RemixOS -- Android for the PC

stacksofplates

Here's another good example:

http://arstechnica.com/security/2016/01/et-tu-fortinet-hard-coded-password-raises-new-backdoor-eavesdropping-fears/

Dashrender

@johnhooks said:

@scottalanmiller said:

@johnhooks said:

What if the shoe was on the other foot. What if it heartbleed was closed source developed by Microsoft? Would it have been fixed, and how long would it have taken to be fixed?

With heartbleed it was discovered and patched in the same day, and you could update immediately. Would Microsoft send out an update immediately or would you have to wait until patch tuesday?

More importantly... how often HAS THIS HAPPENED and we weren't told? How many times were these same vulnerabilities or ones like them fixed or even ignored internally with closed source?

The idea that open source being open with vulnerabilities and reporting them being bad is way off base. It highlights just how security open source is, not how bad it is. It shows how much risk we are under from closed source not needing to tell us things like this.

And how many times have they been fixed within another patch. You have to trust that the patch is what they tell you it is. Why couldn't they say KB800348 fixes an error in MS Paint when it's actually "oh we accidentally hardcoded leaving port 3389 open?"

Does that really matter?

The days of picking and choosing what updates to install seem over. you should install them all. At least if they are security updates, boy I hope they aren't lying about that!

scottalanmiller

@Dashrender said:

@johnhooks said:

@scottalanmiller said:

@johnhooks said:

What if the shoe was on the other foot. What if it heartbleed was closed source developed by Microsoft? Would it have been fixed, and how long would it have taken to be fixed?

With heartbleed it was discovered and patched in the same day, and you could update immediately. Would Microsoft send out an update immediately or would you have to wait until patch tuesday?

More importantly... how often HAS THIS HAPPENED and we weren't told? How many times were these same vulnerabilities or ones like them fixed or even ignored internally with closed source?

The idea that open source being open with vulnerabilities and reporting them being bad is way off base. It highlights just how security open source is, not how bad it is. It shows how much risk we are under from closed source not needing to tell us things like this.

And how many times have they been fixed within another patch. You have to trust that the patch is what they tell you it is. Why couldn't they say KB800348 fixes an error in MS Paint when it's actually "oh we accidentally hardcoded leaving port 3389 open?"

Does that really matter?

The days of picking and choosing what updates to install seem over. you should install them all. At least if they are security updates, boy I hope they aren't lying about that!

It matters when you start pointing out open source reports. Because the closed source ones don't get reported. So pointing out an open source one forces us to discuss all the ways that this can be buried in the closed source world.

hobbit666

Downloaded, unzipped, created USB didn't boot lol.
Will have a play later

scottalanmiller

The thing is, you should have reacted to OpenSSH announcing the bug with these thoughts:

Damn, software is hard and any software could have massive bugs that no one has seen yet!
It's so awesome that this is open source and this wasn't hidden from the end users!
Open source is amazing, this was announce and fixed the same day!
OMG, imagine if this was closed source, we'd be in so much danger!

stacksofplates

@Dashrender said:

@johnhooks said:

@scottalanmiller said:

@johnhooks said:

What if the shoe was on the other foot. What if it heartbleed was closed source developed by Microsoft? Would it have been fixed, and how long would it have taken to be fixed?

With heartbleed it was discovered and patched in the same day, and you could update immediately. Would Microsoft send out an update immediately or would you have to wait until patch tuesday?

More importantly... how often HAS THIS HAPPENED and we weren't told? How many times were these same vulnerabilities or ones like them fixed or even ignored internally with closed source?

The idea that open source being open with vulnerabilities and reporting them being bad is way off base. It highlights just how security open source is, not how bad it is. It shows how much risk we are under from closed source not needing to tell us things like this.

And how many times have they been fixed within another patch. You have to trust that the patch is what they tell you it is. Why couldn't they say KB800348 fixes an error in MS Paint when it's actually "oh we accidentally hardcoded leaving port 3389 open?"

Does that really matter?

The days of picking and choosing what updates to install seem over. you should install them all. At least if they are security updates, boy I hope they aren't lying about that!

It's not that it matters in this context whether you apply the update, but whether they were forthcoming about it or not. If they say we released a patch for MS paint, you wouldn't think twice. But if they said "oh we accidentally hard coded a backup password for the admin as 12345" then you would most likely be concerned that someone had been in your system.

If that's the case, why even explain what the patches are for, just blindly accept them, and then when it breaks WSUS like it did that one time you can't do much about it, and hope they they give you another fix.

Kelly

@Dashrender said:

@Kelly said:

I get that you're happy with your phone and Nexus @johnhooks. That is fine with me. I have my platform preference, and I'm happy to explain what it is and why, but I don't think it is germane to this discussion.

Actually I think it is germane. What makes any platform potentially more secure than the Nexus (again assuming that all code it comes with from the factory is 100% open source)?

I said that my preferred platform (never referenced relative levels of security) is not germane. Again, relative security should not be a standard we allow vendors to rest on. It doesn't matter which platform is the most secure (from the perspective of trying to be secure, not purchasing), but whether or not a specific vendor has a secure product and is continuing to secure it in a timely and proactive manner.

quicky2g

@DustinB3403 said:

@Kelly said:

There aren't easy or cheap solutions, but not doing anything is worse. Maybe we should make carriers fiscally responsible for identity breaches provably caused by out of date OS versions.

How would you force the update on the phone, constant prompting, and after so many prompts it's just forced?

I'd rather suck dog farts than have my rooted Samsung phone updated automatically and go back to stock bloatware that I can't rid of.

DustinB3403

@quicky2g said:

@DustinB3403 said:

@Kelly said:

There aren't easy or cheap solutions, but not doing anything is worse. Maybe we should make carriers fiscally responsible for identity breaches provably caused by out of date OS versions.

How would you force the update on the phone, constant prompting, and after so many prompts it's just forced?

I'd rather suck dog farts than have my rooted Samsung phone updated automatically and go back to stock bloatware that I can't rid of.

Exactly.