Messages in this thread | | | Date | Mon, 2 Nov 1998 16:10:34 -0500 (EST) | From | "Richard B. Johnson" <> | Subject | Re: Random Register Contents |
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On Mon, 2 Nov 1998, Andrej Presern wrote: > > If you're worried about covert channels on UNIX, you should kill the > filesystem asap, together with 90% of the rest of the system (yes, UNIX > "security" is really that broken, by design). > > Andrej
Correct!
Script started on Mon Nov 2 15:59:59 1998 $ ls /tmp the_nuclear_device_is_being_shipped_by_federal_express_waybill_no_12345 $ exit exit Script done on Mon Nov 2 16:00:11 1998
Complete security does not exist on a system designed for interactive use. If you make a program, that does only what you define, and substitute it for `init`, then you have some degree of security as long as no failure mode exists that can perform unintended I/O. This may not be possible.
PROM-based software is probably most secure. However, if it interracts with humans over a communications channel, therein lies the problem.
Of course you can get 'close'. But is 'close' close enough? No answers are necessary.
Cheers, Dick Johnson ***** FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED ***** Penguin : Linux version 2.1.126 on an i586 machine (66.15 BogoMips). Warning : It's hard to remain at the trailing edge of technology.
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