[cobalt-security] RE: 'On my Soap Box'

[Mark Anderson <cronus@xxxxxx>]

> Your server will, at some point, be scanned/attacked/compromised (in
> that order although not necessarily successfully). It is a machine which
> faces the world. That world contains a whole raft of really irritating
> people who like nothing more than boasting to their acquaintances over
> ICQ that they've just 0wn3d your machine, even though it takes very
> little intelligence to do so.

I beg to disagree... With the huge ammount of resources avilable to admins
such as Bugtraq, Packetstorm, CERT, etc, it takes little intelligence to
secure a machine on the internet these days. The only hinderence to efficient
security is laziness. The ability to successfully attack a machine and gain
elevated privileges is allot more difficult and requires more intelligence.
I am 19, I have had no formal training or education that would help my job
yet I have been keeping upwards of 5 servers secure and operational for
two years now. I suggest that if I can do it, than any can (should they try).