[fw-wiz] How to Secure Windows? was How to Save the World

MHawkins_at_TULLIB.COM
Date: 12/13/04

  • Next message: Devdas Bhagat: "Re: [fw-wiz] RE: Help. How to stop attacks on gateway/linux host." 
    To: mjr@ranum.com, firewall-wizards-admin@honor.icsalabs.com, fred@avolio.com, firewall-wizards@honor.icsalabs.com
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2004 11:42:36 -0500

    Marcus,

    Oh how I wish we were back in the days of the 3270 controller and the Zilog
    Z80!

    But seriously, it has always been most annoying to me that with a few good
    books, the Internet, a few mentors and experience I have been able to keep
    very up to date and highly proficient at securing Unix (all flavors) and
    networks (all vendor flavors of routers, switches, firewalls etc) but
    Microsoft remains a black art where only third party vendors seem to be able
    to secure the platform.

    The books on Windows security are always generic rubbish and never give you
    the real nuts and bolts of how to actually secure Windows.
    The Internet searches invariably turn up generic how to's as well that
    stink. And I have not yet met a Windows admin who knows enough (or took it
    seriously enough)about securing Windows unless it was done with third party
    products (and I have worked for alot of great big companies and every year
    the Windows folks remain committed to third party products and don't know
    diddly about securing Windows themselves while the Unix and network folks
    get more and more professionally security savy and sophisticated). And
    trying to do it in the lab myself always pointed me back to the three
    problems above.

    All I want to do is have a standard cheat *** to lock down the machine so
    that all those exe's that I don't want to run - CAN'T - and all those exe's
    that I do want to let run - CAN - but only under their own account and only
    in their own volume space! Is that too much to ask?

    I've written the security policy for a few companies (not that that means
    much) but when I drill down to Unix vs Windows standards, it's always been
    fluff on the Windows side with some third party products throw in. While on
    the network and Unix side it's been 100% detail and totally implemented
    within the specific platforms intrisic configuration. No third party needed.

    Maybe someone can recommend a book, a link or a mentor or all three. I am
    sick of looking at Windows machines and KNOWING they are insecure.

    Mike H
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