On Fri, May 08, 2009 at 11:34:44AM +0100, Chris Harries wrote: > This here problem of downloading a dodgy copy of Photoshop which opens > you up for a BotNet is something that can effect all OS's.but is that > completely true? Can the same thing happen to an OpenBSD machine and > is there no way around this?
There is a way around it: don't download software that's guaranteed to be offered by people engaged in unlawful and unethical practices and expect the OS to rescue you from your own stupidity. Can you, as a legitimate user, make network connections? Send email? Join IRC? Are there legitimate programs that do these things? Of course, so why would the OS prevent that in a program that you, as a legitimate user, put on the system and ran? Even so, OpenBSD goes the extra mile in protecting the system itself from ordinary users. Not only in prevention, but additionally in mitigation techniques should a breach happen. But your machine can still participate in a botnet from your normal user account. -- Darrin Chandler | Phoenix BSD User Group | MetaBUG dwchand...@stilyagin.com | http://phxbug.org/ | http://metabug.org/ http://www.stilyagin.com/ | Daemons in the Desert | Global BUG Federation
