Re: [arch-general] Preferred CHOST

2014-11-13 Thread Sean Greenslade
On Thu, Nov 13, 2014 at 06:55:51AM +0100, Ralf Mardorf wrote:
 Sean, actually you tells us that we should care about security holes in
 Mutt/1.5.23 to attack you ;) and since you're replying to Arch general
 email, you're likely using Arch Linux. This likely is a trick, you're
 running Alpin on openSUSE? ;)

Ha hah! I'm running LFS and using telnet as my mail client!

I kid, I kid. And I actually did have that thought as I was writing that
mail. So, uh...do as I say, not as I do, etc. etc. I really won't claim
that my setup is anywhere near hardened.

--Sean


Re: [arch-general] Preferred CHOST

2014-11-13 Thread Ralf Mardorf
On Thu, 13 Nov 2014 15:02:58 -0500
Sean Greenslade s...@seangreenslade.com wrote:

 On Thu, Nov 13, 2014 at 06:55:51AM +0100, Ralf Mardorf wrote:
  Sean, actually you tells us that we should care about security
  holes in Mutt/1.5.23 to attack you ;) and since you're replying to
  Arch general email, you're likely using Arch Linux. This likely is
  a trick, you're running Alpin on openSUSE? ;)
 
 Ha hah! I'm running LFS and using telnet as my mail client!
 
 I kid, I kid. And I actually did have that thought as I was writing
 that mail. So, uh...do as I say, not as I do, etc. etc. I really
 won't claim that my setup is anywhere near hardened.

:)

Another point of view is, that if we mention Arch Linux in a header, we
also point out, that our OS is upgraded with current security patches
from upstream. IOW it's easier for you, to attack somebody using another
Linux distro. OTOH the latest bash issue was fixed by FreeBSD and all
Linux distros I watch very soon and much more people use Apple, Windows
and Android (pseudo-Linux) operating systems. I like to show that I'm
using a MUA running on Arch Linux. Assumed I should need security, then
I would use two additional computers to provide that. One for absolutely
anonymous Internet usage and another computer that is completely
decoupled from the Internet.


Re: [arch-general] Preferred CHOST

2014-11-13 Thread Ralf Mardorf
On Thu, 13 Nov 2014 21:31:40 +0100
Ralf Mardorf ralf.mard...@rocketmail.com wrote:

 On Thu, 13 Nov 2014 15:02:58 -0500
 Sean Greenslade s...@seangreenslade.com wrote:
 
  On Thu, Nov 13, 2014 at 06:55:51AM +0100, Ralf Mardorf wrote:
   Sean, actually you tells us that we should care about security
   holes in Mutt/1.5.23 to attack you ;) and since you're replying to
   Arch general email, you're likely using Arch Linux. This likely is
   a trick, you're running Alpin on openSUSE? ;)
  
  Ha hah! I'm running LFS and using telnet as my mail client!
  
  I kid, I kid. And I actually did have that thought as I was writing
  that mail. So, uh...do as I say, not as I do, etc. etc. I really
  won't claim that my setup is anywhere near hardened.
 
 :)
 
 Another point of view is, that if we mention Arch Linux in a header,
 we also point out, that our OS is upgraded with current security
 patches from upstream. IOW it's easier for you, to attack somebody
 using another Linux distro. OTOH the latest bash issue was fixed by
 FreeBSD and all Linux distros I watch very soon and much more people
 use Apple, Windows and Android (pseudo-Linux) operating systems. I
 like to show that I'm using a MUA running on Arch Linux. Assumed I
 should need security, then I would use two additional computers to
 provide that. One for absolutely anonymous Internet usage and another
 computer that is completely decoupled from the Internet.

Assumed we want to share data between the anonymous Interne
computer and the computer without an Internat connection, e.g. by a
brand new tidied up USB stick, we should consider to use a third
computer before we transfer the data. With the computer in the
middle, we should check if the USB stick is clean. The computer in the
middle should be rebuild several times a day, using different hardware
combinations.


Re: [arch-general] Preferred CHOST

2014-11-13 Thread Toyam Cox
On Thu, Nov 13, 2014 at 4:16 PM, Ralf Mardorf ralf.mard...@rocketmail.com
wrote:

 On Thu, 13 Nov 2014 21:31:40 +0100
 Ralf Mardorf ralf.mard...@rocketmail.com wrote:

  On Thu, 13 Nov 2014 15:02:58 -0500
  Sean Greenslade s...@seangreenslade.com wrote:
 
   On Thu, Nov 13, 2014 at 06:55:51AM +0100, Ralf Mardorf wrote:
Sean, actually you tells us that we should care about security
holes in Mutt/1.5.23 to attack you ;) and since you're replying to
Arch general email, you're likely using Arch Linux. This likely is
a trick, you're running Alpin on openSUSE? ;)
  
   Ha hah! I'm running LFS and using telnet as my mail client!
  
   I kid, I kid. And I actually did have that thought as I was writing
   that mail. So, uh...do as I say, not as I do, etc. etc. I really
   won't claim that my setup is anywhere near hardened.
 
  :)
 
  Another point of view is, that if we mention Arch Linux in a header,
  we also point out, that our OS is upgraded with current security
  patches from upstream. IOW it's easier for you, to attack somebody
  using another Linux distro. OTOH the latest bash issue was fixed by
  FreeBSD and all Linux distros I watch very soon and much more people
  use Apple, Windows and Android (pseudo-Linux) operating systems. I
  like to show that I'm using a MUA running on Arch Linux. Assumed I
  should need security, then I would use two additional computers to
  provide that. One for absolutely anonymous Internet usage and another
  computer that is completely decoupled from the Internet.

 Assumed we want to share data between the anonymous Interne
 computer and the computer without an Internat connection, e.g. by a
 brand new tidied up USB stick, we should consider to use a third
 computer before we transfer the data. With the computer in the
 middle, we should check if the USB stick is clean. The computer in the
 middle should be rebuild several times a day, using different hardware
 combinations.



But perhaps that would be too much hassle. Maybe the computer in the middle
should be a live-ISO chosen at random by the offline computer, which would
have been pre-loaded with all the necessary verification tools.

-- 
- Toyam


Re: [arch-general] Preferred CHOST

2014-11-13 Thread vixsomnis
Considering USB as a standard is vulnerable (BadUSB malware that infects
the firmware of the USB device), you'd be safer having your off the
net computer just connected via ethernet cable to your anonymous
computer, and making sure the link is locked down.

-- 
vixsomnis

On Thu, Nov 13, 2014, at 04:22 PM, Toyam Cox wrote:
 On Thu, Nov 13, 2014 at 4:16 PM, Ralf Mardorf
 ralf.mard...@rocketmail.com
 wrote:
 
  On Thu, 13 Nov 2014 21:31:40 +0100
  Ralf Mardorf ralf.mard...@rocketmail.com wrote:
 
   On Thu, 13 Nov 2014 15:02:58 -0500
   Sean Greenslade s...@seangreenslade.com wrote:
  
On Thu, Nov 13, 2014 at 06:55:51AM +0100, Ralf Mardorf wrote:
 Sean, actually you tells us that we should care about security
 holes in Mutt/1.5.23 to attack you ;) and since you're replying to
 Arch general email, you're likely using Arch Linux. This likely is
 a trick, you're running Alpin on openSUSE? ;)
   
Ha hah! I'm running LFS and using telnet as my mail client!
   
I kid, I kid. And I actually did have that thought as I was writing
that mail. So, uh...do as I say, not as I do, etc. etc. I really
won't claim that my setup is anywhere near hardened.
  
   :)
  
   Another point of view is, that if we mention Arch Linux in a header,
   we also point out, that our OS is upgraded with current security
   patches from upstream. IOW it's easier for you, to attack somebody
   using another Linux distro. OTOH the latest bash issue was fixed by
   FreeBSD and all Linux distros I watch very soon and much more people
   use Apple, Windows and Android (pseudo-Linux) operating systems. I
   like to show that I'm using a MUA running on Arch Linux. Assumed I
   should need security, then I would use two additional computers to
   provide that. One for absolutely anonymous Internet usage and another
   computer that is completely decoupled from the Internet.
 
  Assumed we want to share data between the anonymous Interne
  computer and the computer without an Internat connection, e.g. by a
  brand new tidied up USB stick, we should consider to use a third
  computer before we transfer the data. With the computer in the
  middle, we should check if the USB stick is clean. The computer in the
  middle should be rebuild several times a day, using different hardware
  combinations.
 
 
 
 But perhaps that would be too much hassle. Maybe the computer in the
 middle
 should be a live-ISO chosen at random by the offline computer, which
 would
 have been pre-loaded with all the necessary verification tools.
 
 -- 
 - Toyam


Re: [arch-general] Preferred CHOST

2014-11-13 Thread Ralf Mardorf
On Thu, 13 Nov 2014 22:16:28 +0100
Ralf Mardorf ralf.mard...@rocketmail.com wrote:

 On Thu, 13 Nov 2014 21:31:40 +0100
 Ralf Mardorf ralf.mard...@rocketmail.com wrote:
 
  On Thu, 13 Nov 2014 15:02:58 -0500
  Sean Greenslade s...@seangreenslade.com wrote:
  
   On Thu, Nov 13, 2014 at 06:55:51AM +0100, Ralf Mardorf wrote:
Sean, actually you tells us that we should care about security
holes in Mutt/1.5.23 to attack you ;) and since you're replying
to Arch general email, you're likely using Arch Linux. This
likely is a trick, you're running Alpin on openSUSE? ;)
   
   Ha hah! I'm running LFS and using telnet as my mail client!
   
   I kid, I kid. And I actually did have that thought as I was
   writing that mail. So, uh...do as I say, not as I do, etc. etc. I
   really won't claim that my setup is anywhere near hardened.
  
  :)
  
  Another point of view is, that if we mention Arch Linux in a header,
  we also point out, that our OS is upgraded with current security
  patches from upstream. IOW it's easier for you, to attack somebody
  using another Linux distro. OTOH the latest bash issue was fixed by
  FreeBSD and all Linux distros I watch very soon and much more people
  use Apple, Windows and Android (pseudo-Linux) operating systems. I
  like to show that I'm using a MUA running on Arch Linux. Assumed I
  should need security, then I would use two additional computers to
  provide that. One for absolutely anonymous Internet usage and
  another computer that is completely decoupled from the Internet.
 
 Assumed we want to share data between the anonymous Interne
 computer and the computer without an Internat connection, e.g. by a
 brand new tidied up USB stick, we should consider to use a third
 computer before we transfer the data. With the computer in the
 middle, we should check if the USB stick is clean. The computer in
 the middle should be rebuild several times a day, using different
 hardware combinations.

PPS: And each time a day with a different most exotic install such as
http://www.plan9.bell-labs.com/wiki/plan9/plan_9_wiki/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052077/


Re: [arch-general] Preferred CHOST

2014-11-13 Thread Ralf Mardorf
Ok, we could use randomly chosen live media for the control computer in
the middle instead of changing the hardware several times a day, but
it's more risky. Anyway, instead of my USB stick I guess you're
right, the manually disconnected and connected ethernet cable is the
most save way, but really no wlan, we are talking about a cable
connection and we insert and remove the cable after looking out of our
windows, to ensure that there are no black helicopters in front of our
houses.


Re: [arch-general] Preferred CHOST

2014-11-13 Thread Sean Greenslade
On Thu, Nov 13, 2014 at 04:28:13PM -0500, vixsomnis wrote:
 Considering USB as a standard is vulnerable (BadUSB malware that infects
 the firmware of the USB device), you'd be safer having your off the
 net computer just connected via ethernet cable to your anonymous
 computer, and making sure the link is locked down.

You need to have your offline PC be connected to another machine only
via serial cable.

http://wiki.cacert.org/HELP/7

--Sean


Re: [arch-general] Preferred CHOST

2014-11-13 Thread Ralf Mardorf
The end ;).

There's no security if you are connected to the Internet. The
difference between using an relatively unsecure Arch Linux computer,
with a MUA pointing out what distro we use and a relatively tricky
secure way using at least 3 computers to share our data between an
anonymous Internet connection and an Internet free computer could be
ignored, it's a minor difference regarding to security.

Resume: Secure = cables and no cables are connected to the Internet and
care about the emission of your tube monitor ;).


Re: [arch-general] Preferred CHOST

2014-11-13 Thread Ralf Mardorf
The last time I read

https://www.schneier.com/

perhaps 2 or 3 years ago, he mentions that using 2 computers is
relatively save. One computer using all the anonymous abilities we have
for mailing and surfing and just a second computer for sharing data
between the Internet and a disconnected PC, using a brand new
unchecked USB stick. IMO we at least should use a computer in the
middle and inspect such an USB stick.


Re: [arch-general] Preferred CHOST

2014-11-12 Thread Sean Greenslade
On Wed, Nov 05, 2014 at 01:53:25PM +0100, Ralf Mardorf wrote:
 If somebody should fear an attack, than it's wiser even not to
 mention what version of Claws Mail, GTK and what architecture is used.
 This can be done by the account settings.
 Configuration  Edit accounts...  Edit selected account  Send 
 [ ] Add user agent header

Very true, and it is sound advice to make this change. The less you tell
people about your system, the harder it is for them to profile it for
vulnerabilities.

--Sean


Re: [arch-general] Preferred CHOST

2014-11-05 Thread Ralf Mardorf
Hi Martti,

On Wed, 5 Nov 2014 07:56:25 +0100
Martti Kühne mysat...@gmail.com wrote:
 On Tue, Nov 4, 2014 at 11:32 PM, Ralf Mardorf
 ralf.mard...@rocketmail.com wrote:
 
  OK, so it perhaps should be the default for CHOST, but for packages
  such as Claws mail --build=$(uname -m)-arch-linux-gnu should be ok,
  while CHOST still could be as it is.
 
 
 
 Wait, you'd prefer an untrue, nongeneric and revealing value passed in
 your mail headers to the generic and truthful representation of your
 system?

could you explain what's untrue with it? Other distros do that too.

 Go ahead and build the package that way and want to have mail headers
 that uniquely reveal your choice linux distribution?
 Did you think this through? I mean, yeah, Arch has its benefits, but
 I'm not sure security is of no concern at all for it.

What is insecure when doing it?

Regards,
Ralf


Re: [arch-general] Preferred CHOST

2014-11-05 Thread Martti Kühne
On Wed, Nov 5, 2014 at 12:13 PM, Ralf Mardorf
ralf.mard...@rocketmail.com wrote:
 Hi Martti,

 On Wed, 5 Nov 2014 07:56:25 +0100
 Martti Kühne mysat...@gmail.com wrote:
 On Tue, Nov 4, 2014 at 11:32 PM, Ralf Mardorf
 ralf.mard...@rocketmail.com wrote:
 
  OK, so it perhaps should be the default for CHOST, but for packages
  such as Claws mail --build=$(uname -m)-arch-linux-gnu should be ok,
  while CHOST still could be as it is.
 


 Wait, you'd prefer an untrue, nongeneric and revealing value passed in
 your mail headers to the generic and truthful representation of your
 system?

 could you explain what's untrue with it? Other distros do that too.


Well your software isn't built with the CHOST you want claws to
recite. So technically it would be lying.

 Go ahead and build the package that way and want to have mail headers
 that uniquely reveal your choice linux distribution?
 Did you think this through? I mean, yeah, Arch has its benefits, but
 I'm not sure security is of no concern at all for it.

 What is insecure when doing it?

You cannot tell or know. But your way an attacker (they usually know
more than you or I) has the advantage of knowing exactly which of the
distros he is targeting.

cheers!
mar77i


Re: [arch-general] Preferred CHOST

2014-11-05 Thread Ralf Mardorf
On Wed, 5 Nov 2014 13:03:14 +0100
Martti Kühne mysat...@gmail.com wrote:
  What is insecure when doing it?
 
