If you can't see CTRL + +
=============================================================
UNIVERSITY
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Faculty of Science
Department of
Computer Science
INTRODUCTION TO
DESKTOP OPERATING SYSTEMS AND SECURITY
Research Methodology
Project
Major:
Computer
Science
Prepared
By Patrick
Louis
Under
the supervision of Dr. Laurence Ajaka
Kaslik-Lebanon
2012
=============================================================
Abstract
This
research paper is a simplified introduction to operating systems and
the effects on security. This is a common subject that has been
discussed many times between professional and beginners but that is
easily confusing. I tried to make the subject clear and
understandable to anyone with common knowledge of computer.
=============================================================
Table of Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................................1
Windows .............................................................................................................................1
Windows and the
world wide users ..........................................................................1
First place on the
stock market ..............................................................1
Windows and the
popular graphical interface ....................................1
Windows and the
share of source codes .................................................................1
Windows and
security .................................................................................................1
Windows and the XP
incident ...............................................................1
Windows and file
privilege .....................................................................1
Windows and the
malwares, crash and bugs myth ............................1
Notes on Windows ..................................................................................1
*nix ......................................................................................................................................1
Kernel, modular
thinking and file management ...................................................1
Unix philosophy ........................................................................................................2
Mac OS X ....................................................................................................2
The Mac OS X kernel
and Darwin ..................................................2
The focus on UI and
peripheral devices / program source ........2
The effects on
security and cross-platform ..................................2
GNU/Linux/FreeBSD
and Berkeley distributions ...................................2
The victory of the
user over the machine .....................................2
The effect of
freedom on programs and security issues ............2
The freedom of
running whatever you want ................................2
The Main differences
between BSD and Linux ............................2
Conclusion ..........................................................................................................................2
=============================================================
|--Introduction:
Different
Operating Systems exist using graphical user interface (GUI) or
command line user interface (CLI). An operating system is a software
designed to control the hardware of a specific data-processing system
in order to allow users and application programs to make use of it,
or more simply, this is what makes the system works together. Adding
the word Desktop would mean that it is client based (not a server)
and that it is for home or work usage. What are the main features of
those operating systems and what effects does it have on security?
I. Windows
1. Windows and the world-wide users
a. First place on the market stock
Windows,
which started in 1981, is now close of completely monopolizing the
share market of desktop computer operating systems. It is currently
being used by ~80% (see the chart below) of all Desktop computers.
Moreover, for computer agnostic it can appear as if Windows is the
only operating system that exists. On the other hand, throughout the
years, it has developed into an operating system that has become
feature-filled and simply huge, especially with Windows Vista and
Windows 7
1-
Windows 7 (43.84%), 2 - Windows XP (27.59%), 3 - Apple OS X
(8.78%), 4- Windows Vista (7.36%), 5- Apple iOS (6.69%), 6-
Android (2.15%), 7- Linux (1.80%), 8- BlackBerry (0.66%),
9-SymbianOS (0.20%), 10- Windows 8 (0.10%)
b. The popular graphical user interface
Windows
is known for its popular, familiar, friendly graphical user
interface, large hardware support, and large amount of softwares
availability. Everything on Windows is easy to access by a few
clicks, and, if some problems occur you are troubleshooted by Windows
OS or can find support. However, it doesn't support everything; his
filesystem recognition is restricted to those created by Windows
itself (NTFS and FAT). The NTFS and FAT32 file systems using the
Registry, which is very complex; the system configuration is stored
in a proprietary format which needs special tools to open, needs
constant defragmentation and maintenance. Finally, note that Windows
is gamer friendly because most games are coded for Windows machines.
2. Windows and the share of Source Codes
Windows
is closed-source, not distributable and most of the time
pre-installed by the manufacturer. This means that users are not
allowed to see nor modify the source code of any programs and to give
a copy of the Windows installation cd to anyone.
3. Windows and Security
Windows
is well known for the worst greatest computer headaches in existence.
a. Windows and the XP incident
In
2004 the Windows XP source code was leaked on the "Darknet".
This leaded to the creation of thousands of exploits of "XP".
Windows XP became one of the most vulnerable OS in the world.
b. Windows and file privilege
On
Windows, the NTFS file and system permission is not always as secure
as it seems. First, it is hard to secure the files due to the
difficulty of choosing the system preferences. Furthermore, the
rights of the user are generally sets automatically which is a great
security issue. Note that Windows also has, by default, some open
ports.
c. Windows and the malwares, crash and bugs myth
Windows
is the OS that is the most affected by security issues. Windows users
need to pay for an efficient anti-virus that will take lot of CPU
resources, money and network connection (for upgrades and updates)
and bugs takes time to be fixed. Windows uses, by default, maximum of
CPU resources.
4. Notes on Windows
The
Windows NT kernel, which is not mentioned here, is more or less
stable (sometimes the BSOD occurs for no apparent reason). We can say
that users are a little brainwashed by the "Windows way" of
using a Desktop operating system, they are passive concerning what is
going on with their system. When Windows update, it sends a list of
all the programs you installed on your drive to the server of the
company.
I. *nix
|-- What is *nix like OS
While
Windows is built on Windows NT, Unix-like operating system is built
on system that behaves in a manner similar to a UNIX system. UNIX was
first introduced in 1969 by Bell as a "timesharing" system,
a system used for multitasking that can easily adapt to changes.
On
windows everything is plain while on UNIX like systems there are 3
sections:
The
kernel is the base that keeps task, resources and security together.
The shell (TTY) is the program that interprets user commands and
starts programs. Finally, the binaries of programs. Moreover, the
file management has security incorporated, especially to important
file (root access). The system use EXT that is faster than Windows,
reliable (does not fragment easily) and has a folder tree arranged in
an understandable way.
