computer security experts are continuously working to make us more secure, and they are getting some of their cues from interesting places. after the msblast worm was released, researchers looked at the agricultural infestation of dutch elm disease and found an apt correlation between the two infections. this correlation is becoming more and more important as mydoom takes its toll on the technology community at large.
according to daniel geer, chief scientist at the security firm verdasys, computer viruses are more perfect than most diseases could ever hope to be. the worst biological diseases have a “100 percent chance of transmission, zero incubation time, and leave the host infectious for a long period,” and computer viruses have pretty much the same attributes. geer points to the proliferation of microsoft software in the computer industry as the problem, pounding on his “monoculture” gong yet again. he says that the world's dependence on microsoft's products has created fertile ground for viruses to spread, and that the technology industry could learn a lot from other industries that don't allow such proliferations.
okay, they are making connections between agricultural diseases and computer viruses. what about biological viruses? what are the perfect conditions for the spread of a biological virus? according to some information on the outbreak of sars last year, “an almost constant influenza season” and “people living in close proximity with animals such as poultry and pigs” are two of the biggest factors.
for computers, “an almost constant influenza season” would probably be equivalent to the constant low immunity computers hooked up to the internet have against viruses. however, before the flames begin, this is not entirely microsoft's fault. despite the obvious need for improvement in the area of security, the weight of responsibility falls on average computer users. not patching and updating regularly enough, not using an effective anti-virus program, and being stupid enough to open e-mail attachments that you aren't expecting are not things that microsoft has control over. here's an idea: since owning a computer is as big a responsibility as owning a car, maybe we should just require a user license.
now, the correlation between “people living in close proximity with animals such as poultry and pigs” and the computer world is where the responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of software developers and security experts. just like a city has to pass zoning ordinances and enforce them to keep pigs on farms in the country, software developers (both os and otherwise) have the responsibility of creating an environment that will make the passing of viruses less possible.
of course, that's akin to finding the cure for cancer.
user comments 37 comment(s)
|so i guess (11:01am est fri jan 30 2004)
linux and mac and bsd (ok non-ms users) could be viewed as more highly evolved species, who have since become too sturdy to be affected by such petty disesases as those that destroy their weaker cousins. the greatest damage we see is having to clean up their messes and deal with the slowdowns it causes, much like the survivors having to move and burn the corpses of those who fell. sure we get a cold once in a rare while, but nothing that is more severe than a 24 hour bug. – by mike rho
|an ounce (11:22am est fri jan 30 2004)
of prevention etc., etc. people who would not think of *not* getting an annual flu shot, should apply the same idea to e-mail, and other downloads. – by darwin
|oss e.l.e (11:23am est fri jan 30 2004)
evolution of one species over another requires an extintion event(s) where the ability to adapt is outpaced by the environmental changes, lack of natural mutation or just poor genetic design. keeping the species strong requires a constant culling of the breeding population.
microsoft has an extinction event rising fast and it is linux. that nagging cough, weepy eyes and those infected bed sores should be a clue that microsoft is in evolutionary trouble.
adapt or die. – by zeke
|beg to disagree (11:23am est fri jan 30 2004)
“despite the obvious need for improvement in the area of security, the weight of responsibility falls on average computer users.” – joshua
sorry, but if this were the case in other industries (like the auto industry since you bring up licensing), then we'd still be seeing pintos on the road today. ford would have assumed no liability for tires on their suvs that disentigrated. (i could go on, but you get the idea). “not being stupid enough to open email attachments that you aren't expecting”? since this is so dangerous, then why isn't it ms's (and other's) fault for allowing the user to directly open (execute) attachments in the first place? by the way, the users are ignorant, not stupid. there's a difference.
of course, in the next paragraph, you assert: “software developers (both os and otherwise) have the responsibility of creating an environment that will make the passing of viruses less possible.” hmm. so now you're saying the company does bear responsibilty? i have no clear idea of just what your position is on this subject.
