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MicroMonopoly aids Terrorism?



 
 
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  #61  
Old March 27th 04, 02:21 PM
kurttrail
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Default MicroMonopoly aids Terrorism?

kurttrail wrote:

Alun Jones [MS MVP] wrote:

In article , Tim Slattery
wrote:
MS currently sells XP Home, XP Pro and Server 2003. I'm not sure
whether they are currently selling Win2000 (but I don't think so).
That's far fewer than 20 operating systems. A global attack on any
MS system will affect *many, many* computers. How many has Blaster
hit? No, it won't affect DOS, but how many computers use DOS
anymore?


And yet, and yet, and yet... How big of an effect has Blaster had on
the
world? Sure it's caused some significant expenditure on cleanup, but
for
the most part, trains have continued to run, airplanes are still
flying,
life-support monitors are still running, but Jim down the road can't
get
Solitaire to work, because his machine's too busy sending worm-seed
through
his ADSL line.

A focussed, terrorist attack on Windows would need to be orders of
magnitude
more successful in order to merit anything more than "oh, great,
another
dateless zit-pocked teenager has found out how to run a root kit".

Alun.


I agree, but that doesn't mean that there won't be a zero-day bug
sometime soon. That day will be a horrible mess, the day that patch &
computer nasty is released in the same day.


http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5180482.html

2 days between patch release and the nasties release. It was a lucky thing
that it wasn't a MS hole. If you haven't noticed, things are speeding up
and a Zero-day bug is just a few years down the bend, if we're lucky. The
mono-culture of the Microsoft desktop is just too big a target to be missed,
eventually someone is gonna hit the bulls-eye. So we, as a society that
security-conscious at present, can do one of two things, find ways to break
up the mono-culture to distribute the threat amongst may targets, or bunker
up at the MicroAlamo, and wait to be overrun.

--
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"Trustworthy Computing" is only another example of an Oxymoron!
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  #62  
Old March 27th 04, 02:41 PM
Sandi - Microsoft MVP
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Default MicroMonopoly aids Terrorism?

kurttrail wrote:

2 days between patch release and the nasties release. It was a lucky
thing that it wasn't a MS hole.


http://www.greymagic.com/security/advisories/gm005-mc/

'GreyMagic started work on this issue with Microsoft on 11-Mar-2004. They
have quickly confirmed our findings and were able to produce a fix less than
two days later. As a result, Hotmail is no longer vulnerable to this method
of exploitation.
All attempts to contact Yahoo unfortunately failed. Mail was sent to
security and secure at yahoo.com and at yahoo-inc.com, no replies were
received to date. '

--
Hyperlinks are used to ensure advice remains current
Do NOT send me an email. I will NOT see it (thank the spammers and viruses)
_______________________________________
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  #63  
Old March 27th 04, 03:41 PM
kurttrail
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Default MicroMonopoly aids Terrorism?

Sandi - Microsoft MVP wrote:

kurttrail wrote:

2 days between patch release and the nasties release. It was a lucky
thing that it wasn't a MS hole.


http://www.greymagic.com/security/advisories/gm005-mc/

'GreyMagic started work on this issue with Microsoft on 11-Mar-2004.
They have quickly confirmed our findings and were able to produce a
fix less than two days later. As a result, Hotmail is no longer
vulnerable to this method of exploitation.
All attempts to contact Yahoo unfortunately failed. Mail was sent to
security and secure at yahoo.com and at yahoo-inc.com, no replies were
received to date. '


And your point is? What does that have similar to a what a Zero-Day bug
would do explointing a flaw in MS OSs, where most people wouldn't be aware a
flaw, a patch, and a bug already existed. MS got Hotmail protected in two
days. Congratulations are in order, but some day soon, a Zero-Day bug is
inevitable, and if the target is MS's OSs, and we haven't attempted to break
up the mono-culture of the MS desktop, the consequences will be global in
its impact. A wise society doesn't put all its eggs in one basket, because
you risk breaking all those eggs with one careless step.

--
Peace!
Kurt
Self-anointed Moderator
microscum.pubic.windowsexp.gonorrhea
http://microscum.com
"Trustworthy Computing" is only another example of an Oxymoron!
"Produkt-Aktivierung macht frei!"


  #64  
Old March 27th 04, 06:41 PM
Alun Jones [MS MVP]
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Posts: n/a
Default MicroMonopoly aids Terrorism?

In article , "kurttrail"
wrote:
2 days between patch release and the nasties release. It was a lucky thing
that it wasn't a MS hole. If you haven't noticed, things are speeding up
and a Zero-day bug is just a few years down the bend, if we're lucky. The
mono-culture of the Microsoft desktop is just too big a target to be missed,
eventually someone is gonna hit the bulls-eye. So we, as a society that
security-conscious at present, can do one of two things, find ways to break
up the mono-culture to distribute the threat amongst may targets, or bunker
up at the MicroAlamo, and wait to be overrun.


"How shall we f- off, oh master?" - Monty Python's Life of Brian.

You know that if you were to persuade the world to drop the monoculture and
disperse, they would ask you _which_ solution to disperse to, and would ask
you to direct them to one. They'd get peeved if you gave them a choice.

"Yes, we are all individuals." - Crowd, Monty Python's Life of Brian.

