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2008-04-13
, 19:51
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Posts: 481 |
Thanked: 65 times |
Joined on Aug 2007
@ Westcountry, UK
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#2
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I do wish that Nokia had thought of a product name that led to a better acronym, btw...
Anyway. As I understand - based on nothing but googling - the situation on security is this:
- There are such things as linux software keyloggers, and in theory any app you install on your Nit could install one? App's aren't run in a sandbox mode, or secured in any other way?
- There's no firewall software for the Nit, so a keylogger wouldn't have a problem getting your paypal password and whatever other details it could steal out to the world once it had them?
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2008-04-13
, 20:12
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Posts: 187 |
Thanked: 28 times |
Joined on Apr 2007
@ Southampton, UK
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#3
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2008-04-13
, 20:17
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Posts: 4,274 |
Thanked: 5,358 times |
Joined on Sep 2007
@ Looking at y'all and sighing
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#4
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2008-04-13
, 20:28
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Posts: 66 |
Thanked: 17 times |
Joined on Apr 2008
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#5
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I don't see how a firewall would help you in this situation.
A software firewall only protects you from software outside trying to get in, it can only provide minimal protection the other way (well, it could provide more, but that would be irritating).
Also the other disadvantage the firewall would have is if you can control it, something running as you can control it too and switch it off.
I would say it would offer you the worst of all worlds - it would give you an sense of security that just wasnt true.
Better to make sure you know what is running on your NiT
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2008-04-13
, 20:37
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Posts: 66 |
Thanked: 17 times |
Joined on Apr 2008
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#6
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Its important to note that while software like keyloggers could be installed on an nit it would require the user to install it. This is why one should only install software from trusted sources.
One of the advantages of open source software is that if you have the skills you can look at what the software does, so you could find out if it had maliscious code in it.
Its also important to note that because of the linux architecture no software can be automatically be installed from visiting a website as you have to set any file downloaded as executable.
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2008-04-13
, 22:38
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Posts: 137 |
Thanked: 71 times |
Joined on Mar 2008
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#7
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2008-04-13
, 23:09
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Posts: 868 |
Thanked: 474 times |
Joined on Oct 2007
@ Capital District, NY, USA
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#8
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Mine certainly only allows the connections I authorize. Implemented properly, it isn't irritating at all.
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2008-04-13
, 23:32
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Posts: 481 |
Thanked: 65 times |
Joined on Aug 2007
@ Westcountry, UK
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#9
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That's not a disadvantage, it's a flaw - a disadvantage would be if having the firewall was worse than not having it, whereas you're arguing that the firewall isn't *perfect*. Yes: I certainly wouldn't have a machine without a virus checker and other protective apps as well as a firewall.
Otoh, switching off a firewall probably means GUI interaction (or certainly the firewall can be designed that way) so the effort for the virus writer has gone way up. Or his job may be impossible, doing on what the OS allows.
This is an argument that the Religious Right uses over condoms and Aids. The empirically observed result is death among believers.
(Hint: do you drive through stop lights because you are wearing a seatbelt? Employing a safety measure doesn't flip a magical switch in the human mind to forget about a problem - it just means that the person has taken a step to reduce the threat level. If you believe otherwise, good luck with the campaign to ban seat belts, motorcycle helmets, firearm safeties, safe sex education, tetanus shots, safety shoes, parachutes, and fire extinguishers and exits.)
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2008-04-13
, 23:38
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Posts: 1,950 |
Thanked: 1,174 times |
Joined on Jan 2008
@ Seattle, USA
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#10
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Reallistically it's not worth the time... even code that subverted 50% of the NIT's, thats still less systems than code that subverted .001% of the windows boxes out there.
Anyway. As I understand - based on nothing but googling - the situation on security is this:
- There are such things as linux software keyloggers, and in theory any app you install on your Nit could install one? App's aren't run in a sandbox mode, or secured in any other way?
- There's no firewall software for the Nit, so a keylogger wouldn't have a problem getting your paypal password and whatever other details it could steal out to the world once it had them?
- There's no sign of this or anything like this ever having happened? although it seems to be much on the mind of Nokia's legal dept, judging from the warnings about non-Nokia sw App Mgr provides
- Virus and logger attacks on Linux systems are extremely rare in the wild (possibly because Linux systems are assumed to be competently firewalled? which, of course, the Nit's aren't, and can't be)
In summary, security seems to be based on "We hope no one ever bothers to attack." Which may well be the case, and will probably work given the (regrettably) low profile the platform has, but it still means that I won't be using the thing to access my regular mail accounts, but only the backups I keep for accessing on hotel machines, etc.
Anyway, *if* the above is true, then my biggest wish for OS2009 is a firewall.
(I remember seeing a Nokia site with advice on security on the Tablets, but every time I've clicked it, it failed to work.)