here's my thoughts. software companies have the responsibility to create software that, in it's default configuration, is *reasonably* secure and bug-free. it is also their responisbility to provide the user with instructions on how to change this configuration and the consequences of those changes. they also need to provide instructions on proper maintenance (patches, defragging the hard drive, etc.) of the software.
|they should switch over to *nix (11:24am est fri jan 30 2004)
“…being stupid enough to open e-mail attachments that you aren't expecting are not things that microsoft has control over.”
if you open an email attachment under *nix including mac os x, the attachment's execution bit is turned off. some *nix mail such as mozilla mail identify what program is associated with the attachment. the attachment is fine as data for multimedia, document, etc but you can't execute it. you have to change the execution bit to make the attachment executable and why would anyone do that to an email attachment? – by *nix more secure
|re “by *nix more secure” (11:49am est fri jan 30 2004)
dude your stupid……. you may know but there are millions that's right millions of people out there that can barly turn a computer on.. and these are the people that drive the market… your statments assume that everyone shares the same level of knowlage that you do and that they have the time and inclination to learn.. guess what they don't the largest group of computer users are the group that is informed. think about this.. how many friends and relatives.. people at work do you indirectly support?
bottom line *nix (oh your so l33t for using that one) may be more secure but it is also more ubscure!
p.s. attachments do not actually automatically execute in windows either you have to double click them and that is how the latest virus is getting around.dude your stupid……. you may know something about computers but there are millions, that's right millions of people out there that can barley turn a computer on.. and these are the people that drive the market… your statements assume that everyone shares the same level of knowledge that you do and that they have the time and inclination to learn.. guess what? they don't, the largest group of computer users are the group that is uninformed and likes it that way.. they want to use the internet and computers but aren’t as experienced as most (guess you were an expert right off the hop. i think not). think about this.. how many friends and relatives.. people at work do you indirectly support?
bottom line *nix (oh your so l33t for using that one) may be more secure but it is also more obscure!
p.s. attachments do not actually automatically execute in windows you have to double click them and that is how the latest virus is getting around.
most people don’t even know they are infected.. that’s the reality and to hold microsoft responsible is utter stupidity.. mind you they have other holes that is their fault but this one is all the users! the best part is this.. if ms was to build in a virus scan to make it easier for the customer and have it update automatically then the would be charged with un competitive actions and you’d all be screaming to hi heavens..
– by redline
|fresh fruit for rotting vegetables (11:57am est fri jan 30 2004)
cool. i'll make sure i use iptables in my garden this year. – by jello biafra
|wait… (11:59am est fri jan 30 2004)
my garden runs linux. i don't need to worry about viruses. yum yum. those tomatoes will be mighty tasty this year! – by j.b.
|re: redline (12:12pm est fri jan 30 2004)
re: *nix more secure
wanna find out if someone has had an abusive childhood? find out if they are using a linux system. if so they need help immediately – by wd
|re: redline (12:21pm est fri jan 30 2004)
you are the one who is stupid.
“you may know but there are millions that's right millions of people out there that can barly turn a computer on..”
linux earns user-friendly rating
os is almost as easy to use as windows xp, study finds.
“how many friends and relatives.. people at work do you indirectly support?”
downloaded email attachment can be clickable on nautilus or konqueror and the associate application will run it but it will never be executed until you change the execution bit.
i think you better brush up on your *nix because your inexperience and knowledge on *nix is definitely showing. – by *nix more secure
|re:wd 40-very oily (12:37pm est fri jan 30 2004)
listen little girl…..keep it up and i'm gonna make you cry. where did i mention in here what i drive? you're mixing the threads. or is it your *other* personality writing this one? – by wd
|balanced (12:57pm est fri jan 30 2004)
isn't it going to be interesting if asia takes up open source in huge quantity.
we'll be able to see if the os really does make a difference or whether or not its the virus writters.
if half the world were running say linux, and the west was running windows (purely from generalisation) we would be able to see virus dynamics at work.
that'd be cool, diversity results in improvements. without attacking microsoft, their dominance is making them a nice big target that can't evolve fast enough (at the moment).
