"Karl J. Runge" wrote:
> Well, I claim once you have non-root on Linux you have root shortly there
> after unless the system is kept meticulously up-to-date wrt security
> patches for local root compromises.
I'm somewhat less pessimistic, if only because there is a much much stronger
likelihood that you *can* keep up to date with security patches.
This goes to the very heart of the open-source advantage, Linux is not
dependent on anyone else to fix the inner workings of the black box.
There is a choice about whether the system is maintained, and how well,
and that choice is made by the system owner not by some Micro$oft
minion whose priorities are the vendor's not the customer's.
> If linux does acheive "world domination" on the desktop as it seems
> hell-bent toward acheiving, you can bet worms and trojans will be
> screwing up linux boxes royally. We don't see it now because most
> people are on Windows and so there is more bang for the buck there for
> worm/virus writers to attack Windows.
Well, yes and no. There's certainly more bang for the buck attacking
Windoze, for a couple of reasons. The soft targets will always be attractive
to attack, and if they are also the most populated that reinforces the motive.
But when Linux takes over the desktop it will be harder for the worms and
trojans to screw it up as royally as they do the present Windoze systems.
For one thing, the configs will tend to be less homogeneous and defaulted.
> As an example: How many buffer overruns do you think there are
> in Netscape (I'd guess many by the way it crashes so much). The
> attacker sets up some web or email data that will crash netscape
> and have a shell as that user, etc. Gloomy days ahead, but we'll
> get thru them I imagine.
No, interesting times, but not necessarily gloomy, I imagine. Lots of
challenges, that means some hassles and setbacks but also some
triumphs. Most importantly, freedom instead of monopoly!
--Bruce McCulley
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