any proxy worth a "crap" can do more than the string match, so i fail to see your point. maybe your proxy is "crap." maybe the skill set of your proxy administrator is "crap."
I agree completly with you. But I still use string in some rare situations. Here's one example.
A network with +500 machines and squid with authentication enabled, so users must authenticate for browsing the web. Transparent proxy is also enabled. I know transparent+authentication doesnt work. But I use to permit antivirus/windowsupdate updates WITHOUT authentication, so machines can stay updated with no problems. http NAT is DISABLED, http can only be accessed throw squid. This setup can be used for any kind of http filtering, ok ?? Yes, it's OK. It works VERY fine.
But in a +500 machines network, you'll surely have some virus/spyware/adware running in some machines. And some virus/spyware/adware use to make some http requests for getting data. These softwares usually gets Internet Explorer proxy configuration, but they dont know how to authenticate, as well they dont use to deal with DENIED/407 (you need to authenticate yourself) squid return codes. Some of these softwares make http requests and in case of getting ANYTHING different than the answer expected, the request is done again, with absolutely no delay. I've seen, for example, some virus making +90 requests/second in this environment.
Well, OK, squid is blocking them. But squid has a 2Gb log file limitation which, in some cases I experienced, was enough for only 5 hours of network traffic loaded with some of these virus/adware/spywares. After 2Gb of logs, squid dies and there it goes http browsing.
In this kind of situation, during some virus/adware/spyware outbreak, i use to use the string module for blocking some requests even BEFORE they reach to squid. So I avoid squid dying because of log getting full.
I know this is a 'complex' environment as well as a complex example. But it's, at least i think, a valid example of where the string module is VERY useful. As recommended, i do NOT use string module in normal situations, but in some outbreak situations, sometimes i get some string rules running for fast-blocking it and having time for studying and fixing the problem.
I also would like to see string module in kernel 2.6 ...... basically it's the only netfilter patch that I use that have not being migrated to 2.6 yet ...
Sincerily, Leonardo Rodrigues
