Ballmer security pitch leaves skeptics unswayed

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Re: No Preventable

"No only if an administrator, not a user, is gullible enough!"

You're trying to say a non administrative user is completely unable to install executable code on a *nix box?!?! Sorry, but wrong. Granted, the code will only be able to execute within the users own permission level, but once again, if in that code contains an exploit for an unpatched privilege escalation...

Also, we're talking about a user who is the OWNER of the machine and as such will have the root password. Do you really believe they won't enter it if they think they're actually installing some neat game, or as in the case of the RedHat article, a system patch?

"Then RedHat, if faced with these types of users, can use the myriad of security features in *nix to provide a workable desktop whilst ensuring security"

Oh, so RedHat is going to go door to door to all the home users who may be gullible enough to visit this web site, install the patches and configure their machines to make use of the myriad *nix features that Joe User doesn't understand? Yeah, right.

"I agree, so what do you do? Perhaps run the user in a restricted environment (*nix yes, windows no)? Disable the ability of a user to execute code (*nix yes, windows no)? Run each user in a separate VM (*nix yes, windows no)?"

Oh yeah, now we have a very user friendly environment where an average user is going to be able to actually use their computer? Using involves doing more than just using the applications that come preinstalled. What if the OWNER of this computer wants to upgrade to the latest version of Firefox for example. You've now locked the machine down so tight he has to call tech support to install a program.

Does Windows have more security problems then probably all other OSs combined, quite possibly. I'm not arguing against that and that isn't the point of my posts. Does *nix have much better security capabilities now then Windows is ever likely to have? No argument from me there either. What I'm trying to get across, but you simply refuse to accept, is that if someone who isn't computer literate is going to use a *nix box, and the *nix box achieves the level of user friendliness that allows this to someday happen, there will be gullible users that will infect themselves with a virus. Now if every *nix box comes equipped with an administrator that will watch over the user to make sure they don't enter the root password at the wrong time, always install security patches and never run an executable from an untrusted source, then yes. They will never have to worry about a virus. Now, let's try to think of this in terms of the real world and not a box maintained by a knowledgeable *nix admin.

Posted by: PA-ITGuy   Posted on: 10/25/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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