Re: [ubuntu-uk] heads up - Secure Boot Problems for Linux Users Are Here Already

2012-06-03 Thread Bruno Girin
On 02/06/12 15:56, Alan Bell wrote:
 Could linux foundation do the same for the servers? beause they can
 be cracked in a similar way?


 servers generally won't get the secure boot thing. Odd really because
 it kind of makes more sense to me in that context.


Probably because the biggest market for servers is corporate customers
who have their own IT department and who would very quickly go see
another supplier if they had to fiddle with settings in order to install
the operating system of their choice on their systems. For a typical
large corporate that regularly installs dozens of servers, any change in
installation procedure means:

  * Re-train the whole of IT,
  * Change all training and documentation material,
  * Update the process of how business units get servers commissioned,
  * Find a way to phase in the new process while phasing out the old one,
  * Getting confirmation from suppliers of what exact models will have
UEFI so that they can have clear guidance: if model A, then do
process 1 else do process 2,
  * Factor in additional costs and delays for the inevitable cock-ups
that will happen.


It's an interesting game that Microsoft are playing and I'm wondering
whether their primary motivation is to lock competition out or to force
the last refuseniks off XP and onto a more recent version of Windows.
From an OEM perspective, what could happen is that you would see UEFI on
consumer ranges first, where customers tend to just go with what's
pre-installed, and then slowly see it appear on business ranges, where
customers tend to wipe the pre-installed OS and replace it with their
in-house image.

The fact that this logic is completely at odds with the security
benefits of UEFI secure booting only makes sense if you see it from an
accounting point of view: secure boot is a technical tool to mitigate
the risk of a server getting compromised. This is modelled as a risk
with associated cost (cost of rebuilding a compromised server, checking
if it's the only compromised one, potential reputation costs, etc). Most
companies already mitigate that risk using firewalls, intrusion
detection systems, etc. Mitigation is not perfect so there is a residual
risk with associated cost. UEFI secure boot is then an opportunity to
reduce this residual cost through additional mitigation. If the cost
saving that results from migrating the estate to UEFI secure boot is
lower than the cost of actually doing it, companies will just stay put
with what they have, accept the risk and pay the price whenever the risk
is realised.

So the fact that servers won't get the secure boot option is simply a
sign that nobody has yet managed to demonstrate that the cost of
introducing secure boot in a corporate environment was lower than the
potential cost of the risk it mitigates.

Cheers,

Bruno

-- 
ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com
https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/


Re: [ubuntu-uk] heads up - Secure Boot Problems for Linux Users Are Here Already

2012-06-03 Thread Bill Baker
On Sun, 2012-06-03 at 12:39 +0100, Bruno Girin wrote:
 On 02/06/12 15:56, Alan Bell wrote: 
 any change in installation procedure means:
   * Re-train the whole of IT,
   * Change all training and documentation material,
   * Update the process of how business units get servers
 commissioned,
   * Find a way to phase in the new process while phasing out the
 old one,
   * Getting confirmation from suppliers of what exact models will
 have UEFI so that they can have clear guidance: if model A,
 then do process 1 else do process 2,
   * Factor in additional costs and delays for the inevitable
 cock-ups that will happen.

 Cheers,
 
 Bruno
 
You missed one important step in the process of change
The time spent by It peeps running around like headless chickens going
oh no, not again!

-- 
Regards,
Bill B. [SuperEngineer]

--
-Registered Linux User 523667-
-Registered Ubuntu User 32366-
-Free  as in Freedom--


-- 
ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com
https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/


[ubuntu-uk] Branded Ubuntu Disks

2012-06-03 Thread Colin McCarthy
Hi
I've a selection of branded Ubuntu CD's. 8.10 Server, 9.10 Desktop etc,
plus tons of Ubuntu stickers.
Does a Ubuntu Fanboy/girl want them before they go in the bin?

Colin
-- 
ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com
https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/


Re: [ubuntu-uk] Branded Ubuntu Disks

2012-06-03 Thread Joe
Hey,

I wouldn't mind some of that, how much would it cost for postage or whatever?

