some thoughts on the Slammer fiasco

From: rip (riplips@yahoo.com)
Date: 01/26/03 

From: "rip" <riplips@yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2003 10:44:13 -0800

None of my production servers were affected by this worm.
Why? Because we don't run "bet your business", large
revenue generating systems on windoz. We use VMS!!! After
over 10 years and billions of dollars in revenue
generation, we have never experienced ANY downtime due to
viruses (or even loss of data due to StorageWorks).

So why is this? The same dude (Cutler) who architected VMS
was also the Architect for NT (now windoz 2000). It is
absolutely impossible for an external IP connection to
"Take over" a process on VMS because at it's core has a
priviledged based process creation/image activation
acrhitecture. Windoz has absolutely no concept of this idea
and thus will ALWAYS be vulnerable to viruses. The only
workaround is to block ports and have MS "hack" their own
software. Pretty poor!!!

So where was MS appology for this mess? Are they monitarily
responsible? Will there be cival suits? When are they going
to completely "create" a brand new OS thats secure? I use
the word create loosely since MS has NEVER created their
own OS; they bought everyone including windoz.

Lastly, your premise of "loosers" is stupid. The entire
internet was brought down by a poorly written application.
Imagine that, application data traffic swamping the
internet. So, the entire internets availability is the
responsibility of clones to patch the MS products? No,
lesson learned. Firewalls are worthless and routers (Cisco
with million line access lists) were not designed to handle
this. Is it the responsibility of a router to manage
application traffic? i think what we need is a whole new
level of technology to manage and secure application data
traffic. Don't expect it from MS or Cisco; they'll just
point fingers at each other.

Lesson learned: Don't use MS to run your critical apps on
and get them OFF the internet. Amazing that Bank of
America's ATM network got infected from the internet. Why
does that ATM network have any connections to the internet.
Eventually the "internet" will be like a low cost mass
transit system like a bus or subway and those who want
highly available/secure networks will buy their own private
jets for transportation (completely isolated, autonomous
networks. Forget VPN).

rip

>-----Original Message-----
>
>These are my thoughts regarding some of the moronic posts
seen here
>recently.
>
>WTF are you running a software firewall on an SQL box for.
 SQL should stand
>alone. And please buy a hardware firewall.
>
>Here is a question someone running Oracle would not ask.
"Can (software
>firewall of your choice) block port X.
>
>I am an SQL Server DBA and quite frankly ashamed of the
low level of
>knowledge and lack of willingness to keep up with simple
security updates on
>the part of the losers here whining about how to keep
their servers safe.
>Either learn how to play, or get of the field. And people
wonder why SQL
>Server DBAs make less than a DBA for Oracle, DB2, Sybase, etc.
>
>"But is was sooo easy to install, I clicked next. I'm
safe now, right?"
>Personally, I hope the IT slump goes on for 5 more years
to weed out
>wannabes like the people here.
>
>Sid
>
>
>.
>

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