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How to make your Windows machine more stable and secure

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Kintaro:

--- Quote from: muzzy ---
Linux isn't more secure by design, linux is totally braindead when it comes to design. No ACLs by default, everything's a one big hack, it's a wonder the OS works at all. With processes having to be suid for things to work, everything's pretty damn messy. Also, I laugh at your view that openbsd would be a champion of security. That's just ridiculous.

--- End quote ---


For an untrusted application to run in a users homedirectory, the user first has to let it be chmod +x in the first place. This leaves stack smashing flaws in user applications. The most common user applications are Mozilla Firefox and Mozilla Thunderbird. If you could trojan a user into installing a keylogger as an xpi or something, it would infect a few people. However if anything like that happens, and similar things have happened in the past, there are many geeks on standby that are going to view the code out of interest, and will see it.

That system is not perfect, and your right: no system is. Nonetheless I have had more problems that "just arise" on Windows then any other operating system. When my laptop was running Windows the network stack would fuck up and stop letting anything work with TCP, UDP, or anything important. Restarting the adapter would fix this, however often it would stop responding, the stupid little taskbar icon, the window for "repair", or even if I tried doing it by just disabling and renableing the adapter. Other bizarre crashes and other things kept happening.

As for the comeing Longhorn and .NET objects behind it: This is a new model to use, and will probably create problems. Microsoft will probably end up using a load of legacy code to save time on the release (Microsoft always do). The other things with new models is it will attract new security flaws, and ideas in the darker areas of computing. As for TCPA, it is the stupidest thing ever: It will allow users less control over there system. How the hell is that security? It is not security, its the biggest security hole I have ever heard of. What if someone does a man in the middle attack of the TCPA providers? Your fucked, and everyone else using it is as well.

Also I will point out that Microsoft Windows still has stupid methods of permissions, that are its biggest problems. Executables are executable via a silly file extension, which makes things MUCH easier for a hacker. Not only that but it hides in unsuspecting file extensions like .SCR for example.

Microsoft does not have anything that really compares to what runs on Linux, or what is being shipped with most good distros. Windows' shipped firewall is very backwards in most respects. With iptables you can put a lot more into the rules, you can restrict individual users, individual groups, and all kinds of stuff. Then there are things like snort which provide even better security because it actually looks at the data and works with that.

Then there is SELinux, which also comes with Fedora Core 3 and probably other distros. SELinux is a lot more versatile then even an ACL setup.

Kintaro:

--- Quote from: Orethrius ---I can almost see us fifty years from now, trying to teach our grandchildren of the scourge that was Windows.  "Grampa, why did they get away with selling drink coasters for so much those days?"  To which, I'll reply, "those aren't drink coasters hun, those were once a great media format - a bridge between old analogue cassettes and the newfangled laser-based hypnoplayers of today - used to an unjust end by a corporation bent on world domination.  Fortunately, Linus Hood saved the day from their evil goons, and restored the media to its former glory."
--- End quote ---


According to SCO Linus Hood "stole from the rich and gave to the poor" as well.

greatscot:

--- Quote from: muzzy ---My two windows systems are both completely stable and secure. Haven't had any real problems with them, ever. I suspect windows is just too complex OS for you guys, so linux and such systems might be a better choice for your needs.
--- End quote ---
You never know what a closed source OS is doing behind your back. How do you know your Windows machine is secure? If I were a hacker, I would break into a machine and do it in such a way that the user never knew I was in, so I could use their machine to send email and spread viruses, worms and trojans without their knowledge. Windows is the best OS for such a thing because it is horribly insecure and sloppily coded by a corporation which cares nothing about its users.

I run rkhunter, chkrootkit, snort and tripwire twice daily. Probably overkill, but, when it comes to computer security, there is no such thing as overkill.

Your machine is probably rooted and you aren't smart enough to know it.

Here's a hint: There is no such thing as "completely secure".

Of course your aren't having any problems, a cracker needs your machine in order to do their evil bidding so they will make sure you don't have any problems. But, when they try to hack into fbi.gov or cia.gov (or any other site for that matter) via your machine, you're the one who will be visited by the men in black, not the cracker - since it is your machine that is being used for bad things and it is your machine that will be tracked. The cracker will know how to cover their tracks and leave you hanging to be the scapegoat.

The best thing you can do is format your hard drive, install Linux and learn how to use it properly. Once you learn about Linux, your eyes will be opened to exactly how horrible Windows is and you will be glad you got rid of all M$ products.

greatscot:
I refuse to use software that is written and/or distributed by a corporation who was caught red-handed trying to fake evidence in a court of law. That tells you how underhanded they are and how much they think that lying and fraud is "ok". The only reason M$ still exists today is because they have enough money to buy off the immoral people who work for the US gov't.

And the only reason they have all that money is because Windows users are stupid enough to buy their products.

muzzy:

--- Quote from: greatscot ---I refuse to use software that is written and/or distributed by a corporation who was caught red-handed trying to fake evidence in a court of law. That tells you how underhanded they are and how much they think that lying and fraud is "ok". The only reason M$ still exists today is because they have enough money to buy off the immoral people who work for the US gov't.

And the only reason they have all that money is because Windows users are stupid enough to buy their products.
--- End quote ---


I read about this and found it unclear what was really going on. The only proof for fraud was that the titlebar of a window didn't change. Why do you yell fraud, when it could've been just incompetence?

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