Asbestos, a new prototype operating system, provides labeling and isolation mechanisms that help contain the effects of exploitable software flaws. Applications can express a wide range of policies with Asbestos's kernel-enforced label mechanism, including controls on inter-process communication and system-wide information flow. A new event process abstraction provides lightweight, isolated contexts within a single process, allowing the same process to act on behalf of multiple users while preventing it from leaking any single user's data to any other user. Initial tests have been promising, and Eddie Kohler, Asbestos's creator, hopes that within a few years, Asbestos will be an alternative to server operating systems such as Linux and Windows.
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Member since:2006-06-26
Yes, that could theoretically happen. But then you're a criminal and will be persecuted by the copany, because the company will find out. Honestly, how many employees have that much criminal energy?
Anyway, this kind of thing has been brought up against open source again and again. It's just on the contrary. Open source is more secure and more stable than any commercial OS. As I said, think OpenBSD 
Edited 2006-09-10 05:12
Member since:2005-11-16
Do you understand who DARPA is (where the funding for the Asbestos OS is coming from)? It's the American Department of Defense's "advanced research" department. I would assume they're worried about something more significant than a secretary obtaining Joe Smith's porn collection without Joe's permission.
For DARPA and the DoD, "could theoretically happen" means "entirely unusable" (unless this sort of security hole is prevented by some other means).
Member since:2005-07-06
All of that can just as easily be done with a closed source OS. Having an open source kernel is totaly unnecessary. And anyway the above steps are totaly useless.
Companies don't store top secret files that employees shouldn't have access to on employees clients. They store them on servers. All you have done is rooted your workstation, something which can be done much easier than in the above steps. Having root access on your client box doesn't make it any easier to hack the server.
Member since:2005-11-13
Imagine you're an office worker, and you're using almost an open OS that is configured and maintained by the system adminstrator/s following the best possible security practices.
<snip>
I can break a closed source copy of windows far easier than all of those steps.
All I need is a free iso available on the web that boots a linux kernel and allows me to *clear* out the local admin account password on any 2k/xp machine.
I've done this in a pinch when I didn't have time to wait until monday for IT to unlock the system per company policy.
It did not require me to know how to code a thing, i didn't have to modify a kernel and I was in the system in under 2 minutes. Literally 2 reboots and it was done.
I don't think open source or closed source have a real advantage in this department as I've seen ways a determined person with physical access to the machine can get into either one in pretty short order.
Edited 2006-09-10 15:39
Member since:2005-08-18
"Now follow these steps.. "
Anyone able to follow all of these steps would also be able to break securuity even easier with Windows or OSX.
"- use a closed source OS, so that the user can't create their own insecure version of the kernel."
Yes, because it's totally impossible to boot from removable devices or the network.
"Now consider the number of people who take company laptops home with them...."
And how are you to prevent these people from leaking information they already have access to by using a closed source OS?
Member since:
2005-11-16
Imagine you're an office worker, and you're using almost an open OS that is configured and maintained by the system adminstrator/s following the best possible security practices.
Now follow these steps..
A) Make a habit of turning your computer off each weekend, but once a month or something find an excuse to work one day over on the weekend.
B) Write down the OS kernel version, hardware and other details. Get the motherboard manufacturer & type on one of the weekends.
C) Download the correct version of the OS's source code at home, strip out any security related code you don't like and build your own special version of the kernel.
D) Find out how to disable the BIOS setup password for the particular motherboard (download the motherboard manual and figure it out - it's usually not hard), and after a while (on one of the weekends when no-one else is likely to go to work) pull open the case, clear the BIOS CMOS, reconfigure the BIOS to default settings and set your own BIOS password.
E) At home, download a standard "Boot CD" version of the OS (Knoppix is probably close enough).
F) Finally, boot the machine using the boot CD and get yourself root access to the file-system. Then replace the kernel with your own specially modified kernel.
G) Congratulations, you've bypassed any/all security until the next time the system adminstrators upgrade the kernel. Leak as much "secure" data as you can for a month or so and then find another job.
There's also a few ways you can prevent this sort of thing:
- forbid employees from working after hours (and make sure they can't be left alone with a computer for long during business hours).
- never allow computers to be turned off and setup some form of "heartbeat" so system administrators know when one goes offline.
- make sure all cases are locked and cases can't be opened by anyone with a normal screwdriver.
- don't store the open source kernel on the computer itself (network boot).
- use a closed source OS, so that the user can't create their own insecure version of the kernel.
Now consider the number of people who take company laptops home with them....