more on Zombie Computers and what to do about them

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Jonathan Zittrain <zittrain () law harvard edu>
Date: January 7, 2007 4:53:22 PM EST
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Re: more on Zombie Computers and what to do about them

for IP if you wish -

OS flaws are not the only problem here.  Yes, systems should not have  
flagrant bugs where, say, merely visiting a Web page is enough to  
give the Web site complete control over the visitor's computer.  And  
yes, right now no one sufficiently owns security, and financial  
liability is a way to allocate ownership of a problem.  But trying to  
allocate responsibility among software makers for the conflicts and  
vulnerabilities that can come up as the soup of unrelated code from  
multiple sources on a PC interacts with itself is no easy task.

The problem is really much more fundamental: if users are to keep  
using and benefiting from generative PCs, i.e. PCs capable of running  
new software with just a click, they need to have a good sense of  
what to allow to run and what not to allow to run.  Even a  
hypothetically fully patched OS, if it's to be generative, has to be  
ready to allow new code to rework the machine and manipulate its  
data.  Users can make bad decisions about code, and then they've got  
a zombie.  The risk is that they'll turn over control of what should  
and shouldn't run to a third party -- more and more PCs at work, in  
libraries, or in cybercafes cannot accept new code, even if their  
users want it.  That makes them safer but lobotomized.  Worse, users  
may turn to much more limited information appliances precisely  
because they offer more security.  Should the generative PC cease to  
be at the center of the IT ecosystem, we'll lose the ability to groom  
new killer apps that begin as fringe projects from unexpected corners  
-- like the Web browser, instant messenger, VOIP, etc.  Web 2.0 is  
not really a solution, because it is so contingent: Google's open  
APIs are great until they're not; Google rationally reserves the  
right to pull the plug collectively or individually on everything  
built upon those APIs.

We need a way to help users be reasonably informed about the risks of  
running specific pieces of new code on their machines, and a way to  
inform them about the network traffic going in and out without  
overwhelming them with data and choices.  First, there should be new  
collective data gathering efforts that let users instantly see how  
many others, and at what level of expertise, have adopted what code  
and for how long.  Second, we need to see PCs become more resilient  
to the inevitable mistakes that will be made, allowing bad code  
through.  Wikipedia can afford to let the public at large edit a page  
because it's so easy for others to revert any mistakes back to an  
earlier version.  The latest work on multiple virtual PCs within one  
physical box, and an ability to quickly reset any experimental  
virtual zones of a PC to a fresh state, is promising.  Finally, I  
think ISPs could help here.  They currently have no incentive to find  
and deal with zombies on their network -- it's just added customer  
service work.  But the patterns of data coming into and out of a  
hijacked PC may be identifiable, and as much as I hate a slight  
reduction in e2e neutrality by conscripting ISPs to help out here,  
the bigger picture requires steps to keep people from drifting away  
from PCs or locking them down through overly aggressive security  
tools that will prevent good new code from easily taking root.  ...JZ

At EST 02:14 PM 1/7/2007, you wrote:
> From: Udhay Shankar N <udhay () pobox com>
> Date: January 7, 2007 7:07:02 AM EST
> To: dave () farber net
> Subject: Re: [IP] Attack of the Zombie Computers Is a Growing Threat,
> Experts Say
>
> At 05:54 AM 1/7/2007, David Farber wrote:
>
> > With growing sophistication, they are taking advantage of programs
> > that secretly install themselves on thousands or even millions of
> > personal computers, band these computers together into an unwitting
> > army of zombies, and use the collective power of the dragooned
> > network to commit Internet crimes.
>
> All of which is possible only because insecure systems are made
> available to unwitting users. Bruce Schneier has it right when he
> says that "The only way to fix this problem is for vendors to fix
> their software, and they won't do it until it's in their financial
> best interests to do so." i.e., there needs to be financial liability
> involved, like in the credit card business.
>
> One example of Schneier's thoughts on this issue is here:
>
> http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2004/11/computer_securi.html
>
> Udhay
>
>
> --
> ((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))



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