From: ibuprofin@painkiller.example.tld.invalid
On Sun, 06 Jan 2013, in the Usenet newsgroup alt.os.linux.mandriva, in article
, Adam wrote:
>Moe Trin wrote:
[Thinkpad T60]
>>> By "open" you mean "netstat -antu | grep LISTEN"? Too many,
>> Even without the grep - the only obvious exceptions would be stuff
>Obvious to you, maybe, but not to me... yet. :-)
]] Q. for all you security guys - what's the most secure OS ? Openbsd?
]] And what makes it so especially secure?
]MS-DOS
]Impossible to break in through the Network in the default Install.
You shouldn't have to think about that one. ;-) Actually, one of
the things that makes OpenBSD so secure out of the box is that the
network servers that do get (or can be) installed are installed in a
disabled mode. You have to read the man pages and such in order to
find out how to get them running. If they're not running, they're
difficult to exploit. That concept works everywhere, but is hard on
the newbie who doesn't want to read those boring man pages. Most Linux
distros have some form of helper programs to get around the knowledge
bit, but this often results in a "One Size" which does NOT "fit all".
>I'm not up to that stage yet, but I expect that removing the last few
>items from the list will be a challenge.
It can be - and that's usually the fault of the "helper" programs that
hide details of what they are doing (and why) from the user. They
also wind up making disablement difficult - "why would you want to
disable this wonderful tool/service after we put so much effort into
making it run for you?"
["WiFi active" light]
>> Do you mean the light on the function key, or some indication on
>> the desktop. I've limited experience with that, but this may be a
>> function of the "network manager" helper.
>The light above the keyboard, between the "optical drive active" and
>"caps lock" indicators.
OK - that's a hardware specific indicator - on my HP, it's in the F12
key (which is also the "enable/disable" hardware key), while on my
wife's ASUS, it's a separate light above the "PrtScr" key, and the
secret enable/disable key is Shft+F2. Aren't standards wonderful?
I've seen them lit for different definitions of "working" - some light
when the hardware is enabled, some only light when an authenticated
link is established. Real "YMMV" type of thing.
>Last night I got wireless working on the laptop under Mandriva (and
>that light on), so I know it's possible, but I haven't been able to
>reproduce it since then.
Adam! You're supposed to be taking notes when you mess with that!
>Another thing it seems I ought to consider are the numerous BIOS
>security settings -- BIOS password, power-on password, resume (from
>sleep) password, HD password, and a couple more. I need to figure
>out my threat model there, and what each of those passwords would
>prevent.
as well as the trade-offs of setting them, and having to remember
which password is which. First, IF you use one or more, be very sure
that the passwords are different, secure, yet memorable. Think also
of the delay they add to the starting sequence. I know you're not
loading state secrets or similar material onto the laptop, but the
BIOS passwords do nothing to protect that (moving the drive to another
system is trivial). For that. disk encryption is the way to go, and
that is dependent on operating system and filesystem. That does make
for some minor hoops to jump through when using multiple O/S and
different types of filesystems.
>Of course none of them will prevent theft.
That's the more likely risk,
[choosing a laptop case]
>> Most of the bags/cases I've seen are sized for a 15.6" laptop [...]
>> I'd be looking for something with a frame to give additional
>> protection.
>Yesterday on the way to my parents (mostly along US 9 past all the
>stores) I'd planned to stop at Office Depot, Target and Best Buy, but
>at Office Depot I found something that looked reasonable to me in
>both construction and capacity, so I decided that instead of
>searching forever I'd just get that one:
I don't think it would be searching forever, but it's your decision.
>No frame, but includes a padded sleeve and has enough room for the AC
>adapter plus other stuff.
Somewhat larger than I'd desire, but looks good.
>Meanwhile my list of stuff to carry with the laptop is still growing
>as the number actually necessary is shrinking.
Sounds familiar. Experience will suggest other changes as well. Such
things as the cables, and the nightlight to see if that darn AC outlet
is live or not (result of wasting five minutes in the Phoenix library
trying to get the external power LED on the side of the laptop to show
it was getting power - another patron explained that some outlets
seemed to be unpowered) can save some frustration.
>I've read laptops need to be on flat surfaces (not laps!) so I'm
>working on a board to put under it when needed (instead of buying a
>"laptop desk" or cooler).
I can't say that I've ever noticed a problem - except that they do
tend to get warm in use, and running them on the lap can get to be
uncomfortable after a while. Some people are concerned about the
wireless link - the antenna is often on the bottom of the unit, which
may be close to something you consider important - but the power level
is low enough as not to be a "personal" problem ;-)
>Fortunately I made it from Dad's scrap lumber, and the first coat of
>stain is drying. Think a clear coating on top of the stain would
>protect things, or would it just rub off?
Eventually it will, but I put two thin coats of a clear semi-gloss
polyurethane (Minwax "Helmsman", sold as a "spar urethane" - green
can, though I'm out of it at the moment) on most of my stained wood
projects. We've even used it on the front door of the house and the
wooden gate to the back yard (brutal conditions, as it faces the sun).
Unless the stain is an "all-in-one" (which includes a seal material),
the stain may bleed, which can be very messy and hard to clean/remove.
[family collage]
>> It's a push, but I might think there are 4 other pictures showing
>> it (left center, third row left 2nd top, second row right 2nd top,
>> and bottom right), but that's a real maybe.
>The first three are, but the bottom right is me
Well, I indicated my guesses were "a real maybe"
>peering out from behind foliage, like the German soldier in
>"Laugh-In".
"Very Interesting... but" (Arte Johnson, but I don't have the
accent right).
>You know how some artists sign their names at the bottom right of the
>finished piece? :-)
Reasonable - and the pose would be apropos
[continued in next message]
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)
|
