'Typical' security question

Right now I'm puzzled! I've heard plenty of times that knowing programming langages greatly improves the resourcefulness and complexity of security you can create for your systems (may not be stated well but you get the idea). In Linux/Unix and Novell (maybe, I dont have full knowledge of it.) you can see the code and therefore change what may be weak or even recreate it all in your own fasion making it either more flawed (thats me) or actually fix it. In Windows, Mac you dont know the code.... usually, so how do you know how to correct for a feature that is lacking security? You usually download updates and find pre-made solutions. How then does being a programmer help you if you run those OSs? If you were to write some code to 'correct' a feature it could just open up a butt load of new flaws from conflictions or new holes.

If you understand what I'm saying... why would a Win NT or Win XP only network admin use programming? I've lost interest in Windows for that reason and that alone... I dont see any real optimization in it so I cant mold it into 'Tu-skindoze' :) I just wondered! I hope I get a good answer!

the windoze admin would probably use programming the same reason why linux/unix admins use it. Im sure they have availability to many programs that can run through the "windows application" and see the source code for it, and possibly fix it or re-write it so they can use it better. Course i could be wrong, thats just my opinion.

hmm they use disassemblers.. one i know is Win32Dasm.. its a disassembler for Windows 32 bit applications.. (.exe) i dont know much how to use it tho but it seems to work...

Most Win Admins use "programming" for scripting reasons rather than actually altering the code. It's far to cumbersome to reverse engineer the OS to fix a problem. Usually you'll use a script as a bandaid until the perm fix is out.

MacOS don't have as many fixes or problems and OS X is a unix based (BSD) system. So it works similar to the rest of the *nix world.

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In Windows, Mac you dont know the code.

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That is EXACTLY why windows security is not as good as unix/linux. You have to rely on microsoft...

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Im sure they have availability to many programs that can run through the "windows application" and see the source code for it, and possibly fix it or re-write it so they can use it better.

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Ummm, not exactly........

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hmm they use disassemblers.. one i know is Win32Dasm.. its a disassembler for Windows 32 bit applications.. (.exe) i dont know much how to use it tho but it seems to work...

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You ever try editing an exe file? The entire fu**ing thing is in machine language. At least most disassemblers give you the assembly code, which still isn't very fun. Anyway, read a microsoft license sometime. Although you can run win22dasm on any exe file, editing a microsoft executable is illegal. It is a closed source program, so even looking at explorer.exe in a dissassembler is against the law.

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Most Win Admins use "programming" for scripting reasons rather than actually altering the code.

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Like she said. For security purposes in windows, its not a matter of knowing c/VB/java, its a matter of knowing how to make a temporary fix until microsoft makes a patch. Then you can fix something else till MS makes a patch. and on and on, until Microsoft makes a service pack, at witch point you have a lot to fix.....
Also, being able to program to do regestry edits and work with the services that are running is also very helpful. Writing a program to turn off uPnP to run on every computer in a network is a LOT faster then doing it by hand on every machine....

thanks everyone! I see now I dont like windows more but I still want to learn more about that later. I'll do some research and figure it out too but for now I'll work on Linux (more varrious ways to fix the app then make a temportary bandaid)

It's also/mostly that knowing how to program gives you a better idea of what's going on inside the box... For example, it's hard to grasp the concept of a buffer overflow when you don't know how to program or how programs work... So it makes you more aware...

Ammo