Are you ready for the future of the Internet? – Check Your IPv6
According to Wikipedia (quoted in red):
Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is the latest revision of the Internet Protocol (IP), the communications protocol that provides an identification and location system for computers on networks and routes traffic across the Internet. IPv6 was developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to deal with the long-anticipated problem of IPv4 address exhaustion.
IPv6 is intended to replace IPv4, which still carries the vast majority of Internet traffic as of 2013. As of September 2013, the percentage of users reaching Google services over IPv6 surpassed 2% for the first time.
Every device on the Internet must be assigned an IP address in order to communicate with other devices. With the ever-increasing number of new devices being connected to the Internet, the need arose for more addresses than IPv4 is able to accommodate. IPv6 uses a 128-bit address, allowing 2128, or approximately 3.4×1038 addresses, or more than 7.9×1028 times as many as IPv4, which uses 32-bit addresses. IPv4 allows only approximately 4.3 billion addresses. The two protocols are not designed to be interoperable, complicating the transition to IPv6.
Source (as of 12-22-2013): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPv6
I don’t think IPv6 will be used exclusively for several years. However it is wise to plan ahead and get some sort-of IPv6 setup on your home/office network.
You can check to see if you have IPv6 setup by going here: https://checkyoursix.computerlagoon.com
Posted in Computers, Internet and Servers, Operating Systems
11 Myths About GNU/Linux Operating System
Linux is a good operating system to use for servers. I use it for a router and my smartphone. However, there are many misconceptions about Linux, especially over the Internet where a lot of people are given false information about Linux. Please note that I mean no disrespect toward anyone.
Myth #1: Linux is secure…more secure than Windows.
This is one of the most ridiculous myths out there about Linux. How is Linux specifically “more secure” than Windows? There are too many variables to consider to be able to make a blanket statement like that! No self-respecting IT guy would ever say this out in public.
Conclusion: Both Windows and Linux can be secure, if you know what you are doing.
Myth #2: Linux is more stable than Windows
Another ridiculous claim. How is Linux “more stable” than Windows? One guy on WebHostingTalk switched from Windows to Linux to fix his problems he was having with his machine not being stable. Later on, he admitted that switching to Linux did not solve his problem (http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showpost.php?s=197e5f374bf0d33a54291ae1700e6f1a&p=4307417&postcount=21).
In my opinion, 99% of crashes on Windows are due to faulty hardware and/or drivers. However, both Windows (NT family) and Linux are stable operating systems when using good, stable hardware and good, stable drivers.
Conclusion: Both Windows and Linux depend upon stable hardware and drivers to be any use to the user using them.
Myth #3: Linux protects your computer from malware.
Uh…if you really believe this Linux myth, please read this: http://scalibq.wordpress.com/2013/08/11/hand-of-thief-commercial-linux-malware-kit/
Linux does not protect you from malware. It just has less malware due to Linux not having a large desktop market share.
Conclusion: Both Windows and Linux can get infected with malware. However, Windows is the larger target, but this does not mean that Windows is easier to infect, nor does it mean that you are guaranteed to get malware when using Windows.
Myth #4: Linux is free.
Well…true…Linux itself is free.
However, consider that more than likely you will be spending a lot of time setting up your Linux computer (finding drivers, getting printers to work, getting your scanner to work, getting your Windows only program to work in Wine, etc.)
“Time is money” as they say.
Conclusion: While economically Linux is free, Linux is not totally free, if you end up burning time (more like wasting time) trying to get things to work in Linux that worked fine in Windows. In a business environment with a Windows setup, switching to Linux would be no easy task, that is for sure.
Myth #5: Linux gives you everything you need out-of-the-box.
This is one of the more stupid myths. If everything came out-of-the-box that I need, then why do I have to setup specific software (that is not installed by default) on a Linux box when I set on up?
Conclusion: Too many variables to account for to make a blanket statement that Linux gives everything the user needs out-of-the-box.
Myth #6: With Linux you do not need to get drivers for your devices.