Joe

Sent via BlackBerry® from Orange

-Original Message-
From: Colin McCarthy binarysig...@gmail.com
Sender: ubuntu-uk-boun...@lists.ubuntu.com
Date: Sun, 3 Jun 2012 15:30:22 
To: ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com
Reply-To: UK Ubuntu Talk ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com
Subject: [ubuntu-uk] Branded Ubuntu Disks

-- 
ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com
https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/

-- 
ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com
https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/


Re: [ubuntu-uk] Branded Ubuntu Disks

2012-06-03 Thread Colin McCarthy
No clue what postage would be but probably not much, so happy to cover.
Email me directly your address and I will send on Wednesday.

Colin

On 3 June 2012 15:34, Joe yothsogg...@gmail.com wrote:

 Hey,

 I wouldn't mind some of that, how much would it cost for postage or
 whatever?

 Joe

 Sent via BlackBerry® from Orange

 -Original Message-
 From: Colin McCarthy binarysig...@gmail.com
 Sender: ubuntu-uk-boun...@lists.ubuntu.com
 Date: Sun, 3 Jun 2012 15:30:22
 To: ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com
 Reply-To: UK Ubuntu Talk ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com
 Subject: [ubuntu-uk] Branded Ubuntu Disks

 --
 ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com
 https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk
 https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/

 --
 ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com
 https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk
 https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/

-- 
ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com
https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/


Re: [ubuntu-uk] heads up - Secure Boot Problems for Linux Users Are Here Already

2012-06-03 Thread Andres Muniz
- Mensaje original -
 On 02/06/12 15:56, Alan Bell wrote:
   Could linux foundation do the same for the servers? beause they can
   be cracked in a similar way?
   
  
  servers generally won't get the secure boot thing. Odd really because
  it kind of makes more sense to me in that context.
  
 
 Probably because the biggest market for servers is corporate customers
 who have their own IT department and who would very quickly go see
 another supplier if they had to fiddle with settings in order to install
 the operating system of their choice on their systems. For a typical
 large corporate that regularly installs dozens of servers, any change in
 installation procedure means:
 
     * Re-train the whole of IT,
     * Change all training and documentation material,
     * Update the process of how business units get servers commissioned,
     * Find a way to phase in the new process while phasing out the old one,
     * Getting confirmation from suppliers of what exact models will have
         UEFI so that they can have clear guidance: if model A, then do
         process 1 else do process 2,
     * Factor in additional costs and delays for the inevitable cock-ups
         that will happen.
 
 
 It's an interesting game that Microsoft are playing and I'm wondering
 whether their primary motivation is to lock competition out or to force
 the last refuseniks off XP and onto a more recent version of Windows.
  From an OEM perspective, what could happen is that you would see UEFI
  on
 consumer ranges first, where customers tend to just go with what's
 pre-installed, and then slowly see it appear on business ranges, where
 customers tend to wipe the pre-installed OS and replace it with their
 in-house image.
 
 The fact that this logic is completely at odds with the security
 benefits of UEFI secure booting only makes sense if you see it from an
 accounting point of view: secure boot is a technical tool to mitigate
 the risk of a server getting compromised. This is modelled as a risk
 with associated cost (cost of rebuilding a compromised server, checking
 if it's the only compromised one, potential reputation costs, etc). Most
 companies already mitigate that risk using firewalls, intrusion
 detection systems, etc. Mitigation is not perfect so there is a residual
 risk with associated cost. UEFI secure boot is then an opportunity to
 reduce this residual cost through additional mitigation. If the cost
 saving that results from migrating the estate to UEFI secure boot is
 lower than the cost of actually doing it, companies will just stay put
 with what they have, accept the risk and pay the price whenever the risk
 is realised.
 
 So the fact that servers won't get the secure boot option is simply a
 sign that nobody has yet managed to demonstrate that the cost of
 introducing secure boot in a corporate environment was lower than the
 potential cost of the risk it mitigates.
 
 Cheers,
 
 Bruno
 

thanks for the info guys! Got more than I need! I was a bit concernd that some 
servers were using arm as well. But clearly it will not be a problem.  
-- 
ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com
https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/


Re: [ubuntu-uk] heads up - Secure Boot Problems for Linux Users Are Here Already

2012-06-03 Thread Bruno Girin
On 03/06/12 19:03, Andres Muniz wrote:


 thanks for the info guys! Got more than I need! I was a bit concernd
 that some servers were using arm as well. But clearly it will not be a
 problem.


Well, until proved otherwise :-)

Bruno

-- 
ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com
https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/