[FRC Blog] Einstein Report Released

[Tom Line]

Originally Posted by techhelpbb

The larger issue than who did this is how was the system allowed to get to the point that it was possible at all. Let's worry about all the other D.O.S. (denial of service) attacks we have yet to find.

Clearly changes need to be made. It took extraordinary effort on the part of too many people to resolve even these issues to this point.

It still goes back to the assumption that the system is above flaw and that assumption being incorrect. In this case the system has a security issue and an active exploiter. Take if from me: you can look for and fix security issues before they get exploited as best you can or you can wait until they cost you reputation, resources and opportunity. Had they even profiled the issue before hand they could have dramatically reduced the chaos after the fact (if you don't fix it at least acknowledge it exists at the remediation level).

I disagree entirely. I don't believe anyone believes (or believed prior to Einstein) that the system is above flaw.

Take any system, no matter how well designed, and subject it to 60,000 ambitious folks all playing with it and see how secure it is.

This week's 'Yahoo' password hack displays just what happens when even the most competent network security is open for public interaction. Someone WILL find a way in. Google, Microsoft, and even the stock market have been subject to security invasions as well.

I hate to say it, but in this situation security through obscurity is FIRST's best bet. The entire system needs to be removed from the consumer electronics spectrum that all these common tools are designed to work with. I.e. - standard a/b/g/n wireless needs to disappear. If this does not change and go to a proprietary system, I will 100% guarantee you WILL see this happen again.