Zealocy: Reporting from Linux-land
In pursuit of more Linux experts I hit the chat circuit. IRC and even *gasp* Yahoo Chat. As a rule, I just watched passively to see anyone who seemed a little more knowledgeable than the rest. What did I learn?
Apparently the following is true in Linux-land:
Microsoft.com is hosted on a Linux server
Hotmail.com is hosted on a Linux server
Top Secret government computers run Windows NT
Thousands of the TS NT systems are compromised every year
Top secret government computers run Linux
None of the TS Linux systems are ever compromised
Nearly all self-procliamed Linux experts are MCSEs
Windows 2003 is a “small services system”
Recent versions of Solaris are based on Linux
Recent versions of FreeBSD are based on Linux
IP Chains is the strongest firewall in the world
The answer to every Linux security deficiency is “SE Linux”
SE Linux is part of the kernel and is not a research prototype
The TCSEC and all its derivatives are a joke
Linux’s open source nature means you can run it as a microkernel
If you claim to have credentials people put more weight in what you say, if they agree with you
Now, many of these points were repeated time and place again and again. I couldn’t believe it.
Look Linux-land, we get your point. You don’t mind 0.x software, you don’t mind informal development models, and you think that the total number of exploits is the exemplification of all information security.
You can be forgiven for those sins… but the rest of this misinformation?
Asking a bit much.
cheers,
catch
PS. One person stated that they planned to turn over the logs of our conversation (where they told me about all the hacked TS NT systems and secure TS Linux systems that they knew about from their work at the State government) over to the people at 2600 (I thought they were dead?), so keep an eye out for that gem.
Re: Zealocy: Reporting from Linux-land
Quote:
Originally posted here by catch
Apparently the following is true in Linux-land:
[..]
SE Linux is part of the kernel and is not a research prototype
Well I'd consider that SELinux is a kernel patch. It is a research in and of itself but once you patch it becomes part of the kernel. The fact that it's not in the vanilla [yet] is a matter of stability and average user needs.
It depends who you talk to and where you talk to them [IRC nets]. There's gonna be a lot of joking around to weed out users that don't bother to actually research; in a serious conversation most Linux users know what's true and what's not. IT professionals especially [you have to realize that many people you've spoken to are users not IT/IS personnel] would be aware of what's really going on. Beyond the joking around and rumours that are usually sprung from people not being able to read information properly.
It's not a fault of Linux or the community. You can't force a stupid person not to use Linux or have them shut their mouth, they'll eventually give up when they're far enough from the truth. I know you can argue that the community is made up of all users, including the dumb ones; but they are just passing by, like skiddies pass by AO once in a while, like dumb sysadmins pass through admin roles in various companies.