I had one wireless card that would absolutely not work with Linux out of the box, and printers usually do not work for me out-of-the-box on Linux either. Also, I would recommend using the manufacturer’s Linux drivers (if they have any for your device) in place of the drivers that came with the Linux distribution and/or updates.
Conclusion: Devices do not always work out-of-the-box with Linux. Same goes for Windows.
Myth #7: You can update *all* your Linux software at once using the built-in Linux updater.
What if you installed something via RPM or DEB manually (compiled from source or not)? How would you get the package manager to automatically update the manually installed software?
Conclusion: Not everything necessarily will be able to be automatically updated in Linux via the package manager.
Myth #8: You can find any type of software you need when using Linux.
What if someone needs to use a specific piece of software that is Windows-only? Using WINE to run Windows software on Linux is not a solution for everyone. WINE on Linux successfully running Windows software is hit and miss at best.
Conclusion: Linux may not have all the software that every computer user needs or even wants to use.
Myth #9: Linux does not have hard drive fragmentation.
When you delete files (on any file-system, NTFS, ext4, ext3, UFS, FAT32, FAT, ZFS, etc.), you leave gaps in the file-system. These gaps will be filled with other files, but you will also have files before and after the new file. So when the computer goes to access the data, it has to sift though all of the data to find the bits and pieces it needs to complete the task.
Linux does not magically have a “no fragmentation” problem. If someone ever tells you that Linux does not have a fragmentation problem, that person does not know what he/she is talking about.
Conclusion: The file-systems for Linux can get fragmentation.
Myth #10: Many eyes on open-source projects keep the projects secure.
If anything, there would be so much code (like in the Linux kernel) that no one could constantly go through all of the code to make sure that no “monkey wrenches” have been thrown into the works. 🙂
Also, you are really trusting competent strangers to make sure the code you use is “secure”. Can they be trusted? Maybe yes…maybe no.
Conclusion: Not only is this idea a myth, but it is illogical.
Posted in Operating Systems
Everything Should be Open Source?
Have you ever heard the phrase “everything should be open source”? Do you know why you use open-source software, or do you just use open-source software because a friend recommended it to you or it is the “thing to do”?
I used to frequently look for open-source software a few years ago. My attitude on that changed. I now, for the most part, use whatever I need to get the job done – open source or not.
For example, I use WordPress. That is open-source web software. I use it because it is free and because it fits my needs. Can I use a proprietary solution? Probably, but why would I do that since WordPress fits my needs?
Ask yourself these six questions if you are frequently tempted to always choose open source. If you can answer “Yes” to at least two of these questions, then in my opinion, you are good in choosing the open-source solution over a possible free closed-sourced or paid solution.
1. Do I know anything about the programming language(s) that this open-source software is written in?
2. Do I really need to make any changes to the open-source software, or is having it open source just “the thing to do”?
3. I do not require paid technical support.
4. Does the open-source solution offer features that are even close to the features of the paid (or free closed-source) solution?
5. Does the open-source software have good documentation?
6. Does the open-source software work with the operating system you are most comfortable using (albeit Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, MacOS X, etc.)?
Posted in Computers, Internet and Servers, Operating Systems, Software
Response to “Antivirus – Community Ubuntu Documentation”
1) “Possible reasons Linux is less prone to malware”
2) “Root User vs normal usage”
3) “Market Share Myth”
The Ubuntu documentation is in red and my replies are in black. All quotes from the wiki are direct quotes.
——————-
Possible reasons linux is less prone to malware
- Programs are run as normal user, not Root User
- More eyeballs on the code, nowhere for malware to hide
- Vast diversity makes it difficult to reproduce flaws in a system
- All software and drivers are frequently updated by Package Managers
- Software is generally installed from vast Repositories not from unfamiliar websites
- Developers/programmers are recognised as Rock Gods rather than treated with contempt
- Elegant, secure code is admired & aspired to. Hasty kludges are an embarrassment
Response to #1: Both Windows (2000/XP/Vista/7/8/8.1/10) and Ubuntu Linux can run software as a normal user.
