FW: [ISN] Microsoft failing security test?

From: InfoSec News (isnat_private)
Date: Tue Jan 15 2002 - 22:03:39 PST

  • Next message: InfoSec News: "[ISN] U.S. Hopes To Unplug Cybercrime In N.Va."

    Forwarded from: "McDonald Patrick" <mcdonald_patrickat_private>
    
    Chris brought up a very good point and I stand corrected.
    
    Pat
    
    -----Original Message-----
    From: Chris Wysopal [mailto:cwysopalat_private]
    Sent: Monday, January 14, 2002 10:07 PM
    To: isnat_private; mcdonald_patrickat_private
    Subject: Re: [ISN] Microsoft failing security test? 
    
    
    
    >Forwarded from: McDonald Patrick <mcdonald_patrickat_private>
    >
    >I have to respectfully disagree with Chris Wysopal.
    >
    ><snip>
    >
    >"Chris Wysopal, director of research and development for security
    >company @Stake, argued that an early warning can sometimes actually
    >hurt security, tipping off malicious attackers to the vulnerability."
    >
    ><snip>
    >
    >Does early warning help script kiddies, most definitely.  However it
    >also helps admins protect their systems against these attacks.  A
    >script kiddie can't use an exploit that an admin has prepared against.
    >Thus the exploit is useless against an informed admin.
    
    Seems there was some selective <snip>ing.  You left out the part where I
    say. "It does make sense to warn people up front that they can take actions
    now". If admins/users can take action on their own it is a good idea to let
    them know.
    
    The complete context is this:
    
    <snip>
    
    Chris Wysopal, director of research and development for security company
    @Stake, argued that an early warning can sometimes actually hurt security,
    tipping off malicious attackers to the vulnerability.
    
    Still, Wysopal said, with the Plug and Play incident, Microsoft could have
    told customers to just turn off the function if they weren't using it.
    
    "It does make sense to warn people up front that they can take actions
    now," Wysopal said. "I would like to see people not rely on patches so
    much. I was disappointed with the FBI's retraction (after they) proposed a
    solution that did not require a patch."
    
    <snip>
    
    Cheers,
    
    Chris
    
    
    
    -
    ISN is currently hosted by Attrition.org
    
    To unsubscribe email majordomoat_private with 'unsubscribe isn' in the BODY
    of the mail.
    



    This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Wed Jan 16 2002 - 02:40:51 PST