol version included the following: Even though the protocol – now known as SMB 2.0 – continued to be proprietary, the software company also released the specification for the first time, enabling other systems to communicate with the Windows operating systems. The first big revision of Server Message Block was provided by Microsoft in November 2006 – together with the operating system Windows Vista. What’s more, the free software project Samba offers a solution that enables the use of Server Message Block in Linux and Unix distributions, thereby allowing cross-platform communication via SMB. This allows devices with newer editions to easily communicate with devices that have an older Microsoft operating system installed. The main application of the protocol has since been the Windows operating system series because its network services are backwards-compatible with SMB. SMB first became available for the public as part of the OS/2 network operating system LAN Manager and its successor LAN Server. Information exchange between the different processes of a system (also known as inter-process communication) can be handled based on the SMB protocol.ĭeveloped by the IT group IBM in 1983, various versions and implementations of the protocol have been released over the past decades. SMB (Server Message Block) is a client/server protocol that governs access to files and whole directories, as well as other network resources like printers, routers or interfaces open to the network.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |