[Info-vax] "Shanghai Stock Exchange" and OpenVMS

[Main, Kerry]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: info-vax-bounces at rbnsn.com [mailto:info-vax-bounces at rbnsn.com] On
> Behalf Of Bill Gunshannon
> Sent: January 22, 2009 3:32 PM
> To: info-vax at rbnsn.com
> Subject: Re: [Info-vax] "Shanghai Stock Exchange" and OpenVMS
> 
> In article <CKqdnel_5rWYS-XUnZ2dnUVZ_v_inZ2d at giganews.com>,
> 	"Richard B. Gilbert" <rgilbert88 at comcast.net> writes:
> > Bill Gunshannon wrote:
> >> In article <0005d0dd$0$2088$c3e8da3 at news.astraweb.com>,
> >> 	JF Mezei <jfmezei.spamnot at vaxination.ca> writes:
> >>> Richard B. Gilbert wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> You can safely plug them in and turn them on.  It's when you
> connect
> >>>> them to a network that you have to worry about "electronic
> organisms"
> >>>> infecting your Windows systems.
> >>> This week's virus can be transmitted when you plug in an USB key.
> >>>
> >>> Sony managed to infect Windows machines when the user inserted a
> MUSIC
> >>> CD into the machines (that rootkit thing).
> >>>
> >>> So leaving a Windows box unconnected to a network is not a garantee
> that
> >>>  it won't be infected.
> >>
> >> And all of these exploits can be prevented by proper configuration
> of
> >> Windows.
> >>
> >> bill
> >>
> >
> > And how many people know how to "properly configure Windows"???
> 
> How many know how to "properly configure VMS"?
> 
> >
> > Where is this "proper configuration" documented?  The last time I
> looked
> > Windows was shipping without any "documentation".
> 
> Well, you can get docs from NIST specifically covering security.  And
> then
> there are the checklists from DISA that are publicly available.  And,
> being
> as we are talking about supposed professionals in major corporations
> and
> not your momma's PC,  if they don't already know where to find this
> stuff
> they certainly should know how to go out and find it.  Even Google
> finds
> piles of references including the stuff from NIST.
> 
> bill
> 

And will the NIST or DISA doc's describe how to fix the 5-20 security
patches released last month? The month before that? Or the ones coming 
in the upcoming patch Tuesdays in the months ahead?

Instead of a small Univ lab of PC's where it is easy to maintain
config's, picture yourself trying to keep ahead of the game with hundreds
of x86 servers spread over many facilities. With end users who will not 
let you reboot them without scheduling weeks in advance or before testing
key applications with the new patches first.

And on top of that picture yourself having a day job with many other
Admin duties that require your attention, and patching systems every
month falls under misc "other related duties".

Is it a mess?

You bet it is - and the qualifications and/or quality of the SysAdmins 
is only a very small part of the mess.

Regards

Kerry Main
Senior Consultant
HP Services Canada
Voice: 613-254-8911
Fax: 613-591-4477
kerryDOTmainAThpDOTcom
(remove the DOT's and AT)

OpenVMS - the secure, multi-site OS that just works.