Sober worm makes a comeback

TalkBack 43 of 93:

Next »

« Previous

• Thread View
• Flat View

Save me the trouble!

kbear, no disrespect intended, but if you would be so kind as to read on down here to this post...

http://news.zdnet.com/5208-1009-0.html?forumID=1&threadID=9799&messageID=194731&start=38

You will find three articles referenced that each state Linux/Unix viruses do exist in the wild! Those three articles were found in a page and a half of one of the four querries I offered in example.

Further, if you read my posts above, you also found that I have worked with several Linux/Unix programs, and I did state that they are more secure than Windows, and further that the weak point in both Operating Systems is Human Error.

Your assumptions that I feel Linux/Unix aren't attacked as frequently because they don't hold a significant share of the market, are very much correct. If you examine the reasons for writing a virus to begin with, you will find 4 likely causes for writing a virus, and 3 of those 4 causes would support that assumption.

1. To harvest information from the attacked machine.
2. To gain control of the attacked machine for the purpose of distribution. Be it virus propogation, mailing SPAM, or launching attacks against a specific server or system.
3. To wreak havok or cause chaos.
4. To gain recognition for the virus writer.

The first would be subject essentially in any Operating System, dependent upon the information the virus writer wishes to harvest. Numbers play a lesser role here dependent upon what the virus writer is after. If they're seeking insignificant little goodies that might add up to huge rewards, like credit card information, then numbers play a role. If they are targetting huge financial gain in a single target, no they don't. So we'll leave this one open, although it does have very real potential in the numbers game.

The second requires numbers! Yes Linux/Unix based servers do have significant power, I understand that very well; they far outweigh the power the average computer can offer in that respect. But again, as I have stated elsewhere herein, they are operated by more knowledgeable users and therefore are considerably more secure, and more difficult to attack, and thus if one can gain control of a thousand home computers in the time it takes to gain control of one server, the virus writer is ahead of the game to attack the numbers. Thus the numbers do play a role in this scenario.

The third, if you want to wreak havoc and cause chaos, again you take a thousand computers out in the time it takes to bring down a few. The people on those thousand computers are likewise less experienced users, thus it takes them longer to recognize the problem, have repairs made, and recover. While they're trying to recognize, repair, and recover, you have more numbers there to further propogate the virus. Therefore the numbers play a role.

The fourth, if you want notariety, you attack the most popular system. It makes news faster because it affects more people. More people say, Oh my God! Someone has written a new virus for my operating system." If you write a virus that attacks Linux/Unix, no one gives a damn, until their ATM won't spit out the cash they need to buy a capucinno at Starbucks. The numbers play a role!

There is no denying it in any respect. And, the numbers are not going to be there until Linux/Unix becomes as user friendly as Windows. In order to do that, Linux/Unix must incorporate the same fatal flaws Microsoft incoporated to make it that user friendly. The average user is not security conscious, they don't care about granting permissions for everything they do, they in fact find it bothersome. If they were allowed the opportunity, half of them would lock themselves out of their computer in the first day, if they figured out how to load it to begin with! If they didn't lock themselves out, the first time their kids got on the machine, they'd lock the whole family out of it.

The average user doesn't want those headaches. Thus only the advanced security conscious, also frequently read "paranoid" user, opts for that choice in their computer, and therefore the numbers are not there.

If you don't think Linux/Unix can be attacked you are dead wrong! Any operating system can be attacked, period. The vulnerability lies in the human factor, whether it be in design or in everyday use, and the desire to attack it for whatever purpose, they all have weaknesses, beginning with the operator.

Posted by: rocky1   Posted on: 04/20/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

Alert moderator to an offensive message

Subscribe to this discussion via Email or RSS

SponsoredWhite Papers, Webcasts, and Downloads

• Dell's IT Infrastructure Services, Desktops, and Notebooks Allow Global Consumer Packaged Goods Marketer Unilever to Support Staff Efficiency and Productivity With Business-Critical IT Services Dell Unilever is a multinational corporation that owns 400 consumer brands ... Download Now
• Using Log Messages and Alert Actions in Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Dell Dell OpenManage Server Administrator has an excellent logging feature that ... Download Now
• Simplifying PC Support and Procurement Dell Simon Fraser University wanted to standardize its Microsoft Windows-based ... Download Now