its important for windows to evolve because it will drive development of smaller competitiors.
in nature the fit will survive as now appears in computing. – by anqe
|talking about sars and cancer and linux (1:11pm est fri jan 30 2004)
the genome sciences centre at the british columbia cancer agency in vancouver, used a 232-node linux cluster to uncover the genetic sequence of the coronavirus believed to be responsible for sars.
it would be interesting to see if sars will come back. now that sars has been sequenced an vaccine can be created. there have been some very isolated cases of sars this year. i think sars will not come back because like influenza they only hit one season and are gone.
interesting thing about sars is that they only infected adults. there is no case of sars infecting children. maybe their teachers told the children to wash their hands more carefully?
– by microbio guy
|re “by *nix more secure” (2:02pm est fri jan 30 2004)
i never said windows was any better then linux or vice versa! you see you are not even intelligent enough to read..
so i'll dumb it down a bit so you can understand (should i spell it phonetically as well)
first off the first article you quote has the word almost in the title. a good analogy that has some real dangerous implications would read… a car is almost as easy to drive as a tricycle!
second.. you seem to be missing the point… there is very few places in the world where you can buy a linux box that mass amounts of people can purchase. so here is where i dumb it down for you………
nowhere to buy linux in the mainstream and a large number of uninformed people wanting to get online equates to … you got it! a breading ground for virus and zombie pc’s etc…… ms has nothing to do with it nor is linux any better protected from it.. these people are not arbitrarily running the attachments… they are running them because they think the are from friends and family and they are ok….. i have people in my organization who were told about the virus at work.. we filtered out all the offending stuff.. but they still went home and ran the attachments there… you see.. just uninformed no tech people… has nothing to do with ms or linux.
again you linux fan boys are so quick to point out how linux is superior you fail to see the headlights of an on coming truck.
let me put it this way…
if you think that if millions of people were running linux that they would not run the attachments because you have to change a single bit that they would be more informed about what to run and what not to run.. then the above applies and you are as misguided and blind to the truth as you appear.
don’t take this wrong..rather use this to open your eyes and concede that no software is perfect.. and even if it was.. it’s the person using it which is the most dangerous ( again the car analogy comes to mind – cars are safe it’s the people operating them that will kill you)
|re: redline (2:34pm est fri jan 30 2004)
if you check the east indian market, you can find linux preinstalled on desktop computer such as lg, samsung, hp and ibm. a similar occurance is happening in many east asian markets where you can find many linux os preload on desktop computers. no wonder microsoft is having a harder time selling software in place like japan. why isn't there linux worms and viruses in these places?
open up your eyes redline? (maybe you should use vasine).
– by *nix more secure
|re: redline: sidenote (2:48pm est fri jan 30 2004)
if you are watching the superbowl on sunday, many new hdtvs are running linux. many people many consumer electronics are running linux without knowing they are running linux.
i am looking at the number of computer and electronic companies joining some of the linux memberships such as osdl and celf.
most of the consumer electronic devices that need a high powered os will be using linux such as hdtv, dvd recorders, pvrs, etc. even the embedded os leader wind river who sells vxworks is now supporting linux. remember when windows xp embedded was running in bank atms, they all got crippled by ms blast last august and slammer last january. – by *nix more secure
|joshua… (4:58pm est fri jan 30 2004)
one word: virii. viruses is not proper. since virus is latin, the plural is virii (vye-rye). – by 13yrold
|can't resist (5:15pm est fri jan 30 2004)
“linux earns user-friendly rating
os is almost as easy to use as windows xp, study finds.”
