ZDNet UK


Skip to Main Content

ZDNet.co.uk - Winner of Best Business Website 2007
  1. Home
  2. News
  3. Blogs
  4. Reviews
  5. Prices
  6. Resources
  7. Community
  8. My ZDNet

 

ZDNet UK RSS Feeds


IT Jobs

Security threats Toolkit

Story: Red Hat disputes CERT vulnerability figures

  • Previous comment

Posted by: Mitch 74 (Thursday 23 February 2006, 5:03 PM)

  • Reply

With the researchers focus explained, and considering that all Linux softwares have direct counterparts (with same codebase even) on Windows, it somewhat makes sense: since all users and all apps have admin rights by default on a Windows system, you don't need to escalate user rights. Thus, to access a Windows system, you merely gotta have access to it - there are 800 ways to breach into a Windows system from outside.
Not so in Unix/Linux: breaching a system from outside requires you to then escalate your privileges to root level, otherwise it is almost useless.
Meaning:
- in Windows, there were 800 ways to access a system from outside
- in *nix, many less
- once you get access a Windows system, you have full control over it : no breach required (infinity of vulnerabilities)
- in desktop *nix, you then have 2800 potential ways to escalate your rights, depending on what softwares are installed.
In Windows, OS patches and app patches are independant : user needs to update each and every software manually.
In *Nix/Linux, most distributions update both OS and installed applications as a whole.

  • Previous comment

  • Reply to this comment
  • Return to story
  • Report this as offensive


Full Talkback thread


Featured Talkback

What was achieved there is recognised to be of fundamental importance to both winning the war (Churchill visited to say 'thank you' to them) and the development of the computer. Maybe Bill Gates doesn't want to support this museum because it underlines where electronic computing started i.e. here, not the U.S.

By: 1000103773

Read full story:
Bletchley Park faces bleak future

Sentry Posts Blog

Skype - The Roach Motel

Here is an interesting article from The National Business Review, pointing out once again that you can never delete a Skype account. Never. Period. This is something I am familiar... More

Post a comment

The vPhone: Why Visa Should Go Mobile

The vPhone: Why Visa Should Go Mobile Author: Eric Everson, Founder MyMobiSafe.com With all of the success of Apple’s iPhone, there is a growing case to support a company like Visa... More

Post a comment

The Google Apple Merger: Fantasy or Fu...

The Google Apple Merger: Fantasy or Future? Author: Eric Everson, Founder MyMobiSafe.com Market research suggests that Microsoft controls upwards of 90% of the respective computer-based... More

1 comment