Re: Security followup

Subject: Re: Security followup
From: Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Sun, 19 Jan 2003 18:02:20 -0800


Andrew Plato wrote:

First, I don't think there is any empirical evidence out there that says a
"majority of veteran system administrators" consider Linux to have more
security "potential.
Nothing in this discussion on either side has dealt with empirical evidence. Your comments based on personal experience aren't empirical, either.

What I mean is simply this: if you talk to experienced sysadmins (that is, ones who have done more than take a certification course, but who have actually managed a large system for a number of years), very few will suggest that Windows is as secure or more secure. Or, to take another approach, do a little research on the Internet. I'm not saying that your opinion won't be represented, but it is definitely a minority opinion.

Furthermore, I don't know what "security potential" is. I spent four months
studying for a CISSP and never once did we discuss "security potential." I assume this term refers to the "ability to make something secure."
I admire the subtle way you slip an appeal to authority in here, but it doesn't work. I never claimed to be using a technical term, and you clearly know it.
Nor is the term meaningless - although clearly it is complex.

Nice try,though.

Furthermore, the overwhelming number of security programs written for Windows
suggests that it is actually "easier" to secure a Windows system.
This is a non-sequitur. First, the number of programs is irrelevant to the issue. Second, there is not exactly a shortage of Linux security programs. Third, the potential for security is not synonymous with ease of security.

Most Linux distributions take a lot longer because you have to research open
source technologies, test them, tweak them, and wait for days to get useful
support from newsgroups and mailing lists.
In other words, Linux boxes take longer to secure for you because you're less familiar with them. Someone trained in Linux administration wouldn't have to do the research, or wait for responses.

BTW, I have to wonder what newsgroups or mailing lists you're using. In my experience, the waiting time is usually a matter of minutes, rather than days. And I usually don't use the IRC channels, where the response is even quicker.


--
Bruce Byfield bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com 604.421.7177
http://members.axion.net/~bbyfield

"Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."
-G. K. Chesterton.



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Re: Security followup: From: Andrew Plato

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