*nix, you post this a lot, and i just gotta ask:
does that mean they're any less clueless as to how the computer works as any other users? – by jrink
|i dont get it. (6:23pm est fri jan 30 2004)
if not microsoft's 'fault', then whose? their practices, illegal or not, result in most of the world relying on their software. all these viruses are programmed to run on windows. the viruses rely on flaws in windows. and, ms takes forever to issue patches. sure as hell isn't the isp's fault, or the person that forwarded you a virus by accident, or the government's, or the company that made your ram, or the hard drive company… it's the os. it's always been the os. – by jd
|re: jrink (6:56pm est fri jan 30 2004)
“does that mean they're any less clueless as to how the computer works as any other users?”
according to relevantive usability study on linux, the answer is yes.
the researchers studied how easily two groups of users could perform tasks using the different operating systems. one group consisted of 60 users between 25 and 55 with computer skills but no prior experience with linux or windows xp. they tested the pre-configured open source software according to various criteria, such as the ease of creating and administrating new and existing files, copying cds, and performing some basic office tasks, such as composing a text and sending an e-mail.
the study findings suggest that it is almost as easy to perform most major office tasks using linux as it is using windows, which has a long history in the consumer market. – by *nix as easy too
| genes (11:49pm est fri jan 30 2004)
if i try to execute that little nasty msblast attachment in osx or linux, it doesn't do anything. seems to me to be an *os specific* issue with the exploitation, not a user issue.
kinda like how the plague didn't kill everyone because some folks had a natural genetic immunity. a fluke or just better building blocks – but it is a process of natural selection that weeds out the weak, no matter if they are dominant at the time of the exploit.
of course you can blame folks for poor hygiene and such that spread the plague, but remember the common accepted lifestyle of the time. just as common accepted computer user pratices. an attachment is meant to be opened, that is why it is attached.
windows has aids and its patches are like interferon cocktail shots, just sustaining an easily compromised – sick system. some patches offer a digital condom from the transfer of infectious data, but do not build an equivalent of genetic immunity.
microsoft needs to develop a new species that is tailored to reject or at least not participate in transfer of infected data. abstinence, endless supply of condoms or a true hardened genetic immunity.
do not blame the user for these exploits. there is a reason the exploits are only available on windows systems and it is because of the genetic design.
dinosaurs once ruled the earth. a combination of events likely took them out. the way i feel about it, if a species is detrimental to human survival or compromises our existence, we should help them go extinct. yup, that includes bears, tigers, alligators, poisonous snakes, sharks etc.. oh yeah, and in this case microsoft.
the aids infected t-rex windows can do a billion years of evolution to something more akin to a domesticated dog or we consumers can call down the linux asteroid to kill them off proper. – by zeke
|anthrapology 101 (4:12am est sat jan 31 2004)
(look spelling errors)
ok anyone heard of the neandertals a highly evolved (in comparison) homonid that was very prevelent in the norther european area. this homonid had all the bonus extras that you and i have. they also had some other addons, like a more durable phisiology, higher stamina, and strength
what is all the crap and why is it relivant? well linux, mac, osx, or whatever may be great os's better than ms in any and all respects. but without certain key features… mainly (lack of software) they will stay in the background itching for leadership. neadertals died because we killed them, because we could think ahead. and unless linux, mac, whatever can come up for a solution for the software problem they will also go the way of the amiga64
2 cents inserted here – by illero
|*nix more secure (12:09pm est sun feb 01 2004)
“i can't fix windows 98 remotely without expensive third party software or windows xp without buying the expensive windows xp pro to use remote access.”
yes, you can. i do it every day using tightvnc, which is available for the low low price of absolutely nothing. on the phone, i managed to talk a user through the process of installing the server component, and this was a person who doesn't know where the any key is.
as for the topic at hand, i see that not many are placing the blame where i think it should be placed: on the heads of those who write the damn things in the first place.
i know we're suffering analogy overload, but if someone figures out how to break into my car, and then runs a red light and plows into a school bus while making a getaway from a bank heist, i can hardly blame car manufacturers (or lock manufacturers, upon whom the entire driving public is dependent) for sloppy security.
finally, the majority of worm coders are out for one thing and one thing only: notoriety among their peers. you can't one-up your worm-writing brethren by targeting 5% of the computing population while they're targeting the other 95%. yes, there's the odd one out there who actually has some sort of agenda against a particular company, or a political motive, but i'll bet if you asked most of the kiddies why they don't like microsoft, they wouldn't be able to cite viable reasons.
