Two contrasting snippets:


Samba 4 arrives with full Active Directory support

The team behind the Samba Project has released version 4.0 of its open source Windows interoperability software suite, the first version to offer full compatibility with Microsoft's Active Directory protocols.

The Samba stack is by far the most popular solution for networking non-Microsoft platforms with Windows machines, but previous versions only provided Windows NT Domain Controller functionality.

According to the Samba Team's press release, Samba 4 can now act as an Active Directory Domain Controller and offer services to any currently supported versions of client-side Windows, including Windows 8. ...

... What all of this means is that for the first time, organizations have the option of replacing one or more Microsoft Active Directory servers – currently priced starting at $501 apiece for the small business version and scaling up to the Moon – with alternatives based on 100 per cent free software, via Samba 4.0 running on Linux or some other free OS.

If Microsoft is upset about that, though, it's not letting on. ...

... That agreement only came after the European Commission ordered Microsoft to disclose technical information about Windows to its rivals, as a result of an anti-trust ruling against the company in 2004. ...



Microsoft licence cops kick in TWICE as many customers' doors as rivals

Microsoft audited far more customers on software licensing than its rivals managed during 2012 - and Redmond is expected to turn the screws further over the next two years. ...



2004?... That has been rather a long wait... Is that any way to run a business?

IT is what we make it...
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

What system. Oh that's right, only Microsoft ... Change the title of the thread to "BASH MICROSOFT" ...

Perhaps it is Microsoft that is generating most of the examples of late?

I'm very sure that Apple has raised the ire of many people with Steve Job's death-bed parting gift of "Thermonuclear litigation" to stifle world developments in IT... (However, I guess various lawyers are very happy with all the arguments... All at our expense...)

And your useful examples of contribution to discussions are what?...


IT is very much what we make it...
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Strange that sort of widespread expansive fix across all levels of OS and applications for such critical vulnerabilities is never seen for other systems...

Because other systems have no applications?

Have your powers of discussion really degenerated to something so sad and pathetic? Or do you now admit that you are flogging a dead horse of trolling to try to beef up any implausible argument?

What system. Oh that's right, only Microsoft has a system with applications bundled. But that still wouldn't be right. Apple has a system and it is the one you like *nix, and it comes bundled with applications. You don't bash it, because if you did you would be bashing your own precious system. Linux has no bundled applications. They all come from other suppliers.

So you scream and scream about the bundled applications and call them the system. So you flog the dead horse again and again. Change the title of the thread to "BASH MICROSOFT" and go look in the mirror. The little word describing the picture in the mirror is disingenuous.

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The stifling expense of a game of monopoly?


Apple, Microsoft and Adobe summoned by Australia

Technology giants Apple, Microsoft and Adobe have been called by the Australian parliament to appear before a committee looking at pricing levels. ...


IT is what we make it...
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Strange that sort of widespread expansive fix across all levels of OS and applications for such critical vulnerabilities is never seen for other systems...

Because other systems have no applications?

Have your powers of discussion really degenerated to something so sad and pathetic? Or do you now admit that you are flogging a dead horse of trolling to try to beef up any implausible argument?


Can you, in any way, add anything positively useful or interesting to discussions on these forums?

IT and discussion are what we make them...
Martin

(Apologies for dredging up old idioms for punning the present unfolding Romanian beef scandal.)

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

...

Because other systems have no applications?

Utter rubbish. =P 90% of my computing is GNU/Linux, and I do some pretty nifty stuff here. :-)

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#resist

Strange that sort of widespread expansive fix across all levels of OS and applications for such critical vulnerabilities is never seen for other systems...

Because other systems have no applications?

Patching over a raft of secret problems across all of a certain OS AND some of its applications:


Every single Internet Explorer at risk of drive-by hacks until Patch Tuesday

FIFTY-SEVEN gaping holes [about to be?] closed this month

... Five of the 12 software updates addressing the gaping holes will tackle critical flaws that allow miscreants to execute code remotely on vulnerable systems.

In all, the soon-to-be-patched vulnerabilities exist in the Windows operating system, Internet Explorer web browser, Microsoft Server Software, Microsoft Office and the .NET framework. ...


Strange that sort of widespread expansive fix across all levels of OS and applications for such critical vulnerabilities is never seen for other systems... All an artifact of design, or a side effect of expansive monopoly? And what next?!


