MS code leak illustrates my point very well. MS OS is not more secure than
say Linux because it source code is not available to the public. Hmm, I
think Linux vis MS security was already mentioned on this list in the past
few months.

TK
  -----Original Message-----
  From: Adrocknaphobia [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
  Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 3:47 PM
  To: CF-Talk
  Subject: Re: RE: RE: Securing CF Apps.

  If thats the case, then whats the big deal with the MS code leak?

  -adam

  > -----Original Message-----
  > From: Tom Kitta [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
  > Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 08:08 PM
  > To: 'CF-Talk'
  > Subject: RE: RE: RE: Securing CF Apps.
  >
  > I agree with Kwang Suh, security through obscurity is no security at
all.
  > This is quite well known throughout security community and all
encryption
  > standards available to the wide public adhere to it.
  >
  > TK
  >   -----Original Message-----
  >   From: Kwang Suh [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
  >   Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 2:56 PM
  >   To: CF-Talk
  >   Subject: Re: RE: RE: Securing CF Apps.
  >
  >
  >   > If my user.login is encrypted one time as kjdfljsldfl  and the
  >   > user comes
  >   > back and types in kjdfljsldfl they don't get taken to that
  >   > circuit, because
  >   > it's different this time.
  >
  >   This would not be acceptable in many situations, because it prevents
  > bookmarking and renders search engines useless.
  >
  >
  >   > >> 3. The objection to using cfquery is multifaceted.  There is
  >   > the
  >   > >> risk of SQL
  >   > >> injection if your not doing the correct validation.  If your
  >   > >> errors are not
  >   > >> being handled correctly you can give away table and column
  >   > names
  >   > >> in the
  >   > >> error message.
  >   >
  >   > >So don't you think it's more important to handle errors properly
  >   > than say
  >   > "don't ever use <cfquery>"?
  >   >
  >   > I think that with all the benefits of procedures, if you have them
  >   > available, you're a fool not to use them, and not just because of
the
  >   > enhanced security.  Obviously proper error handling is important
  >   > AS WELL.
  >   > This is not an either/or argument, rather a complimentary one.
  >
  >   What's wrong with:
  >
  >   <cfquery>
  >   exec my_stored_proc
  >   </cfquery>
  >
  >   ?
  >
  >   > >> 2. By using plain text variable names your going to give the
  >   > potential>> intruder a decent insight into your application
  >   > design, and this
  >   > >> will give
  >   > >> them the ability to make educated guesses as to your other
  >   > circuit
  >   > >> names.
  >   >
  >   > >So?
  >   >
  >   > So by understanding the structure of an application, you can then
  >   > begin to
  >   > analyze it's weaknesses.  In the environment in which I work we
  >   > want to give
  >   > them as little as possible to go on.
  >   >
  >   > >You've got bigger problems should someone gain access to your
  >   > file system.
  >   >
  >   > Is that so??  I disagree.  If someone gains access to my web
  >   > server they
  >   > have nothing.  Now my db which is on the other side of a firewall,
  >   > and only
  >   > accepts connections from specific ips, if they got in that it
  >   > could become
  >   > problematic.  Why?  Because there are no user names or passwords
  >   > stored on
  >   > my web server.  There is no way to open a direct connection into
  >   > my db
  >   > without having a user account on the db.  Your rights and roles
  >   > are also
  >   > stored in that db, not in the application, and so you would not
  >   > really get
  >   > anything other than images and source code.  You don't even get
  >   > the code of
  >   > the procedure calls, and so you are still blind to the schema of
  >   > my db.
  >
  >   If I have complete access to your file system, this means that I can,
say,
  > create a file that monitors tcp/ip traffic between your web server and
db
  > server and sends the packets over to me where I can then scan for your
  > password.  Or I could simply delete everything on the web server.
  >
  >   >
  >   > Kwang, again, this is a layered approach to security.  No one
  >   > thing is going
  >   > to protect you from everything.  You just continue to lock down
  >   > things in
  >   > order to mitigate risk.  You can never be without risk, and anyone
who
  >   > thinks they have completely secured their site deserves to be
  >   > attacked.Listen man.  You do whatever you feel comfortable doing.
  >   > No more, no less.
  >   > But moving towards my CISSP and GSEC, having been a cyber threat
  >   > analyst for
  >   > the last two years, and soon to be managing a federal CERT, I can
  >   > tell you
  >   > this, there is always going to be some new exploit. It's going to be
  >   > something you didn't think of.  But that zero day exploit isn't
  >   > going to be
  >   > the one that does all the crazy damage.  It's going to be some known
  >   > vulnerability that you could have prevented from putting your
  >   > system at
  >   > risk. (slammer, blaster etc.)  By duplication of your efforts, by
  >   > overlapping your protection you're trying to create a shell around
  >   > yourapplication and it's data.
  >
  >   If what you're building is that important to secure, I recommend that
you
  > never ever make it available on the public internet.
  >
  >   Obscurity is just one more tool
  >   > you can use to
  >   > do that.
  >
  >   I used to work with a security/cryptology expert.  His #1 rule:
  >
  >   "Never, ever use obfuscation".
  >
  >
  >
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