i know the non-microsoft folks are very smug about their perceived immunity, but if the os balance of power was reversed, i seriously doubt that would be the case. never underestimate the ingenuity of coders with deficient self-esteem and too much time on their hands.
|re: tightvnc (4:22pm est sun feb 01 2004)
another case of open source being better, cheaper and more secure again like all other open source software. got you there! the patient. why just stop at the open source tightvnc software, go for the whole ball of wax and include the operating system (linux, bsd unix, etc). – by vncgood4lowbandwidth
|hmmmmm (7:43pm est sun feb 01 2004)
one way t reduce the risk of viruses spreading, is free antivirus software to individual users, along with free updates when they happen.
if every computer had proper antivirus software installed, along with the appropriate updates, this kind of problem would not happen on a scale as large as this.
|re: illero (12:09am est mon feb 02 2004)
here is one of many articles stating that linux is going mainstream.
here is one from yesterday:
linux steps into the limelight
|re: illero (12:10am est mon feb 02 2004)
here is one of many articles stating that linux is going mainstream.
here is one from yesterday:
linux steps into the limelight
|re: the patient (1:10am est mon feb 02 2004)
i love car analogies. why would anyone buy a car with its hood wield shut and there is no shop manual for the car? you can't fix your car yourself or take it to your local mechanic. you have to go to the factory to fix your car. this is microsoft windows.
i like a car with a full open hood and all the engine, transmission full exposed. i like to fix this car myself or take it to the local mechanic because there is a fully documented shop manual and a whole array of tools to fix this car. this is linux. – by car analogy
|re: the patient (1:40am est mon feb 02 2004)
“you can't one-up your worm-writing brethren by targeting 5% of the computing population while they're targeting the other 95%.”
there writers of ineffective linux viruses and worms in 2001/2002. there were writers of mac os virus and worms on and before 2001.
now there are no linux worms and viruses in 2003 and 2004 while linux enjoys explosive growth. there are no viruses and worms for mac os x ever.
“i know the non-microsoft folks are very smug about their perceived immunity”
|its just better (3:11am est mon feb 02 2004)
here is as good of place to say this as anywhere…
i tried the live cd of mandrake move and knopix. no install needed, just boot from the cd.
both of these versions are better than windows xp for ease of use. the software bundle is impressive. i was blown away with the instant capabilities i had and the similarity to windows navigation makes it very easy to figure everything out.
my nforce2 motherboard was recognized and all drivers loaded. sound and video.. no problem.
they are loaded with applications, utilities and games. i had office compatibility, they both found my network and all my system hardware. graphics editing, and media players, games, educational and more..
all this under 3 minutes. watching a dvd under 4 minutes. this is awesome when you consider everything is decompressed on the fly from the cd and managed in ram. these live cd linuxes *do not* need to do anything with your current hard drive.
if you have not tried linux before, check out a live cd distro. it will change your mind about the linux of previous years and there are no worries of screwing your ms stuff up at all.
i can't imagine why anyone would not seriously consider linux after experiencing a current release loaded with apps.
if you have a live cd distro. share it and let folks know about the new linux. it is all i could have imagined and more. – by shock and awe
|i have the solution (12:59pm est mon feb 02 2004)
what we need is a “windows ng” for non-geek. that version of winndows will have automatic updating with no user interaction, automatic virus definition updates with no user interaction, and a cup holder that conveniently ejects from the front of the machine. now some might argue that this is what mac is for. i disagree (while chuckling) and i think all will concur that mac users are a different breed than the standard windows newbie. there is a certain group of people that will never learn how to maintain a pc well enough to keep any os free of viruses and (in the same category) adware. windows ng for the non-geeks, whatever os you prefer for the geeks. – by spook
|tvncgoodetc. (9:25pm est mon feb 02 2004)
“another case of open source being better, cheaper and more secure again like all other open source software. got you there! the patient.”
well, i'm not sure if you “got me”. i think you may have got me if i'd said that tightvnc is an inferior solution, but i was actually pointing out the opposite: it's a viable alternative to expensive software solutions. in other words, we agree on it.
as for the “like all open source software” part, that strikes me as a bit of an assumption — sort of like assuming that all closed source software is great because one happens to think windows is great. unless, of course, you've used every piece of open source software ever produced and never found any of it substandard, in which case i defer to you on that point.