IT is what we make it...
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

It looks like MS and Symantec are attempting to clean up some problems, but admit it is the tip of the iceberg.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/02/06/us-cybercrime-raid-idUKBRE91515K20130206

So... Would you care to elaborate on your wild claim? With real world referenced examples?

I don't wish to end up in a situation like Bradley Manning.

Back in the real world, real OSes are working well keeping the IT world rolling along nicely.

Ignorance is bliss.

One small hint: Real OSes do not use any 3rd party slapstick anti-virus to chaperone the OS workings... So... Care to explain how your favoured OS works best and for the best interests of the users?

It does so as well as any. It has a good heritage, being developed in part at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of California at Berkeley. It is 3rd party certified to be in compliance with a standard, which permits the vendor to use a trademark in describing it. It is open source, but is not linux. Of course like all O/S's which share its attributes, it has been laid open. This perhaps not as much a fault of the O/S, but more as a fault of the requirements in the standard to use certain methods and support certain things.

Or is it all 'fiduciary' and trolling for you?

Actually don't own the people who make my favored O/S, but I do own a competitor.

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No O/S hasn't been laid open wide open. Martin...

Gary:

1: Keep off the personal attacks.

2: Name something tangible with your wild random claims and mud slinging.


So... Would you care to elaborate on your wild claim? With real world referenced examples?

Back in the real world, real OSes are working well keeping the IT world rolling along nicely.

One small hint: Real OSes do not use any 3rd party slapstick anti-virus to chaperone the OS workings... So... Care to explain how your favoured OS works best and for the best interests of the users? Or is it all 'fiduciary' and trolling for you?


IT is indeed what we make it...
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

My question for you is, If some Nation decided that they wanted to start hacking in Mac OS X or Linux. And gatherd the right people. Could they do it?

As others have said, the answer is absolutely YES! Again as other have said, no OS is untouchable.

No O/S hasn't been laid open wide open. Martin will scream it can't be so or it would be all over the news. State secrets rarely make the news.

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Along with the good design, we have the FLOSS peer review to keep that good.

We sure do.

Yes Gary. A website was hacked once 2 years ago. Lots of websites get hacked.

Certainly seems like an Admin problem rather than a software problem? That's just my take on it.

An SQL injection on the FOSS SQL website. Can't even make their own website so it can't be hacked running their own software.

BTW what runs websites? Linux? So lots of websites get hacked. Martin won't like that. He will point out it is really running FOSS projects SQL - this example - and Apache, another major FOSS project, and PHP, a huge FOSS project, that are being hacked.

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Here's one document from NSA on win7 security.

http://www.nsa.gov/ia/_files/os/win7/win7_security_highlights.pdf...

You what?!

That's just two pages of Marketing-speak from (over?) 10 years ago that mainly bangs on about the suggestion of good programming practice. IE: It's all the "developers fault" if anything goes wrong. From world experience, are Microsoft developers really that bad? Even after 10 years of that document?...

The other examples look to be user 'good practice' "hardening" tips.


Try again please for anything comparable to the SELinux system work?

(Sorry, MS anti-virus[*] is not a contender!)


IT is indeed very much what we make it...
Martin

[*] In my humble opinion, there's a fantastic PR-response in that article from Microsoft for that one... No need to list any other websites that are not so Microsoft friendly... (Nearly choked on my coffee for that one. The only parallel I can think of are the lame excuses from our railways about the "wrong kind" of snow/frost/leaves on the track disabling the trains...!)

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Here's one document from NSA on win7 security.

http://www.nsa.gov/ia/_files/os/win7/win7_security_highlights.pdf

Plus a few more,

Whitelisting for system controllers
http://www.nsa.gov/ia/_files/os/win2k/Application_Whitelisting_Using_SRP.pdf

Hardening advise for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
http://www.nsa.gov/ia/_files/factsheets/macosx_hardening_tips.pdf

and for Snow Leopard

http://www.nsa.gov/ia/_files/factsheets/macosx_10_6_hardeningtips.pdf

My question for you is, If some Nation decided that they wanted to start hacking in Mac OS X or Linux. And gatherd the right people. Could they do it?

As others have said, the answer is absolutely YES! Again as other have said, no OS is untouchable.

