Do We Need a New Internet?

Richard.Tao and a number of other readers sent in a NYTimes piece by John Markoff asking whether the Internet is so broken it needs to be replaced. "...[T]here is a growing belief among engineers and security experts that Internet security and privacy have become so maddeningly elusive that the only way to fix the problem is to start over. What a new Internet might look like is still widely debated, but one alternative would, in effect, create a 'gated community' where users would give up their anonymity and certain freedoms in return for safety. Today that is already the case for many corporate and government Internet users. As a new and more secure network becomes widely adopted, the current Internet might end up as the bad neighborhood of cyberspace. You would enter at your own risk and keep an eye over your shoulder while you were there." A less alarmist reaction to the question was blogged by David Akin: "If you build a new Internet and you want me to get a license to drive on it, sorry. I'm hanging out here in v.1."

Comments

Re:No way in hell!

[morgan_greywolf]

What permanent safety are you talking about? Do you really expect that this new 'gated community white-bread-people-only internets' would not be hacked in 5 minutes by some pimply-faced 14-year-old smartass with a chip on his shoulders and a few 1337 h4x0r t00lz?

Understand that network security theory holds that is no such thing as security that cannot be broken.

Re:Why not?

[hairyfeet]

Oh crap...here we go again with the Windows equals viruses BS. As someone who has been building and repairing and selling the things since the old days when folks had to install a third party Winsock just to get to Compuserve, please allow me to enlighten you. Are you ready?

The problem is NOT Windows,okay? It is NOT Windows fault at all. You know why it isn't Windows fault? It is because there are a lot of STUPID people on Windows and as much as you hate Bill Gates I'm afraid he didn't actually invent stupid people. Yes, Windows takes at least a bit of common sense to lock down. Yes, running as Admin is not the smartest of ideas but as my many customers and myself who have done so for years without a SINGLE bug can tell you that is not the problem. Let me explain what it is that causes Windows to be a haven for malware. I have watched a user, with both me AND the AV telling them not to, open a password locked zip file and run "happy screensaver.scr.exe" and infect their machine because "this was from (insert BFF) and she wouldn't send me something bad." I have laughed with my corporate admin buddy who actually had to have a meeting with the head office because the PHB in middle management was threatening to fire him "Because you won't let my emails from Melissa through and you have NO RIGHT to tell me who to talk to. I am your boss!"

So scream about the evil Windows ALL you want. Say that it sucks, avoid it like that clap, whatever makes you happy. But you better pray to whatever deities you believe or don't believe in that the Windows users don't come to Linux or Mac OSX in mass. Because if they do the malware writers will be cranking out "Happy screensaver.scr.sh" and malware like the OSX Codec Trojan at a rate that will make your head spin and then we will be talking about "what a cesspool" Linux and OSX are. Because the problem is NOT the OS, it is strictly a PEBKAC issue and all the security in the world short of making everyone give up their PC for a government controlled thin client will simply not work. They will happily elevate privileges, they will happily input passwords, they will even happily shut down their Av and copy/paste commands if it means they get the Dancing Bunnies. And sadly there is NOTHING that any OS can do if the user is willing to bypass the security to get to the bunny. Sorry, that's just the truth. That is why my business customers and I can run for nearly a decade as admins with no bugs. We keep the stupid people away from our computers. For those of you that can't, I'm sorry. Just take an aspirin and remember like Mr. Gump says "stupid is as stupid does."