Why I hate Apple and Windows

[Hinfrance]

I don't know about locking doors and windows Hugh, I don't even lock the cars on the drive. Although I do sometimes remember to close the windows to stop the cat getting into them.

You're so right about horses for courses. Our 8 year old Dell has just had the last available power supply pack up - although the machine itself still works, we can't power it. A new power supply is just not cost effective. So it's a £300 windows lappie for emails and surfing to replace it. Anything more would be overkill.

[picsfor]

As an aside: the reason the security on the original Windows boxes from the '90s/early '00 was low was simple: a small amount of additional security dramatically impacts usability - the balance fell more to the usability side - a naive time.

Yes i'd forgotten about that side of it! We used to have our system locked down so no one could put anything in. Some one brought a CD with a Powerpoint presntation had to come to the Help Desk to get it cleared, uploaded to the network and downloaded to the computer that would be used for the presentation. A Mail Administrator who spent all day checking incoming and outgoing e-mails, espcially those that did not make it through a filter because of all the jokes etc. Oh innocent days...

[Jonathan]

I have to admit, I was amused by the recent Iphone worm.

Yeah that was quite a laugh.

It appears that if you buy hardware from Apple and bugger about with the operating system sufficiently then you can expose it to a hack attack.

Who knew?

[In case you missed it in some of the more hysterical reporting it's only Jailbroken iPhones that are vulnerable.  Basically you have to deliberately change Apple's OS and leave the root password at the default to be affected.  I wonder if there's a reason Apple don't allow SSH clients in the regular OS?]

[hevans]

I have to admit, I was amused by the recent Iphone worm.

It appears that if you buy hardware from Apple and bugger about with the operating system sufficiently then you can expose it to a hack attack.

Thanks, you've outlined the reason I used it as a segue to my following point about basic security. And that's the reason I was amused.

What was a bit more interesting, though, was the estimated fraction of the market that HAD modified the iPhone so as to become potentially susceptible - 10%. Seems there's a reasonable market comprised of idiots.

Could someone explain to me, though, why I would want to ssh into an iphone? I'm guessing that it was the SSH server and not client that was installed. I can see the point of the client..but the server?

H.

[Jonathan]

Could someone explain to me, though, why I would want to ssh into an iphone?

I'm only guessing (SSH is a bit techie for me) but would it not allow you to effectively use the iPhone as a modem?  If you SSH from a laptop to an iPhone then might you be able to get internet access on the laptop via O2's marvelous network?

IIRC first of all doing this via a legitimate route was locked down by O2 then they said you could do it but it would cost more than buying a dongle and another unlimited data plan from them.

I think it's a little harsh to call these people idiots.  Rather they are confusing "sticking it to the man" with "doing something stupid that disables the very careful safeguards put in place to protect them".  A bit like buying a safety razor, smashing off all the bits of plastic and then complaining when you cut your throat with it

[chris@seary.com]

Here's an article from someone at Sophos, although it's a year old:
http://www.sophos.com/blogs/sophoslabs/v/post/1156