I'll leave it at that for now. ;-)

Machines are still designed by man. Someday when machines start designing their own hardware and writing their own software, they may be un-hackable. But by then there'll be the whole Skynet scenario to watch out for.

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#resist

...And no one said Open source software is 100% safe either.

And as far as web services, Apache runs more than half the Internet. It's safe to say it's been pretty resistant to widespread hacking.

And no matter what Software or OS you use, there is always the issue of user error...

Indeed so. Even so, you can do things to help the users:


Twitter to fight hacking by boosting login security

... Twitter plans to introduce "two-factor authentication" that would make it impossible for hackers or vandals to break into accounts – even if they acquired the passwords...

... When an attempt is made to log in to the account from a new device, app or unfamiliar location (as indicated by the IP address), a two-factor authentication system will prevent the login being authorised. A code will be sent to the registered user's mobile phone, and only when that has been entered in the same login page is access given to the account. ...


I wouldn't describe that solution as completely 'impossible' to hack unless you can also guarantee the security of both the host device and '2nd factor' device... However, using 2-factor security is a good step improvement.

IT is very much what we make it...
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Short answer from a FRIEND in Military Intelligence, YES...They have Many Eyes on MANY things at ALL TIMES.
No OS is Un-breachable.

Indeed so.

However, some targets are far more amenable to abuse than others.

For example, complicated websites can offer a large range of functions against which to attempt exploit attacks. There is still a lot of silly code out there on the web that passes web parameters directly to mysql rather than restricting what can be done with indirect access via a "case" statement to select ONLY what is wanted to be done... Just the usual ignorant or lazy programming snafu. The underlying OS can remain secure even if some sloppy web app becomes abused.

As for easier and harder targets:

Those systems kept secret can hide a lot of sloppiness and silliness by virtue of being 'secret'. Whereas, for those systems that are intended to be open to public scrutiny, you can bet there's much greater care taken to avoid open embarrassment! With open peer review, you also get the best comments back for improvement from the best of the eyes that look over the code or have an interest in the code. All a stark contrast to the sort of stuff 'swept under the carpet' when hiding behind the words "secret" and "proprietary"...


Interestingly, take a look at what secured OSes are included in the US military developments:

NSA: Security-Enhanced Linux

The list is: Linux, FreeBSD and Solaris. The Linux kernel enhancements are explained on: Wikipedia: Security-Enhanced Linux


That level of security is way-OTT for my servers. Indeed, the normal *nix permissions have proven adequate for my examples for many years. I've run selinux on a number of test systems on occasion but so far, there just hasn't been any kernel security problems in the mainstream Linux to persuade me to switch systems. Why change when what you have works well and there are no better offerings for the task?

I wonder what the NSA policy is towards Microsoft Windows?...


IT is what we make it...
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

I still believe that Microsoft Windows is unique in effectively requiring the everyday use of "anti-virus" software... And whatever 'antivirus' is never a reliable or complete solution.

I wondering if MS leaves holes in the OS just so the antivirus folks can pay them some underhanded secret cash?

Look I have nothing against Linux, Ive just never used it. My wife has an old laptop that she never uses anymore. Its a toshiba satelite XP celeron. Maybe I should try linux on that if I can.

I had an I Mac that i think the hard drive died. Cant afford to get it looked at yet. But I loved that I never had to use any antivirus.

My question for you is, If some Nation decided that they wanted to start hacking in Mac OS X or Linux. And gatherd the right people. Could they do it?

Short answer from a FRIEND in Military Intelligence, YES...They have Many Eyes on MANY things at ALL TIMES.
No OS is Un-breachable.

---

I Desire Peace and Justice, Jim Scott (Mod-Ret.)

I still believe that Microsoft Windows is unique in effectively requiring the everyday use of "anti-virus" software... And whatever 'antivirus' is never a reliable or complete solution.

I wondering if MS leaves holes in the OS just so the antivirus folks can pay them some underhanded secret cash?

Look I have nothing against Linux, Ive just never used it. My wife has an old laptop that she never uses anymore. Its a toshiba satelite XP celeron. Maybe I should try linux on that if I can.

I had an I Mac that i think the hard drive died. Cant afford to get it looked at yet. But I loved that I never had to use any antivirus.

My question for you is, If some Nation decided that they wanted to start hacking in Mac OS X or Linux. And gatherd the right people. Could they do it?

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[/quote]

Old James