The operating system is the software component that provides abstraction of physical hardware, and provides a generalized model for application software to execute without the need for specific hardware knowledge. Questions on the topic of operating system security should use this tag; you may also ...
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Are passwords stored in memory safe?
I just realized that, in any language, when you save a password in a variable, it is stored as plain text in the memory.
I think the OS does its job and forbids processes from accessing each other's ...
77
votes
13answers
6k views
Why do we lock our computers?
It's common knowledge that if somebody has physical access to your machine they can do whatever they want with it1.
So why do we always lock our computers? If somebody has physical access to my ...
43
votes
8answers
6k views
Hardening Linux Server
We have already had questions on here about Hardening Apache, Hardening PHP and Securing SSH.
To continue this trend I am interested in what steps people take to harden Linux servers. As in what ...
39
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9answers
4k views
Risks of giving developers admin rights to their own PCs
I need to convince my internal IT department to give my new team of developers admin rights to our own PCs. They seem to think this will create some security risk to the network. Can anyone explain ...
27
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1answer
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iOS Encryption Details
Following on from this question Does anyone have any details/resources on the technical specifics of how apple implement encryption on their iOS 4.x series devices?
The Apple marketing material here, ...
19
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6answers
2k views
Secure Linux Desktop
I'm looking for hints about secure linux desktops. Securing servers is no problem. Most recent Software Updates, run only the services required etc. But what about desktops? I'm thinking about details ...
16
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3answers
1k views
Are passwords in memory?
I have an encrypted HDD (dm_crypt). That's why I store my passwords in a simple text file. I usually copy/paste the passwords from it. Ok!
Q: If I open this text file then it goes into the memory. So ...
15
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5answers
2k views
How can I protect my computer from my potentially malicious colleagues?
So, I work in this small company (10 people) where we do stuff in programming, for various platforms. I started recently working there (2 months) right after I graduated. My work is not exactly ...
15
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1answer
2k views
Mac OS X from an IT Security Practitioners' Perspective?
What does the Mac OS X offer that it has been recently attracting users with IT security focus?
There are sites that specifically focus on "hacking" with OSX, such as machacking.net. Defcon has an ...
14
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9answers
2k views
Vulnerable OS's?
Which vulnerable OS's like for example DVL would you recommend for someone to use for the purpose of pentest/exploitation learning?
14
votes
5answers
2k views
Why does the government/military not use special operating systems?
Why does military and government not use special operating systems? I mean, if they do not use generic operating system based on Windows, Linux and Mac and create their own operating system, they will ...
14
votes
8answers
614 views
Should the requirement of admin privileges be extended?
Seeing this comic from xkcd.com made me thinking:
Is extending the requirement of admin privileges to things such as connecting to the internet, running the web browser, reading browser and other ...
14
votes
2answers
7k views
How does the Windows “Secure Desktop” mode work?
Can anyone explain (or provide a link to a simple explanation) of what the Windows "Secure Desktop" mode is and how it works?
I just heard about it in the KeePass documentation (KeePass - Enter ...
14
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1answer
522 views
Are there Linux rootkits circulating that directly modify the kernel (without modules)?
It has been said, over and over, that disabling dynamic kernel module loading on Linux increases security. I understand why people give this advice, but I've always assumed that a bad guy could ...
14
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2answers
1k views
How secure is Keychain on OS X?
Keychain is a built-in app on OS X that stores all of the user credentials, and allows for one to keep encrypted notes in an easily accessible way.
Does anyone know how secure Keychain is? I know ...
13
votes
4answers
1k views
Windows hardening
Can anyone point me at some good resources on Windows hardening? From 2003 upwards.
13
votes
2answers
685 views
Can Windows malware harm a Linux computer when it's executed with Wine?
I am an (Ubuntu) Linux user. Sometimes, I have to use Wine for running Windows executables.
I would like to know if Windows malware (virus, trojan, worm,...), i.e. malware that was not intended to ...
