Security is Broken

[Jack]

Security Is Broken
Uploaded by GoogleTechTalks on Oct 8, 2007

ABSTRACT
Our computer security model is broken. Worse yet, it never really has worked at all well, and is even less suitable for today's uses. In this talk, I explore the history behind the design of the current security both in hardware and operating systems. Instead of evolving a more secure model over time, system designers have actually managed to make things worse, creating insecurity in depth. Most of today's systems are single user machines: certainly desktops and laptops, but also most servers. The current security model was not designed to protect users from themselves, and this goes a long way towards understanding why security is so...

If the events of the last few months have served any purpose, it's to illustrate once again that security is broken. This isn't a new sentiment and few of the problems plaguing users and enterprises today are new, either. In this video, longtime security consultant and writer Rik Farrow outlines the missteps that got us into this situation and what can be done to alleviate it. Oh, and this talk was created in 2006.
Source

 

[Guest28]

Computers and humans have so much in common humans get sick. Computers gets malware/viruses us humans can help prevent our self's from getting infected by vaccinations. We can help by adding anti virus software to our computers. Computers and humans all get sick nothing is 100% prevention. I think we will find a cure for all sicknesses in humans before we do security.

 

[new user]

The reason malware is so prevalent: There is no security against stupidity.
This whole thing is a PEBKAC (Problem exists between keyboard and chair) issue.

 

[bogdan]

An excellent video. The main idea is that we are now adding security to something that is insecure from the start. We are building concrete walls but still use the same dirt foundation. Someone will find a way to dig under the walls. The only way to make a more secure os is to start from scratch. But this will break compatibility with every application we have today and no one will use a new OS if it can't run the applications we need.

Users want to use a PC without thinking about security, they want to be able to open every application without the risk of being infected. This is not possible.

 

[Jack]

The main problem is the simple fact that no one can really built a 100% secure OS without making the system less user friendly.
A good example would be the UAC from Windows, while this security layer can prevent malware from taking over a system, many user have decided to turn it off.... Why? Because it's "annoying".
And as we know not only Windows has major security flaws , Apple and Linux have their share of vulnerabilities and problems.

 

[Mark]

UAC was designed to annoy. It is/was an attempt to get developers to code programs that will work without administrator privileges when they are not necessary.

 

[Jack]

UAC was designed to annoy. It is/was an attempt to get developers to code programs that will work without administrator privileges when they are not necessary.

True as that might be , it's a good layer of protection.
Another good example of a good security layer which most of the Windows users refuse to use is a Limited User Account (LUA).