Virus Virus Virus!

[thomasgilling]

Ok so as we know windows is littered with viruses and ReactOS unfortunately inherits them but we can stop it from taking over ROS by doing action now. We must install and implement, Anti-Virus and advanced utility's into react OS like hard drive maintenance and a registry cleaner. But and this is one BIG but we need to do this so the user don't need to know much about it. Most people don't know that they need to fragment there hard drive each month so when it is time ROS can show up a message like "Would you like to defrag your Hard Drive?" Then we could have options like Radio Button 1: "Yes (recommended)" Radio Button 2 "No (Not recommended)". Most people will go with the first one! And anti-virus should be enabled from the start you first boot up! Of cause we will have options in the control panel to turn it off but it should be enabled by default. We should have a UAC but it only comes on when you need a password or important system file changing so people don't ruin there system!

Come on we need to start now!!!

[florian]

As you're right in demanding security you could also be interested in those old threads. Within those threads the topic has already been discussed and I hope you will enjoy browsing through our old security debates:

http://www.reactos.org/forum/search.php ... mit=Search

Any chance to get that link as an valid url (that lousy ...=&fid[]...)?!

[FlyingIsFun1217]

http://tinyurl.com/6h74et

FlyingIsFun1217

[MadWolf]

hi
tip
if the virus scanner cheks the size of the files then that can be bad news for react os it may try to replace the files and that can break reactos

[SpoonmAn]

i dont think any virus scanner checks the size of any windows files, normaly it checks every file against a database of known malicious software...

[etko]

... plus does some heuristic analysis and tries to guess maliciousness, and uses other advanced techniques which require higher knowledge to grasp, than simple file checking ...

EDIT:
For thomasgilling go on start doing it, if you really want it. Devs are solving the things they like and decide worth solving.

[SpoonmAn]

heuristics do also not check the state of windows system files, normaly this works by code and behavour analyses

[Techsalvager]

Ok so as we know windows is littered with viruses and ReactOS unfortunately inherits them but we can stop it from taking over ROS by doing action now. We must install and implement, Anti-Virus and advanced utility's into react OS like hard drive maintenance and a registry cleaner. But and this is one BIG but we need to do this so the user don't need to know much about it. Most people don't know that they need to fragment there hard drive each month so when it is time ROS can show up a message like "Would you like to defrag your Hard Drive?" Then we could have options like Radio Button 1: "Yes (recommended)" Radio Button 2 "No (Not recommended)". Most people will go with the first one! And anti-virus should be enabled from the start you first boot up! Of cause we will have options in the control panel to turn it off but it should be enabled by default. We should have a UAC but it only comes on when you need a password or important system file changing so people don't ruin there system!

Come on we need to start now!!!

I don't think there is a reason to do this, if you actually take advantage of what windows has, don't run as adminsitrator for everyday activites, been doing that for the last 3-4 years, you are pretty good off. Sure there are some priv escalation exploits and remote exploits but still a big part of security is not running as admin.

[SpoonmAn]

also u have to see that most viruses use some kind of exploit to infect a system, and since reactos is not really windows those security holes are not there where they are expected as they are in a real windows system. and it is not likely that someone is going to find an explot in reactos to build lets say a botnet of infected reactos machines

[Techsalvager]

also u have to see that most viruses use some kind of exploit to infect a system, and since reactos is not really windows those security holes are not there where they are expected as they are in a real windows system. and it is not likely that someone is going to find an explot in reactos to build lets say a botnet of infected reactos machines

considering there is no real secuirty in reactos I believe I bet it would be easier right now. of course I doubt there is a reason to as the amount of people running reactos on the internet is less then windows isntall on the internet

[dawinsor87]

I totally agree that real integrated security would be fantastic, and that ROS would have a real chance for something to boast about here compared to windows by packaging things like bootable virus and spyware scanners (I LOVE avast's boot time scan). I'm not sure that worrying about it now, while the OS is so undeveloped is the wisest use of precious resources, but it seems like it should become a priority around beta-day. (2010???? *fingers crossed*. We'll only have two more years before the Mayan calendar runs out )

[Techsalvager]

I totally agree that real integrated security would be fantastic, and that ROS would have a real chance for something to boast about here compared to windows by packaging things like bootable virus and spyware scanners (I LOVE avast's boot time scan). I'm not sure that worrying about it now, while the OS is so undeveloped is the wisest use of precious resources, but it seems like it should become a priority around beta-day. (2010???? *fingers crossed*. We'll only have two more years before the Mayan calendar runs out )

I have to disagree I think priority is FS support with permissions something like ext2\3FS or NTFS
in my mind neither virus or malware scanners are real security, their a passive way to detect something. A better way would be a system like the older PrevX before that stoped you or proccess from installing stuff into system dirs. Still imo a FS with permissions and the windows like security system would be better. Of course I'm no programmer so I can't help out and contrib like that.

I do believe that one thing they should do is for the installer make everyone both a admin and user account and then drop people into user accounts by default

One thing the linux/unix/bsd community remind each other is not to run as root, that same concept applies to windows, don't run as administrator. about a good 90% of stuff that attacks windows wouldn't hurt you if it was to excute from a user account since it mostly targets writting straight into the windows dir which a user account doesn't have write permission to that dir.

Just my rambalings

[SpoonmAn]

i agree,a file system with permission support is very important for a today os. the problem with run always as user is that many kind of software expects that it is running in an admin account. for example i wanted to set up a boys computer like this with winxp but when running as user most of his games just did not run. so maybe the only thing that could help is maybe runas, but it is not possible to set this permanently.

[Techsalvager]

There are many ways around that, setup file permissions so user has write to the games dir, or you can use a tool to create a exe that can be clicked that will launch that game as an admin

[cppm]

As a simple solution I created a script called sudo.cmd (using Unix terminology here but any reasonable name would do) which consists of:

Code: Select all

@echo off

runas /user:%USERDOMAIN%\Administrator %1

I put that to somewhere in the PATH variable, (i have a custom scripts directory) and prefix 'sudo' to the shortcuts of any games/applications that require admin powers. Simple solution, it does require a bit of fiddling and entering in your password constantly, but as long as it's just for games and apps you don't use very regularly it's a small price to pay for the huge security benefits.

EDIT: Okay I remember now, you have to put the full name of the script into the shortcut. Since shortcuts don't consider the PATH when looking for what is 'valid', which is why you have to do it this way in the first place, otherwise you could just put runas in the shortcut.