13
votes
1answer
334 views
Is it secure to connect to a remote Windows Server using Remote Desktop only?
I have a Windows Server that I login to from my home. I only use the pre-installed Remote Desktop. Is this a secure way to remote login or should I improve it in some way? If I should improve it, ...
12
votes
4answers
336 views
Stop software updates after the system is “stable”?
Yesterday morning I had an OS class and we just started the part about OS security.
When the professor was explaining what is a patch manager, he told us that a computer company he knows which deals ...
12
votes
3answers
805 views
Multi factor authentication on Ubuntu workstations, where to start?
Is it possible to have Ubuntu users log in with multi-factor authentication? I was thinking of a combination of pass(word|code) and smartcard (with screen locks when for example smart-card is removed)
...
11
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3answers
3k views
Prevent acccess to the C drive on Windows systems
Is it possible to prevent regular users from accessing the C drive via Windows Explorer? they should be allowed to execute certain programs. This is to ensure that employees cannot steal or copy out ...
11
votes
5answers
461 views
What is the potential impact of the alleged OpenBSD IPSEC attack?
Recently there is a bit of concern over encryption back doors in IPsec and while the status of this has not been confirmed, I don't know what impact something like this might have.
For instance, does ...
10
votes
6answers
1k views
Can viruses actually inject their code in other processes?
Can a virus really inject its own code into a process so it stays on your computer permantly? The only way to actually remove it is to reinstall your OS. My question is how can it do that without ...
10
votes
5answers
4k views
Linux command logging?
Recently someone broke into one of our linux servers as a non root user.
An excerpt from .bash_history:
[...]
perl
perl
set +o history
set +o history
set +o history
passwd
sdfsdf
passwd
exit
I ...
10
votes
3answers
355 views
Given SSH access, what should I do to protect a server and monitor (dangerous) user actions?
Context:
Small business, mostly a software house for web applications but also some desktop software.
Many external collaborators, so a variety of outside users with access to the servers.
Single ...
10
votes
3answers
686 views
Attacks against windows kiosk software
I am interested in potential/actual attacks against kiosk software.
I am not talking about physical access, or specifically designed kiosk operating systems or shells, bur rather software that runs ...
10
votes
4answers
2k views
OS with encrypted RAM?
Are there any applications, JIT frameworks or operating systems that focus on encrypted virtual memory, or perhaps virtual machines that do something similar? I know there are processors (albeit old, ...
10
votes
5answers
5k views
Is my computer at risk of being hacked when using public Wi-Fi?
I'm sitting at a cafe, using their public Wi-Fi. I don't go on sensitive sites; I basically go to a music site and listen to a live stream, for which there's no login. I don't check my email or visit ...
10
votes
3answers
328 views
What security requirements do you have for Domain Administrators?
With regard to managing a Windows network, what security polices and processes do you use? For example
Do you require/support Smart Card
Authentication?
Restrict logins
from a particular ...
9
votes
3answers
903 views
Am I protected from USB autorun malware on Windows 7?
As far as I know, the autorun.inf problem (the possibility of automatically executing code when a USB stick is plugged in) was solved through Windows Updates for XP, and on 7 it is no longer possible ...
9
votes
4answers
979 views
How does System Memory Dump work?
So there are so many pen-testing tools that perform a memory dump on the system. How exactly do they work - what exactly happens ?
9
votes
3answers
3k views
Security of passwords remembered by Windows
Does Windows XP or Windows 7 encrypt saved passwords?
I'm assuming that the user uses local password to logon.
The user then uses his own computer to connect to server in work and sets the "remember ...
8
votes
3answers
826 views
How to manually check for rootkits on a server
Does anyone have a general step by step list on how to try discover rootkits on a Linux or Solaris server?
I'm looking for to to manually find the rootkit, not by automated software.
For example:
...
8
votes
2answers
2k views
Recommend Keylogger for Ubuntu?