Response to #2: Myth. If anything, there would be so much code (like in the Linux kernel) that no one could constantly go through all of the code to make sure that no “monkey wrenches” have been thrown into the works. 🙂
Take a look at: http://scalibq.wordpress.com/2013/05/15/the-myth-of-linuxopen-source-security/
Response to #3: I assume you mean many different types of hardware when you said “vast diversity”. That is not always true. If there is a flaw in the Linux kernel, technically it could affect all Linux systems that have not been patched.
Response to #4: This does not guarantee that no viruses can take over your system. This is a poor argument.
Response to #5: You are assuming that the servers hosting the files for the repositories are not infected with a viruses. This does not guarantee that no viruses can make their way into your system. This is a poor argument.
Response to #6: …no comment…
Response to #7: Not all software for Linux is secure. For example, the BIND DNS server has had multiple security issues over a 15+ year span. Not good.
“A computer virus, like a biological virus, must have a reproduction rate that exceeds its death (eradication) rate in order to spread. Each of the above obstacles significantly reduces the reproduction rate of the Linux virus. If the reproduction rate falls below the threshold necessary to replace the existing population, the virus is doomed from the beginning — even before news reports start to raise the awareness level of potential victims.” by Ray of http://librenix.com
A virus, if programmed correctly, could just lay dormant until other computer(s) are detected for possible infection can be found. Most viruses, in my opinion, will only get as far as the computer it infected (whether on Windows or Linux).
Root User vs normal usage
“For a Linux binary virus to infect executables, those executables must be writeable by the user activating the virus. That is not likely to be the case. Chances are, the programs are owned by root and the user is running from a non-privileged account. Further, the less experienced the user, the lower the likelihood that he actually owns any executable programs. Therefore, the users who are the least savvy about such hazards are also the ones with the least fertile home directories for viruses.” by Ray of http://librenix.com
If the virus uses an exploit in the Linux kernel, it may not matter whether or not the current user has permission to access other files. If you have SE-Linux enabled (assuming you are using a distribution that includes it), that may help prevent the virus from functioning (or at best, functioning correctly).
Market Share Myth
Some people say that linux suffers less from malware because it has less than 1% of the desktop market compared to Windows 90% & suggest that if linux ever increases in popularity then it will suffer just as badly. This argument is deeply flawed & not just by the spurious statistics. Linux dominates server markets(NB: this link dead). Why struggle to write a virus that might knock out a few thousand desktops when knocking out a few thousand servers could knock out a continent? Yet it is the desktop machines that are commonly exploited.
If 90% of computer users switched to Linux overnight, you would see a huge difference in the amount of malware you have for Linux.
What I think you do not understand is that hackers will go after targets that are easy and rich in “bounty”. In my opinion, most Windows users do not understand computer security (and the same would go for Mac OS X and several Linux users). They will click on just about anything, download just about anything, open e-mail attachments without observing if anything is out of the ordinary, etc. It is not that Windows is easier to hack than Linux. It is because there are many users that are not knowledgeable about computer security that makes it easier for the hackers to gain access to Windows computers.
Hackers know they have a better chance with Windows users than others. If even 50% of the Windows users suddenly went to Linux, you would have such an increase in malware (albeit not as much of an increase as you would have with 90% of Windows users switching over to Linux), that you may not be ready for it.
I used to use Linux to run a DNS resolver for the house and shop, but that does not mean that the DNS resolver was 100% secure just because I ran it on Linux. I ran it on Linux to save RAM, not for security. If I had let it go (without running any updates), I would have eventually gotten hacked.
“Why struggle to write a virus that might knock out a few thousand desktops when knocking out a few thousand servers could knock out a continent?”
That is speculation. How do you know that all the computers running the power grid, gas systems, etc. are all running Linux? Some could be running UNIX, Mac OS X, or even Windows.
Posted in Computers, Internet and Servers, Operating Systems, Software