RE: IDS and Spywares

[Frank Knobbe <frank () knobbe us>]

On Fri, 2005-10-14 at 10:03 +0100, Omar A. Herrera wrote:
[...]
> I do agree with you that layered security is always the best option, even if
> there is some redundancy in some of the activities performed by different
> kinds of products.
[...]

Come on, guys. How many layers are you willing to wrap around a rotten
core? The spyware problem is twofold:

1) User/operator behavior: Don't click on the shiny things! But even for
those that don't it's getting harder to keep spyware out, which leads
to...

2) Flawed operating system: Any operating system configuration that
allows software to be installed without the user knowledge is flawed to
begin with.

You will note that I don't point the finger at MS directly. Yes, other
OSes provide native controls that assist keeping spyware from installing
itself. Even a Microsoft OS could probably be configured/hardend to that
point where it is spyware resistant.

But how many admins/operators do that? Apparently operators these days
either don't have the knowledge (for example, average home user), or
otherwise lack the incentive to properly secure the hosts. 

What I'm trying to say is:

Stop wasting your time wrapping more band-aids around flaws! Start
attacking the real problem and solve that! Stop buying into the security
buzz spun by security vendors promising the all-curing pixie dust, and
understand and correct the core root causes of the problem yourself! 

If we don't look at the real issues anymore, then all hope is lost.

Regards,
Frank

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