[wplug] OT: "Enough" security

[Michael Smith]

The HT Security notice that's been circulating recently brings to 
mind...

I've been interested for some time in the personal responsibility 
ramifications of I.T. security. Should a home user be held responsible 
for attacks launched from his zombie computer based on the fact that he 
didn't (know to) secure it properly?

What about power users? Should those of us with more computer literacy 
than the average user be more responsible for securing our systems?

I think the answer to both of these questions is "yes," as a matter of 
degrees. Given, however, that no connected computer can ever be 100% 
secure, how much is enough? If my mom leaves windows automatic updater 
running, and antispyware and antivirus active and UTD, is she then 
fulfilling her responsibilities as a member of the Internet community?

What about me? Does the fact that I run a highly customized Gentoo box 
leave me with more responsibility, or does keeping it up-to-date and 
keeping my overall network secure fulfil that?

What are your thoughts? If anyone knows the legal ramifications, that'd 
be interesting, and I'd also like to know your positions on the 
morality of the matter.

Peace,
Michael A. Smith
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: text/enriched
Size: 1208 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://www.wplug.org/pipermail/wplug/attachments/20050516/da72d607/attachment.bin