On Saturday 20 December 2003 22:49, Dick Gevers wrote: <snip> > I am sorry, but I don`t understand this advice. Some time ago I > came from Windows, because my complaint was, amongst others, it`s > lack of security. Now I am finally on a secure system (Linux) and > we get an advice to turn off completely one of the main features > of Mandrake`s security. Are you 100% sure that that is sound > advice?? </snip>
Dick, my understanding is, that msec is a Mandrake "add-on" to the general linux security. A "nanny". The fact is, that linux in itself is orders of magnitudes safer then Windows. The primary reason is, that on all "real" distro's (not counting Lindows, Lycoris here) the install procedure demands at least one user account besides the root account. That means that even if someone could write a linux-virus (which I doubt) it wouldn't have the executable bit set. The (very stupid) user would have to do that by hand. Next : when our (stupid) user runs this executable, the worst-case scenario is that she/he whacks her/his own "home" directory, unless "root" has granted her/him access to other users "home" directories. In that case, those are hosed too, but no harm is done to the system proper. Here's where msec comes in : I always wonder why the Mandrake default is "standard". First thing to do after a new install/upgrade is to set security level to "high". But that is only a matter of keeping the users privacy, not the system's. So, by turning off msec you still have a system far more secure then Windows. And on a lighter note : Recently I purchased a HP box for my daughter. Naturally it came with WindowsXP pre-installed. She is now 16 years old and has been using Linux all her life. She was utterly shocked to find that out she could destroy her brand new "XP" with just a few clicks. Regrettably, she need this "XP" in order to comply with her college's "system" , but she demanded me to install Linux as well, so she could dual-boot into a safe and reliable environment. So I did, and now what ? Every so often she hauls me into her room just to ask me (who in her eyes is some sort of guru) : "I'm in Windows now, why doesn't this work, why do I get these strange messages, why do I have to reboot the box all the time, why can't I send an e-mail today, why is everything slowing down to almost standstill, why should I have to throw $$ to someone just to draw a line in my math report ?" And : a fortnight ago she received some "X-mas-card" from a friend. Naturally she clicked the attached file, and "kaboom" ! Now, she is all back on her /dev/hdb ( which has Mandrake 9.1 on it). And she has a /dev/hda (with WindowsXP) for a bargain sale. Want to buy ? Kaj Haulrich. -- ** Sent from a 100 % Microsoft-free computer **
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