[talk] Suggest meeting topic: role of BSD in response to ransomware

[James E Keenan]

On 07/11/2017 10:49 AM, Jesse Callaway wrote:
> 
> 
> On Tue, Jul 11, 2017 at 7:33 AM, Okan Demirmen <okan at demirmen.com 
> <mailto:okan at demirmen.com>> wrote:
> 
>     On Tue 2017.07.11 at 19:38 +0530, Sujit K M wrote:
>     > On Tue, Jul 11, 2017 at 7:01 PM, James E Keenan <jkeenan at pobox.com <mailto:jkeenan at pobox.com>> wrote:
>     > > Here's a topic I wouldn't mind seeing discussed at a future NYCBUG meeting:
>     >
>     > Are you suggesting that since FreeBSD is the defacto standard in
>     > Networking Routers?
> 
>     I don't want to distract from the question James asked, but this
>     statement
>     above is incorrect; I typically refain from responding to these, but
>     this is
>     just wrong.
> 
>     > Or Are you suggesting the High Availability to Loads that it can support?
>     >
>     > >
>     > > Is there a role for the BSDs in response to massive ransomware attacks?
>     >
>     > I have never understood these attacks. I find it solely because of
>     > illiterate professionals.
>     > It can always be avoided.
> 
>     It is because the frameworks allow for it.
> 
>      > > In the last few months ransomware attacks such as WannaCry
>      > > (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WannaCry_ransomware_attack
>     <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WannaCry_ransomware_attack>) have had a
>      > > devastating effect on large organizations.  Organizations
>     affected include
>      > > one of the largest law firms in the country and one of the
>     world's largest
>      > > advertising agency networks.  Such organizations are,
>     typically, "Windows
>      > > shops."
>      > >
>      > > Suppose that you are a sysadmin or other, non-executive-level
>     techie in such
>      > > an organization.  You've heard about FreeBSD and OpenBSD and
>     you wonder,
>      > > "Would using these OSes have helped us either resist a
>     ransomware attack?
>      > > Could they help us recover better from such an attack?"
>      >
>      > I agree We are better equipped.
>      >
>      > >
>      > > I ask because I know such people.  Their organizations have
>     decades of
>      > > investment in Windows, so, under normal circumstances, it's
>     difficult for
>      > > them to argue the case for other OSes.  But these are not normal
>      > > circumstances.  Is there an "elevator pitch" we could provide
>     them for
>      > > exploring BSD?
>      > >
>      > > Thank you very much.
>      > > Jim Keenan
>      > >
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> 
> 
> https://wikileaks.org/vault7/
> 
> Most of these exploits are Windows. It's just the easiest target. 
> There's certainly at least this body of "tools" one can point to, and by 
> inference on the art of war the bad guys doing ransomware are using 
> similar technology. So far all ransomware attacks I've heard of (ever) 
> target Windows networked storage.
> 
> I am certainly interested in how an office can use network storage 
> without using Windows software, in a practical manner. Would be good to 
> hear people's ideas on this. EG: How can you get a 20 person accounting 
> firm to be more secure against such an attack while having to run 
> Quickbooks and whatever their favorite tax software is, using shared 
> document storage.
> 
> -- 
> -jesse
> 

Thanks, Jesse, that's an example of the kind of response I was looking for.

Do the BSDs address problems that people outside the BSD world are 
currently facing?

And how do we talk with them about that?

jimk