Making a secure computer: Is there an end to it?

[codenamevirus]

hi

After followin the AO and witnessing the numerous security attacks all over the world, all I want to ask is there an end to it?

Will there be a moment in the future, when we could actually say the magical words, "YES MY MACHINE IS SECURED".

So, I dedicate this thread to the thought " Making of a Secure Computer ", which is as secure as one can think of!

Pour on all the ideas u have thought off, ur experiences, ur knowledge and let us bring that moment of future, when we say those MAGICAL WORDS......

[ByTeWrangler]

Greeting's

Personally speaking :

The answer is YES and NO.

Yes, because you can stay a step ahead by trying to secure your computer as much as you can. By this I mean tweaking your system as much as you can so that the attacker has to spend more and more time trying to figure a way in. It will always remain a never ending battle for securing a computer. If you have spent some time trying to secure your computer making it difficult to crack into then you will get rid of at least 97 % or crackers (a.k.a Skiddies) out there, but there still remains a 3 % out there ...

Which brings me to NO,

No is because you can never secure your system to the fullest. Its just not possible one of the main reason is that THERE IS NO PERFECT PIECE CODE OUT THERE. Lets say you have spent hours and hours trying to secure your system. You have locked down your system applied all possible tweaks to your OS, browser, firewall & any other security software/hardware that you have... But there are unknown exploits out there (most of them buffer overflows) which are very hard to protect from.. Here one of the main things you can do is to wait till there is a patch from the software provider.


This is only applicable to a SOHO user not to a corporate environment there its a completely different ball game... Anyway STAY SECURED

[The Texan]

The only truely secure machine is one that is unplugged from the net and turned off.

[ByTeWrangler]

Greeting's

The only truely secure machine is one that is unplugged from the net and turned off.

You sure (Theft / break in's, lets not underestimate humans)

[Galdron]

Originally posted here by codenamevirus

Will there be a moment in the future, when we could actually say the magical words, "YES MY MACHINE IS SECURED".

The day it happens, most of AO's membership will bookmark Monster.com in favor of Security forums.

Burger king anyone?

[codenamevirus]

hi all

thnx 2 all ur valuable replies.

The fact is that I m tryin to go on with a research project based on security. So, I thought to start with Networks and thats y the thread.

So, I was lookin for some informative replies like that of ByteWrangler.

thnx 2 all

[Galdron]

Originally posted here by The Texan
The only truely secure machine is one that is unplugged from the net and turned off.

You can say what you want in response to his post but I absolutely agree with Tex on this one.

[codenamevirus]

Originally posted here by Galdron
You can say what you want in response to his post but I absolutely agree with Tex on this one.

Even I agree to him. But, I cant make a research project on that, can I??

[Galdron]

Originally posted here by codenamevirus
Even I agree to him. But, I cant make a research project on that, can I??

Of course you can! Just realize in advance that it will be a paper based on theory instead of fact. As far as I am concerned theory is often times a better read, as it tends to captivate the imagination. Go ahead and write it.

[nihil]

Hi codenamevirus that is an interesting question:

After followin the AO and witnessing the numerous security attacks all over the world, all I want to ask is there an end to it?

Please do not consider me trite or facetious, but the answer is "yes, the day after Armageddon or Apocalypse". If you are Hindu, I believe that you call it "Pralay"?

You see, we are talking about machines here, if they fall into the wrong hands..................?

A computer in a physically secure environment surrounded by trustworthy individuals is protected. It is only when it is exposed to external influences that this situation is compromised.

It is not that long ago that PCs were stand alone and ran DOS applications............they did not connect to a network, and were comparatively secure (apart from getting stolen). It is only since we have started to entrust more sensitive information to them, and introduced global communications that this situation has changed.

The problem does not lie with the machines, it rests in what we do with them, and how we choose to do it.