Monoculture is a fact, and always will be. Poor Microsoft, they're stuck
with being the monoculture of choice today. It used to be IBM. Who knows -
maybe a few years down the road, it'll be someone else.

Alun.
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  #66  
Old March 28th 04, 05:21 PM
kurttrail
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default MicroMonopoly aids Terrorism?

Alun Jones [MS MVP] wrote:

In article , "kurttrail"
wrote:
2 days between patch release and the nasties release. It was a
lucky thing that it wasn't a MS hole. If you haven't noticed,
things are speeding up and a Zero-day bug is just a few years down
the bend, if we're lucky. The mono-culture of the Microsoft desktop
is just too big a target to be missed, eventually someone is gonna
hit the bulls-eye. So we, as a society that security-conscious at
present, can do one of two things, find ways to break up the
mono-culture to distribute the threat amongst may targets, or bunker
up at the MicroAlamo, and wait to be overrun.


"How shall we f- off, oh master?" - Monty Python's Life of Brian.


"Any way you like, Serf!" - Kurt


You know that if you were to persuade the world to drop the
monoculture and disperse, they would ask you _which_ solution to
disperse to, and would ask you to direct them to one. They'd get
peeved if you gave them a choice.


Tell that to all the woman who want choice over wishes of a vocal fanatical
minority. Tell it to gay people that what to choose to marry. People want
choice in just about everything, that is, except those that long for
conformity. Figures that someone that's been awarded by a convicted
predatory monopoly for volunteer service to that monopology would be
ANTI-CHOICE.

How I Would Protect Society By Breaking Up The MicroMono-culture.

By Making Microsoft’s OSs Open Source.

There could be no over-night way we can change the MicroMono-Culture
vulnerability, but after fines and break up, the resulting broken up
companies wouldn't have the clout to dominate the market. It was done to MA
Bell, it can be done to MS. But of course it would take years to build a
competitive market. If Windows goes Open Source, what happens with the rest
of MS? Business Apps and services would be the main part of MS that would
survive, but with the condition that their file formats were
non-proprietary, and its present file formats would be open to all. Office
really isn't all that much of a monopoly on its own, and without proprietary
file formats & the Windows OS to back it up, so Star Office, Perfect Office,
& Open Office will have the opportunity to play in the office apps market on
a fair playing field, all playing under the same rules. Windows Media
Player, Messenger, MovieMaker, and the rest of the MS-bundle middleware
except IE would be the moved to the new Office Systems Corp, [As a condition
of the breakup Microsoft name would be prohibited from being used ever
again. So let it be written, so let it be done!] along with MS's Business
Services division. While Office Systems would still be the dominate player
for years, their market share would diminish with time.

Now we get to MSN and the rest of the MS's net holdings, and we sell it off
to the highest bidder. [Google ends up buying it, forcing the AOL/Yahoo
merger.] The XBox & MS's gaming software division are made into the Xbox
Games Corp. [And buys out Nintendo.] Ok, so the break up of MS creates
other mega-companies, nobodies perfect, and at least there will still be
competition in those markets, and during the decade or so it takes for the
dust to settle other players might join in on those markets.

What really happens to Windows once it is Open Source. SCO immediately puts
out XPSP2 under the name of SCOdows, and is immediately sued by LindowsOS
for infringing on their trademark. In 2007, SCO releases SCOhorn, without
the SCOFS. In 2008, SCO goes bankrupt as SCOhorn is a total disaster,
because of disgruntled former MS employees sabotage, and IBM buys SCO, just
for spite.

Let's get back to just after the breakup. RedHat & Novell compete to see
who can get Windows APIs ported in their version of Linux first, but is
beaten to the punch by LindowsOS, in the third quarter of 2004. Symantec
puts out their version Windows, which they call Wintec, based on 2K but with
V2i security, making it the most bomb proof Win-Clone OS, because on any
catastrophic OS failure, on reboot, the last known working OS setup would be
reloaded in minutes, without any user or tech intervention. Symantec stock
soars on the strength of its VL sales, and OEM licensing deal with Dell.
Sun releases JavaXP, and it does well for a time, especially of home users,
until the Linux boys port the WinAPIs into Linux . . . .

Though I quite aware that none of this is really gonna happen this year or
probably anytime soon, I do believe that some breakup of MS is inevitable
based on their past actions, those since the Anti-Trust settlement, and
because MS's OS is gonna get hit so bad one day, and probably sooner than
later, that are gov'ts will be forced to act. And while the breakup of MS
may well narrow competition in its non-OS markets in the short term, the
Open Sourcing of Windows and its APIs could well become a truly competitive
market in 5 years time.



"Yes, we are all individuals." - Crowd, Monty Python's Life of Brian.


As long as they conform to the MicroMono-Culture, right?


Monoculture is a fact, and always will be. Poor Microsoft, they're
stuck with being the monoculture of choice today. It used to be IBM.
Who knows - maybe a few years down the road, it'll be someone else.


Used to be MaBell before PC communications. What country do you live in? I
live in a capitalist country where a competitive market is best for
consumers. What delusion are you living?

--
Peace!
Kurt
Self-anointed Moderator
microscum.pubic.windowsexp.gonorrhea
http://microscum.com
"Trustworthy Computing" is only another example of an Oxymoron!
"Produkt-Aktivierung macht frei!"


 




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