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Date:      Thu, 1 Nov 2001 11:09:49 +0100
From:      "Anthony Atkielski" <anthony@atkielski.com>
To:        "FreeBSD Questions" <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
Subject:   Re: Tiny starter configuration for FreeBSD
Message-ID:  <005301c162bd$59ac2740$0a00000a@atkielski.com>
References:  <005a01c161ed$a19933c0$1401a8c0@tedm.placo.com> <5.1.0.14.2.20011101165340.02192a40@pop.ozemail.com.au>

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Rob writes:

> Please explain _this_ one?

I'm surprised that any explanation is required.  The security problems with UNIX
are legion, but the two that generally spring to mind instantly are the
all-or-nothing privilege structure of the system (you're either root, and master
of the world, or someone else, and master of nothing), and the absence of any
real granularity in access controls (you can control owner, group, and world
permissions, and nothing else).

This sort of lightweight security was fairly common forty years ago when UNIX
was developed, but today it is considered massively insecure.  And the big
brother of UNIX had exactly the opposite type of security, i.e., some of the
best that any operating system has ever had.  At the time, however, good
security ate up lots of expensive machine resources, and the thought of
strangers banging against a system from computers around the world virtually
never entered anyone's mind.


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