From: Adamsc@io-online.com (Adamsc)
Date: Mon, 7 Oct 1996 13:44:25 +0800
To: "John Fricker" <snow@smoke.suba.com>
Subject: Re: WINDOWS NT ????
Message-ID: <19961007033114906.AAA64@GIGANTE>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


On Sun, 6 Oct 1996 01:28:16 -0500 (CDT), snow wrote:

>> An NT machine running off the shelf protocols and services is certainly mor=
>> e secure than your average linux install. Of course clueless administrators=
>>  for either (any) platform can leave the door wide open easily enough.=20

>     How about an "average" NT install versus a "average" linux install? 

Or, better yet, the typical "rent-a-loser" admin install.  You know, the one
who installs everything in the root directory? (I've seen this happen; don't
laugh)

>     Neither of my machines are all that secure, but they don't have to 
>be right now. Neither has more than 5 users, all of whom I either trust 
>personally, or don't know enough to do anything. On the other hand, I 
>would be willing to bet that Mr. Metzger, or adamsc (sorry, I forgot your
>full name) could lock a linux box down as tight as a networked NT machine.

With enough time and net access, just about anyone could - if they thought it
was important.  Unfortunately, many people just don't realize how open their
system is...

>    Hell, I'd bet 20 bucks I could. The machine wouldn't DO a whole lot,
>but it would be tough to break into. (basically, don't run telnetd, ftpd,
>sendmail, run sshd for incoming/outgoing connections, use a secure httpd
>IF NECESSARY, NO NFS, shadow passwords etc.) 

++agree.

>> But what do you mean by secure?

>     Safe from undesired intrusion.

Now, the much harder one is: safe from undesired usage by authorized users. 
As in that guy from the Dept of Health who was handing out the AIDS info...

#  Chris Adams <adamsc@io-online.com>   | http://www.io-online.com/adamsc/adamsc.htp
#  <cadams@acucobol.com>		 | send mail with subject "send PGPKEY"
"That's our advantage at Microsoft; we set the standards and we can change them."
   --- Karen Hargrove, Microsoft (quoted in the Feb 1993 Unix Review editorial)