Yes Steve. Microsoft is "on the team". Thank G-d, not the team leader ;-)
Microsoft's internal knowledge is valuable feedback to those who actually write the
standards.
I can put it this way. If I was to compare the number of vulnerabilities I have received
via CIAC and various CERTs over the past 12 months. I have received maybe one or two Novell
and too numerous to count Microsoft vulnerabilities.
I understand your responses. You work for Microsoft, they pay your bills, put your kids
through school, etc.
But hey, what do I know. I don't work for Microsoft nor am I employee of the US Government.
I'm just Dave on Verizon ;-)
Dave
| Uh, no.
|
| Microsoft wrote the hardening guides they recommend. I am on that team, so
| I know a little about them. I sit 2 doors down from one of the authors who
| knows a good deal more about this than I do.
|
| In relation to your comments about number of vulns, I think you need some
| statics refresher courses.
|
| I could take this opportunity to hijack this thread and have a long-winded
| discussion about number of vulns vs install config vs product/OS, but I'll
| save that for another discussion. I will say you can use even secunia's
| numbers and quickly see that Windows vs RHEL shows we have FAR fewer vulns
| than they do.
|
| Does Microsoft have vulnerabilities? Yeah, we employ humans, and humans are
| by no means perfect. Do we have more/less than other companies? That
| really isn't the question to be asking. The question to ask is, do you have
| sufficient process and technology to minimize the time between a patch being
| released and you actually adopting it? If you don't, it doesn't matter
| whether you run Windows 2003 or program on Commodore VIC-20's, you'll have
| more problems than you could have if you managed to that better.
|
|
|
| | > Obviously I am taking pokes at Microsoft.
| >
| > IAVA's are indeed related to patching vulnerabilities. Microsoft software
| > has *far too
| > many.* Microsoft has disproportionate amount as compared to other OS's
| > or software. Even
| > when Microsoft patches it isn't good enough because the patches need to be
| > patched and
| > sometimes that patch needs to be patched.
| >
| > Cases in point;
| > RPC/DCOM Buffer Overflow (patched 3 times in the past year)
| > JPEG/GDI+, after MS released a patch, it wasn't good enough and a few
| > weeks later, new
| > patches were released.
| >
| > And hardening is related to mitigating risks.
| >
| > Sure I'd trust NSA docs. But who do you think is the contractor who wrote
| > the NSA docs -
| > Mitre.
| >
| > Dave
| > BTW:
| > MCSE -- Microsoft Can't Secure Enough
| >
| >
| >
| > | > | Oh, almost forgot, IAVA are about product vulns related to patching
| > right?
| > |
| > | System hardening is about reducing attack surface because of
| > | MISCONFIGURATION (which is FAR more problematic than most people
| > realize).
| > |
| > |
| > |
| > | | > | > Yeah right !
| > | >
| > | > I'd rather trust the folks at Mitre than Microsoft.
| > | >
| > | > If Microsoft can "harden" the OS so well then why does the DoD CERT
| > have
| > | > to put out so many
| > | > IAVAs!
| > | >
http://www.cert.mil
| > | > ftp://ftp.cert.mil/pub/bulletins/iava/iava_index.htm
| > | > { that's right, you can't read this stuff can you
}
| > | >
| > | > Dave
| > | >
| > | >
| > | >
| > | >
| > | > | > | > | I can tell you that our hardening guides for Windows 2003 and
| > Windows XP
| > | > are
| > | > | approved by the NSA and are in fact the recommended option over the
| > DISA
| > | > | guidance.
| > | > |
| > | > | I'd try those first. The hair-pulling you save will be your own....
| > | > |
| > | > | Threats and Countermeasures Guide:
| > | > |
| > | >
| >
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...93-147a-4481-9346-f93a4081eea8&DisplayLang=en
| > | > |
| > | > | XP Security Guide:
| > | > |
| > | > |
| > | >
| >
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...bc-f434-4cc6-a5a7-09a8a229f118&DisplayLang=en
| > | > |
| > | > | 2003 Security Guide:
| > | > |
| > | > |
| > | >
| >
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...c1-0685-4d89-b655-521ea6c7b4db&DisplayLang=en
| > | > |
| > | > |
| > | > | | > | > | > Created machine to Gold Level and can't join domain...any know
| > | > registry
| > | > | > adjustments to change??
| > | > | >
| > | > | >
| > | > |
| > | > |
| > | >
| > | >
| > |
| > |
| >
| >
|
|