2. Unix philosophy
"Write
programs that do one thing and do it well."- With this in mind
programs are simple but are really efficient in what they specialize
in.
a. Mac OS X
1. The Mac OS X kernel and Darwin
Darwin
is a free and open source operating system released by Apple in 2000.
Darwin is in fact the base structure and testing OS of Mac OS X. It
uses the XNU kernel which runs only on mac (hardware dependent).
2. The focus on UI and peripheral devices / program source
Mac
OS X focuses on the philosophy of always giving the best user
interface to its users. Because of this Apple does not intend to give
the user access to any of the configuration files of the system nor
source codes of any programs. Apple Store exists for this reasons,
limit the interaction and difficulties in installing a program.
Moreover, Mac OS X uses specially made devices only(stable hardware).
3. The effects on security and cross-platform
By
limiting the user, Apple makes sure that nothing is leaked so no
program will be exploited. Additionally, Mac OS X is not
multiplatform which is security and dictatorship at its utmost level.
Furthermore, because "Apple Store" is the only place where
you can install from, it is the one that is aimed by hackers.
b. GNU/Linux/FreeBSD and Berkeley distributions
1. The victory of the user over the machine
Unlike
Windows and Mac OS X, GNU/Linux/ and *BSD distributions are free open
source OSs that require the user to interact with his machine and
configure it to his needs. (CLI and TTY)
2. The effect of freedom on programs and security issues
Open
source means that any user can read how any program is made and
change it if he wants. The base of those systems is community. If any
bugs or exploits is found in a program you can rectify it or if you
don't know how to program, submit a bug report to the community. This
makes all programs safe. You can download the source (smaller) and
compile it yourself (the Github). Finally, many flavor and
distribution exists.
3. The freedom of running whatever you want (“Do you own the program or a copy of the program?")
GNU/Linux/
and *BSD distributions can run all sorts of programs even Windows
one. The repositories, where you download program from, have
everything you need, although, there are not a lot of open source
games. On the other hand, some distributions are hard to install for
beginners because there are CLI based and not GUI based.
4. The Main differences between BSD and Linux
There
are 2 main differences between BSD and GNU.
- The way the core system is made and the package are created :
On
a BSD machine you have the main distribution containing vital
packages in 1 binary file. On the other hand, GNU has no main core
binary file but many simple programs that make the system run.
Secondly,
on BSD you download and install from the source. On the contrary, on
a GNU OS you can choose between downloading the binaries or the
sources codes.
- The license :
The
BSD license allows users to do whatever they want with the source of
programs. On the other hand, GPL allow user to run, read,
redistribute, and modify the source code of any program as long as it
stays within the community. (Copy-left free software license GPL)
|-- Conclusion
We
have seen some operating systems like Windows, OSX, GNU/Linux and the
BSD family. Each one of them has its own philosophy, advantages and
disadvantages. Now that you have been introduced to each one of them
you can choose the operating system that suits you.
=============================================================
Bibliography
Desktop operating system.
(2003). Taken from thefreedictionary.com:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Desktop+operating+system
Why Linux is Better.
(2003, March). Taken from whylinuxisbetter.net:
http://www.whylinuxisbetter.net/
Chapter 1: Functional Comparison of UNIX and
Windows. (2006, May 31). Taken from microsoft.com:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb496993.aspx
Unix vs. Microsoft Windows: How system designs
reflect security philosophy. (2010). Taken from techrepublic.com:
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/security/unix-vs-microsoft-windows-how-system-designs-reflect-security-philosophy/4627
BSD operating system.
(2011, May 3). Taken from bsd.org: http://www.bsd.org/
Berkeley Software Distribution.
(2012, July 11). Taken from wikipedia.org:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_Software_Distribution
BSD vs Linux. (2012). Taken from over-yonder.net:
http://www.over-yonder.net/~fullermd/rants/bsd4linux/01
Darwin (operating system).
(2012, July 13). Taken from wikipedia.org:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_(operating_system)
Free Software Fondation. (2012). Taken from fsf.org:
http://www.fsf.org/
Git (software). (2012, June 12). Taken from
wikipedia.com: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Git_%28software%29
GNU operating system.
(2012, May 4). Taken from gnu.org: http://www.gnu.org/
Graphical user interface.
(2012, July 3). Taken from wikipedia.org:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphical_user_interface
Linus Torvalds.
(2012, July 11). Taken from wikipedia.org:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_Torvalds
Linux From Scratch! (2012). Taken from
linuxfromscratch.org: http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/
Microsoft Windows.
(2012, July 8). Taken from wikipedia.org:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windows
Operating system.
(2012, July 11). Taken from wikipedia.org:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_system
OS X. (2012, July
10). Taken from wikipedia.oprg:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OS_X
Richard Stallman.
(2012, July 7). Taken from wkipedia.org:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Stallman
The Linux Fondation. (2012). Taken from
linuxfoundation.org: http://www.linuxfoundation.org/
The Philosophy of UI Design: Fundamental
Principles. (2012, November 6). Taken from apple.com:
http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/userexperience/conceptual/applehiguidelines/HIPrinciples/HIPrinciples.html
Unix philosophy. (2012, June 28). Taken from
wikipedia.com: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_philosophy
Unix-like. (2012, June 12). Taken from wikipedia.com:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix-like
We oppose DRM.
(2012). Taken from defectivebydesign.org:
http://www.defectivebydesign.org/
Stallman, R. (2007, june 13). Richard
M. Stallman Speech - University of San Francisco. Taken from video.google.com:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8249207225383797652
=============================================================
No comments:
Post a Comment
All generalisations are dangerous, including this one.