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Damn Vulnerable Linux — Most Vulnerable Linux Ever
An anonymous reader writes "Usually, when installing a new operating system, the hope is that it's as up-to-date as possible. After installation there's bound to be a few updates required, but no more than a few megabytes. Damn Vulnerable Linux is different; it's shipped in as vulnerable a state as possible. As the DVL website explains: 'Damn Vulnerable Linux (DVL) is everything a good Linux distribution isn't. Its developers have spent hours stuffing it with broken, ill-configured, outdated, and exploitable software that makes it vulnerable to attacks. DVL isn't built to run on your desktop – it's a learning tool for security students.'"
Why is the OP - who is denigrating a Linux distro - modded a Troll, whereas the poster above him - denigrating Windows - modded as Funny?
"I'd just like to emphasise that taking a million years isn't a metaphor here..." -Rich Bradshaw
Don't be obtuse, he raises a good point. Linux is not infallible and shouldn't be treated as such even in light of it's advantages and the personal support we all have for it. Criticism breeds improvement. Keep that in mind, mods.
If you aren't angry, you aren't paying attention.
To be fair, if you download run random stuff from the web, your Linux computer isn't too secure either.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
To be fair..
most malware available for download on the web is designed to be run on windows
It doesn't do anything much less run in linux
Windows is such an easy target for exploit and success, it's everywhere and run by every bone-head idiot on the planet
Linux on the other hand is most used by advanced individuals and can be very difficult to exploit making it a waste of time for the black hats, it can be done, but rarely successful
"Suppose you were an idiot...and suppose you were a member of Congress...but I repeat myself." Mark Twain
Did it occur to you that the more experienced/advanced/technical users who tend to gravitate towards Linux are very much aware of this, that they administer their systems accordingly, and that this is in fact a big reason why successful malware "in the wild" is all but unheard-of on this platform? Compare to "buy the next version of Windows, it's easier and more secure than ever!" that carries the strong implication of "oh, security is someone else's problem". Not noticing or appreciating that difference would also be obtuse.
What I am getting at is that there are both technical and cultural differences between the two platforms.
It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Einstein
That's not the point. The point is that even if OS security were perfect, there would still be machines which were completely fucked. No amount of OS security will stop the user from wanting free kitten screen savers.
This doesn't excuse vulnerabilities that do exist in operating systems, but since Co0Ps specifically mentioned that he/she was actively agreeing to download certain pieces of malware, it bears mentioning.
"16MB (fuck off, MiB fascists)" - The Mighty Buzzard
This was in the list of "most interesting linux distros" posted here maybe two weeks ago. Sigh.
For every problem, there is at least one solution that is simple, neat, and wrong.
Criticism, even if inaccurate?
You can still run a multiple-year-old and barely-updated Linux distro on a public network and not fear being exploited. Sure, it can happen, but I'll be honest in saying the only times I've seen a Linux machine exploited was when it was horribly out of date (2.0 kernel in the early 2.6 kernel days) and was running samba... on a public network. That said, the exploit employed was over 6 months old at the time when the machine got exploited.
Unless you're running a PHP based CMS or the like, it's pretty uncommon for a Linux machine to get exploited. PHP = bad.
~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
You know, I'm going to get flamed to hell and back for this, but if you download (ie, buy a free app of) free kitten screensavers in iOS, you will likely have no security impact to your device... some (lots of) folks just can't be trusted outside walled gardens, and that's why Apple is doing so well.
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