Am Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:22:51 -0500 schrieb James Knott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
> Big target or not, there are a lot of technical hurdles a malware > writer would have to overcome. Compare the difference between > breaking into a cheap file cabinet vs a bank vault. Windows has these, as well, if just someone would make use of them (just think of DEP aka memory protection...). Pardon me, but I think this is too simple a comparison, given that most of the malware infestations on Windows systems arise from - poorly administered end-user workstations (I hardly know one single home Windows user not per default working as a "superuser"), - poorly administered SME networks (caused by the fact people mistake a system with a well-thought-out administration GUI for a system capable of being managed without any knowledge), - poorly crafted applications demanding way too many permissions because the application developers never cared about playing along nicely with Windows security architecture (you know, if someone gave me a €0.01 each time a device driver installation routine on Windows XP explicitely told me to install the driver _despite_ it's neither signed nor verified by Windows, ...). I do not want to stand up for Windows here, my personal preferences are rather clear about that. I also don't want to ignore that some of these reasons are caused by inconsistencies in the Windows architecture merely forcing users into doing what they do (if Windows would behave well and install a legacy application for the user installing it despite the rights the application demands during install, things would be way easier...). But, I dare to say that, given the same level of experience, the same set of user policies, and a similar set of software chosen by security aspects, a Windows system can be hardened as much as a Unix/Linux system could. Cheers, Kristian -- Kristian Rink * http://zimmer428.net * http://flickr.com/photos/z428/ jab: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * icq: 48874445 * fon: ++49 176 2447 2771 "One dreaming alone, it will be only a dream; many dreaming together is the beginning of a new reality." (Hundertwasser) --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
