8.04 still a fine version

[Karl F. Larsen]

Justin Gruenberg wrote:
> On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 2:35 AM, Basil Chupin <blchupin at iinet.net.au> wrote:
>   
>> I am not a security expert either but what makes Linux 99.9999% more
>> secure than the "other" [ugh!] is that to do any damage to the system
>> one has to execute a program as ROOT - this is what the OP really meant
>> by the reference to 'password and name'. If some malware does get thru
>> and somehow gets activated then the only damage it may be able to do is
>> only to whatever is the user's HOME directory; want to do anything
>> outside your own HOME directory you need become root (using sudo for
>> example) and then also provide a password.
>>     
>
> The security model that Linux uses certainly helps a lot of common
> security problems (for example, any user space exploit that allows
> arbitrary code execution---your damage is limited to the things your
> user privileges allow you to change).  However, exploits at the kernel
> level can hose more than that.  Privilege escalation attacks would
> also be able to damage more than that.
>
> We are a bit safer on linux just for the fact that there aren't as
> many of us to exploit.
>
> The moral of the story is this:  keep your system up to date to
> minimize your risk.
>
>   
    We are discussing a condition at some date when version 8.04 will 
not be sent anymore updates. The question now is when will update end?

73 Karl