Re: Linux vs Windows Firewalls

On Wednesday 10 September 2003 15:24, PK Carlisle wrote:
> It -is- nice that a virus or data miner can only access my login
> account, but I guess it seems little comfort considering what
> programs want to store and send.  Linux appears to be wide open
> to this exploitation.   Is it possible that the only reason this exploit
> has not yet taken off is that Linux does not have enough market
> share to be *worth* attacking in bulk, but that someday it possibly
> might (if you took out 1% of the world's computers, would anyone
> even notice)?

Yes, you would.  Linux, and various flavors of Unix RUN the
Infrastructure of the internet.  To OWN someone else's linux box
would give an attacker a tremendous advantage.

There is a reason MS boxes are not trusted at ISPs for
anything but office work, and often not even for that.  There
is a reason that Microsoft's Hotmail does not run on 
Windows boxes.  There is a reason that the Microsoft Update
site crawled behind a linux firewall when the last worm storm
hit.  And there is a reason that all the worms and viruses
target Microsoft products.

If you choose to believe the market share argument that's
your business, and your folly.  Microsoft FUD mongers 
are smileing gleefully on you.

If you trust your firewall's protection, why don't you publish its IP address 
and Administrator password?  That's exactly what Russel
Coker did for his Linux Journal article titled
"Root for All on the SE Linux Play Machine".  He published
root's password.  See it In Aug 2003 edition.



-- 
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John Andersen