This article is from the Firewalls FAQ, by Matt Curtin cmcurtin@interhack.net and Marcus J. Ranum mjr@nfr.com with numerous contributions by others.
Various versions of web servers, mail servers, and other Internet service
software contain bugs that allow remote (Internet) users to do things
ranging from gain control of the machine to making that application crash
and just about everything in between.
The exposure to this risk can be reduced by running only necessary services,
keeping up to date on patches, and using products that have been around a
while.
 
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