I purchased a new laptop recently, and I'm working on hardening it. Specifically, I'm interested in increasing my chances of recovering the machine in the event that it's ever stolen. The system ...
8
votes
6answers
483 views
What is preventing the widespread common use of MAC-type systems?
Overall question
what is preventing the uptake of MAC systems such as SELinux/AppArmor in corporate and desktop computing environments?
Why don't you think it isn't already widespread?
I do not ...
8
votes
1answer
224 views
What shell binary should I use for the root account on a Linux system?
Is there a security advantage to using a different shell for the root account, either a hardened shell program, or simply a shell binary stored in a non-standard location?
8
votes
1answer
164 views
What is your default umask set to?
What is your default umask set to? Did you run into any problem setting a stricter default umask?
7
votes
6answers
218 views
Why shouldn't I run other applications on a Firewall?
If I want to use Ubuntu 11.04 as a Firewall in SOHO environment, then I just can't figure out what is the bad thing about installing GUI on it (e.g.: XFCE)?
The only opened port to the world (wan ...
7
votes
3answers
427 views
How effective is something like Deep Freeze against boot sector infections?
I work for an embedded system manufacturer and on our older generation systems, which are powered by Windows Embedded, a number of customers have been experiencing virus infections. Due to the real ...
7
votes
4answers
3k views
OpenBSD vs. NetBSD security
If i search for the two words: OpenBSD and NetBSD on:
http://www.exploit-db.com/
then i get 17 hits regarding security bugs on OpenBSD, and 8 hits regarding security bugs on NetBSD.
So what are ...
7
votes
8answers
559 views
Battling Malware without spending money
Our environment consists of about 80 users running Windows 7. Previous to me showing up as a full time IT employee, the company had contracted an outsource IT solution. As part of their set up, they ...
7
votes
5answers
1k views
Browsing on a USB OS (Linux) safe from malware?
Let's say I have a computer. It's a personal computer - the one you'd typically find in homes. In this scenario, it's running Windows XP SP3, although it could run 7, Vista, etc.
I have a USB drive ...
7
votes
3answers
457 views
What prevents this exploit from working (unix SUID)?
If I have a user on a unix system where Im allowed to create new files, what prevents me from downloading an executable file onto that system which is already SUID'ed to root on a different system?
...
7
votes
2answers
312 views
Running proprietary software on Linux safely
As a summer project, I'm looking to prevent any piece of proprietary software like many games I run from have access to my personal files. After looking a lot at sandboxing, I've decided that anything ...
7
votes
3answers
350 views
Virtualization as a layer of security for desktop computers?
Given the amount of 3rd party plugins required to browse the web, I've been compelled to virtualize my online habits to gain an additional layer of security.
There is of course some obvious ...
7
votes
3answers
385 views
How to gain a shell?
I'm doing an exercise (exploit-exercises.com) that requires me to gain access to a shell running as another user.
My question is this: I can create application that is guaranteed to be run by the ...
7
votes
4answers
619 views
Verify Mac firmware is not hacked…how to do?
I have a late model Mac computer. I allowed someone to plug in a USB drive, and my network activity changed afterwards.
Normally, Little Snitch will report every app that uses the internet. Every ...
7
votes
2answers
803 views
Practical non-government uses of Biba, Bell-LaPadula, etc. models
For example, the Biba model is now hanging out in current versions of Windows. Things downloaded from the Internet are tagged as such. Internet (low) stuff can't alter user (medium) stuff which isn't ...
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2answers
273 views
How is UAC a security improvement?
What does User Account Control on Windows offer in terms of security? It's just an extra click to potentially run a virus.
6
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5answers
999 views
How can I remotely wipe the contents of a Linux Laptop if its been stolen?
I am currently investigating using Linux Laptops for my development team. We currently run Windows. The one advantage that keeps coming up for Windows over Linux from a system administration / ...
