OmniNerd

Overview

Computer security is a precarious business both from a product development and administrative standpoint. Operating system vendors are forced to constantly patch their software to keep consumers protected from the latest digital threats. But which operating systems are the most secure? A recent report by Symantec hints that Windows currently presents fewer security holes than its commercial competitors.1 To that, a typical consultant would respond "well, that depends," as security auditors generally take such statements with a grain of salt. It depends on the configurations of the hosts, the breadth of the included binaries and the scope of what "commercial competitors" entails. Differing opinions on this interpretation lead to different conclusions. SecurityFocus, for instance, shows that various overall vulnerabilities surged in 2006 while ISS (Internet Security Systems) reports that operating system specific exploits declined.2,3

The summarized coverage of 2006 vulnerabilities by SANS showed the most prevalent attack vectors were not directly against the operating systems themselves.4 However, this article approaches the operating system as an entity in and of itself for analysis of only the vulnerabilities of core features. As such, vulnerability scans were conducted against 2006's flagship operating systems in various configurations to determine weakness from the moment of installation throughout the patching procedure. From Microsoft, testing included Windows XP, Server 2003 and Vista Ultimate. Examinations against Apple included Mac OS9, OSX Tiger and OSX Tiger server.5 Augmenting Apple's UNIX representation, security tests were also performed on FreeBSD 6.2 and Solaris 10. Rounding up the market share, Linux security testing included Fedora Core 6, Slackware 11, SuSE Enterprise 10 and Ubuntu 6.10. Before delving into the specifics of the vulnerabilities, it is helpful to understand the security scene of 2006.

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Autoblog

YOU are big brother

The world is certainly not lacking devices that allow you to track and control your vehicle from afar. The newest breed of these systems was developed by Inilex, which allows a subscriber/user to do everything from unlock their doors, start their vehicle, sound the alarm, disable the engine or give the location of their ride. The system can be used by logging on to Inilex's website via a PC, calling a toll-free number or using a PDA with access to the internet.

Aside from providing a bit more convenience and protection, the major draw for some users, namely parents, is the ability to not only track the movements of the vehicle, but also be alerted via text message or email if the kiddies stray from set boundaries or operate the vehicle during certain times of the day or night (no more ditching school or sneaking into the love interest's window at 3 AM).

Inilex demo.

Labels: attack, car, hackers, remote security, security

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