“why just stop at the open source tightvnc software, go for the whole ball of wax and include the operating system (linux, bsd unix, etc).”
several reasons: (a) windows works fine for me (b) i know it inside out (c) i have a lot of money invested in windows software (d) i have neither the time nor the inclination to relearn another operating system at the moment (e) my job requires me to use several windows applications, including customized vertical apps (f) i'm platform-agnostic.
i'm in the process of installing slackware on a secondary pc right now. i think linux is a good operating system. it just so happens that windows serves my needs just fine at the moment. perhaps that will change, perhaps not. until such time, i think i should use what works for me, and if linux or a mac or a commodore 64 works better for you, then full speed ahead and more power to you. – by the patient
|*nix more secure (9:50pm est mon feb 02 2004)
“now there are no linux worms and viruses in 2003 and 2004 while linux enjoys explosive growth.”
correct. but that explosive growth is not at the point where linux is running on 95% of the world's personal computers.
“there are no viruses and worms for mac os x ever.”
correct. as i pointed out, why would a virus writer target 5% of the world's personal computers?
“not perceived. it is real immunity even without anti virus software on linux and mac os x.”
correct, as of right now, but i never assume that what holds true today will hold true forever. you may recall some now-amusing predictions from years gone by, such as “nobody will ever need a computer on their desktop” or “640k is good enough for anyone” (bill has denied that one, by the way).
“reality is not on your side. there is explosive growth on the linux side and number of worms and viruses dropped to zero and remains at zero. care to explain that?”
i don't know what the explanation is, but again, you're talking about the present day, and the explosive growth is nowhere near the massive penetration of windows. when and if linux becomes ubiquitous, i think we'll begin to see some different scenarios. – by the patient
|re: the patient (10:23pm est mon feb 02 2004)
“correct. as i pointed out, why would a virus writer target 5% of the world's personal computers?”
again reality and history is not on your side.
why would a virus writer create an ineffective virus and worm for linux in 2001/2002?
why would a virus writer create an ineffective virus and worm for apple mac os before apple mac os x?
if you check you will find early linux and pre-mac os x worms and viruses. why did the virus writers give up on writing viruses and worms for current linux os and mac os x? could it be that they are more secure?
actually linux is becoming quite ubiquitous in embedded systems and consumer electronic entertainment systems. do you have a digital cable set top tv box, pvr, recording dvd player, recent mid to high end dvd players, home firewall applicance, recent mid to high end hdtv, etc? it is extremely likely it is running linux. – by *nix more secure
|help coming soon (7:25am est tue feb 03 2004)
the linux for the masses may be close.
– by mac user
|*nix (11:05pm est tue feb 03 2004)
i understand your rationale, but remember that at one point, nobody knew how to write something which would successfully invade a windows system, either. they sure learned, though, didn't they — and the overwhelming popularity of windows systems has made it, or at least helped make it, the target of choice. even the antivirus folks and microsoft themselves have pointed that out many times.
what i'm saying is that even though your assertion that linux and mac are more secure now may be true (and i'm not denying that at all), that is no guarantee that it will always be so — particularly if os dominance reverses itself someday. unless you have a crystal ball, that is — in which case i think we should get some investment capital together and chat about a business venture. =)
incidentally, it's refreshing to encounter someone who can make their point for the opposite side without resorting to the usual mudslinging, namecalling, etc. which tends to make proponents for both sides look like losers. kudos to you, sir or madam, as the case may be. – by the patient
|the mail client is a large part of the problem… (1:18am est wed feb 04 2004)
…at least in the case of many of these windows-related worms.
if the mail client would make it much harder for the average user to execute an attached program or script, such worms would no longer spread very quickly (if at all).