Re: need info for confused ISP
On Sat, 15 Apr 2000, Pollywog wrote:
> We e-mailed back and forth a few times and it came out that what they
> meant was that they don't know anything about Linux and that trying
> to run it would be a security risk because they don't know how to
> configure it.
Point out that NT is a security risk even if you KNOW how to configure it
:) Because the source is closed, there could be any number of backdoors
and potential exploits that only Microsoft and the "bad guys" know about.
Imagine if you had a security system installed for your business but were
not allowed to know any details of it. Would it make you feel comfortable?
I think the first question I would want to know is what is the employee
turnover rate at the manufacturer. THOSE guys know all about the internals
of your security system. You would not be able to have a third party audit
the system and check for potential backdoors or just plain goofs.
Closed source is an inherent security risk to the system owner and a
security enhancement for the system vendor since you can not question the
internal construction if you are not allowed to see it.
As for not being able to understand the configuration, that is a matter of
support more than security. They would not be able to respond quickly to
customer requests or system problems if they did not know what they are
looking for.
The drawbacks are many, though. Their systems are now vulnerable to
viruses and other nasty attacks. Microsoft protocols have interoperability
problems with non-microsoft applications.
Why would you go with an NT ISP in the first place? I sure hope they don't
have your credit card number :-o
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