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TamaraB
Question The Current Paradigm
Premium
join:2000-11-08
Brooklyn NYC
 ·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to Nightfall
Re: Zombies
said by Nightfall  :
IT Manager here as well, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to secure a Windows computer, even remotely.
Unfortunately what you can't configure against is the employee who has a jones for some sort of porn, or warez! All the technical forethought can be easily thwarted by one employee who just has to see that snatch, or download that game now and then. Windows has the biggest exploit window of any OS, mainly because of it's overwhelming popularity.
said by Nightfall :
We have about 20 users who telecommute. Everyone of them is in the office at least once a month. It is easy to set up updates to run on the systems automatically. I am not talking automatic update either. I run these from a custom login script program called Profile Maker by autoprof
Right! And it take all of 20 seconds of vulnerability to get zapped!
said by Nightfall :
The key is that Linux is no safer than Windows. It all comes down to administration.
Oh but it IS! There are 2 orders of magnitude fewer exploits/worms/viruses which can infect a linux box than a windows box. Windows is the pre-eminent OS in the world, and 99.99% of maleware is designed to attack it, meaning the same attention to patches makes you 2 orders of magnitude safer with Linux. I agree, that technically Linux may not be any more secure inherently; but if you look at your port traffic once in a while you will realize that there is a blizzard of systems attempting to exploit any un-patched windows box on your network.
I also do not want to spend all my time "securing" multiple systems, when there is really no need to. The shear number of new windows exploits is mushrooming daily, and it is almost impossible to totally control any users habits.... even a small time-slip can mean an infected machine. It's too expensive, time-consuming, and I would have less time for fishing 
Bob
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Nightfall
My Goal Is To Deny Yours
Premium,MVM
join:2001-08-03
Grand Rapids, MI
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·AT&T Midwest
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| quote:
Unfortunately what you can't configure against is the employee who has a jones for some sort of porn, or warez! All the technical forethought can be easily thwarted by one employee who just has to see that snatch, or download that game now and then. Windows has the biggest exploit window of any OS, mainly because of it's overwhelming popularity.
No offense, but you don't know how to secure a windows platform very well. Think you can't secure a windows system from either of those two things? What if I was to tell you that in our office, we have zero porn and warez site usage? Zero spyware as well. It isn't that hard if you know what you are doing and have the right software and equipment.
quote:
Right! And it take all of 20 seconds of vulnerability to get zapped!
If you aren't patched, then that is a problem. However, patching is easy to do. Major service packs are doled out at the local office. Small packs are sent out remotely as well. So far, after 6 years of using this method, zero exploits and problems.
quote:
Oh but it IS! There are 2 orders of magnitude fewer exploits/worms/viruses which can infect a linux box than a windows box. Windows is the pre-eminent OS in the world, and 99.99% of maleware is designed to attack it, meaning the same attention to patches makes you 2 orders of magnitude safer with Linux. I agree, that technically Linux may not be any more secure inherently; but if you look at your port traffic once in a while you will realize that there is a blizzard of systems attempting to exploit any un-patched windows box on your network.
I am not denying your figures on the attacks. I am saying that it doesn't take hardly any time for me to support these windows boxes. The right admin can secure anything, and with the right technology, it becomes easier. What can be easier than patching 100 systems at one time using a custom GUI login script? You install a client firewall on 100 systems and the policy is doled out from one location and changed at any time. Man, there is a lot of capabilities out there that you don't have any idea about.
quote:
I also do not want to spend all my time "securing" multiple systems, when there is really no need to. The shear number of new windows exploits is mushrooming daily, and it is almost impossible to totally control any users habits.... even a small time-slip can mean an infected machine. It's too expensive, time-consuming, and I would have less time for fishing
I am sorry you feel that way. It is probably your misinformation about how to secure a bulk windows systems. As I said, 6 years here as a manager, no spyware, no exploits, no viruses. It isn't that hard with the right technology, an open mind, a just a little time. I spend more time educating my users than fixing windows problems.
I am sure we can both agree that, with the right administrator, anything is possible. I support 150 systems in my company with almost 200 users total. We have 95% windows systems, and as of yet, I am still learning on how to be as efficient with my linux systems as we are with the windows ones when it comes to updates, protection, and so on. Would a Linux admin have better ideas for me? You bet. However, I would also have to say that maybe, a linux admin would keep an open mind to us Windows admins who know what we are doing.
So while you fish and know you are secure, I will play hockey and feel the same way. We will let our track records speak for themselves. Just keep in mind not to discount us knowledgable windows admins and the capability of securing the windows platform. It isn't as hard as you think with the right admin and technology.
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Greg_Z
Premium
join:2001-08-08
Springfield, IL | Nightfall, you could not of stated your facts any better.
No wonder that you have such a wide following.
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Nightfall
My Goal Is To Deny Yours
Premium,MVM
join:2001-08-03
Grand Rapids, MI
·Site5.com
·AT&T Midwest
·Comcast
| said by Greg_Z :
Nightfall, you could not of stated your facts any better.
No wonder that you have such a wide following.
A wide following of people who hate me maybe. 
Thanks for the kudos though.
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