Re: Most Secure Unix?

[Rolf Weber <weber @ iez . com>]

> 
> I think perhaps my point wasn't made clearly.  The firewall can only be as
> good as the OS on which it exists.  If your firewall is an application
> on top of an OS, I can break the firewall by breaking the OS.
> 
i never heard of any breakin possible because of a kernel bug.
may be i'm wrong, may be it's possible, but i cannot imagine.

> 
> Well, "impossible" is a very big word to use!  Especially, since this is
> exactly what we have.  If your assumption is that the firewall is an
> application, then I do agree with you.  That is why the functions of a
> firewall need to be a base component of a high assurance OS (so you know
> that they work).  Then you run the WWW server on that OS, and you (apparently)
> have the impossible.  :-)
>
i don't trust *no* WWW server on *no* OS.

> 
> It does matter.  And so does limiting the effects of human failure, which will
> always be present.  When you make a human SUPER user, you have amplified
> that users mistakes.  So here is one path to travel to limit human mistakes.
> But this is not the place for a tutorial on how to deal with the REAL risks
> of a computing environment.  Suffice it to say that if you don't deal with
> them, your firewall won't work, your home page will be violated, and
> termites will eat your mouse pad.
> 
> That is why I reassert that if your base OS (including the admin environment)
> is not high assurance and does not deal with the real threats, your
> firewall is not very good.
> 
i fear this will go to an endless discussion...
IMHO, it's senseless to discuss which OS is secure and which not.
how will you prove it?
my company is a softwarehouse, and we are using a lot of different UNIXes.
a few years ago, we got a new OS which was announced to be a C2 system.
/etc/passwd was owned by 'bin'! every host which appeared in /etc/hosts.equiv
could modify it. i had a really great ROTFL and stopped even thinking about
security classifications.
i know about my configuration, i know how far i can trust it and where the
(possible) vulnerabilities are. that's the most important.
may be a ''high security UNIX`` is useful on a multiuser system. on a firewall,
where root should be the only user, it doesn't hurt, that's all.

rolf
-- 
-----------------------------------------
Rolf Weber <weber @
 iez .
 com> | All I ask is a chance
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