> I think you are correct for /some/ Linux distributions (like > Mandriva), but this is not the case for the majority of them. > The biggest security difference between Windows and Linux is > that Linux forces the sysadmin to turn on services as he > needs them. Windows 2000 and earlier assumed you'd need > stuff like IIS/FTP/Telnet/etc. and turned them on by default. > Win2k3 and Linux assume you don't need anything but bare > functionality, and you have to manually turn on the services > you need. This has been a standard security practice in the > computing world for years, but Windows introduced the "we > trust our users and hope there aren't any hackers" > mentality.
Either way, to configure a server to be secure and functional, you need to know a certain amount about the system. Windows makes it easier to provide the functionality, at the cost of requiring you to know how to secure that functionality. Unix makes it harder to provide the functionality, but if you can figure out how to make it functional, it is more likely to be secure. Conclusion: server administration requires knowledgeable system administrators. > This has been a standard security practice in the computing > world for years, but Windows introduced the "we trust our > users and hope there aren't any hackers" mentality. Not really. Windows was designed as a desktop operating system, at a time when most networks didn't extend outside the building. I suspect that Netware 3.x had lots of vulnerabilities too, if anyone cared to discover them. Dave Watts, CTO, Fig Leaf Software http://www.figleaf.com/ Fig Leaf Software provides the highest caliber vendor-authorized instruction at our training centers in Washington DC, Atlanta, Chicago, Baltimore, Northern Virginia, or on-site at your location. Visit http://training.figleaf.com/ for more information! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:4:239955 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/4 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:4 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.4 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