 You cannot tell or know. But your way an attacker (they usually know
 more than you or I) has the advantage of knowing exactly which of the
 distros he is targeting.

If somebody should fear an attack, than it's wiser even not to
mention what version of Claws Mail, GTK and what architecture is used.
This can be done by the account settings.
Configuration  Edit accounts...  Edit selected account  Send 
[ ] Add user agent header

Regards,
Ralf


Re: [arch-general] Preferred CHOST

2014-11-04 Thread Andreas Radke
Am Tue, 4 Nov 2014 07:29:25 +0100
schrieb Ralf Mardorf ralf.mard...@rocketmail.com:

 Hi :)
 
 why is the wanted default CHOST ARCHITECTURE-unknown-linux-gnu instead
 of ARCHITECTURE-arch-linux-gnu?
 
 $ grep CHOST /etc/makepkg.conf
 CHOST=x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu
 
 I wasn't aware of this, until I started testing Claws [1], [2].
 
 Other distros usually prefer self-promotion.
 
 Regards,
 Ralf
 
 [1]
 http://lists.claws-mail.org/pipermail/users/2014-November/011307.html
 
 [2]
 The following task is now closed:
 
 FS#42659 - [claws-mail] X-Mailer feature request
 
 Reason for closing: Not a bug
 Additional comments about closing: check the wanted Arch Linux default
 CHOST in /etc/makepkg.conf ;)
 

Afaik this is for historical reason. I can only speak about the x86_64
port that I've been working from the very early days.

Arch64 was made following CLFS and they recommended this variable
naming:
http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/clfs/view/svn/x86_64-64/cross-tools/variables.html

I'm not sure about the reason for our 32bit mother distribution.

The variable is pretty much of no interest at runtime. But I remember
some packages that strictly needed this generic CHOST variable to be
able to compile out of the box. Any customized naming made them fail to
pass configure.

-Andy


pgpYgdrJw1wKN.pgp
Description: Digitale Signatur von OpenPGP


Re: [arch-general] Preferred CHOST

2014-11-04 Thread Ralf Mardorf
On Tue, 4 Nov 2014 19:21:24 +0100
Andreas Radke andy...@archlinux.org wrote:
 I remember
 some packages that strictly needed this generic CHOST variable to be
 able to compile out of the box. Any customized naming made them fail
 to pass configure.

OK, so it perhaps should be the default for CHOST, but for packages such
as Claws mail --build=$(uname -m)-arch-linux-gnu should be ok, while
CHOST still could be as it is.

2 Cents,
Ralf


Re: [arch-general] Preferred CHOST

2014-11-04 Thread Martti Kühne
On Tue, Nov 4, 2014 at 11:32 PM, Ralf Mardorf
ralf.mard...@rocketmail.com wrote:

 OK, so it perhaps should be the default for CHOST, but for packages such
 as Claws mail --build=$(uname -m)-arch-linux-gnu should be ok, while
 CHOST still could be as it is.



Wait, you'd prefer an untrue, nongeneric and revealing value passed in
your mail headers to the generic and truthful representation of your
system?
Go ahead and build the package that way and want to have mail headers
that uniquely reveal your choice linux distribution?
Did you think this through? I mean, yeah, Arch has its benefits, but
I'm not sure security is of no concern at all for it.

cheers!
mar77i


[arch-general] Preferred CHOST

2014-11-03 Thread Ralf Mardorf
Hi :)

why is the wanted default CHOST ARCHITECTURE-unknown-linux-gnu instead
of ARCHITECTURE-arch-linux-gnu?

$ grep CHOST /etc/makepkg.conf
CHOST=x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu

I wasn't aware of this, until I started testing Claws [1], [2].

Other distros usually prefer self-promotion.

Regards,
Ralf

[1]
http://lists.claws-mail.org/pipermail/users/2014-November/011307.html

[2]
The following task is now closed:

FS#42659 - [claws-mail] X-Mailer feature request

Reason for closing: Not a bug
Additional comments about closing: check the wanted Arch Linux default
CHOST in /etc/makepkg.conf ;)