Security features

[Dawid Gajownik]

Hi!

I've been reading recently lwn.net and I've found this article → 
http://lwn.net/Articles/160380/ I knew about this patch restricting 
acces to /dev/mem but I did not know that it prevents rootkits! IMHO 
this should be mentioned in the Release Notes:
http://fedora.redhat.com/docs/release-notes/fc5/test1-latest-en/#sn-security

Actually, there should be more hype about Fedora's security features¹. 
For instance, FC5 uses Stack Smashing Protector. I think that it's worth 
mentioning it in the Announcement of Fedora Core 5². Information about 
updated KDE, Gnome, kernel, etc. will not encourage users to change the 
distribution. I know that it's also important, but only cool new 
features may change their decisions :) Without it we will see more 
Fedora's reviews similar to this: "The wallpaper is the same. Nothing to 
see here, move along." ;)

¹ Yes, I know about SELinux, but why not to tell people about other 
technologies?
² 
http://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-announce-list/2005-November/msg00064.h...

Regards,
    Dawid

[Rahul Sundaram]

Dawid Gajownik wrote:
> Hi!
> I've been reading recently lwn.net and I've found this article → 
>
> http://lwn.net/Articles/160380/ I knew about this patch restricting 
> acces to /dev/mem but I did not know that it prevents rootkits! IMHO 
> this should be mentioned in the Release Notes:
> http://fedora.redhat.com/docs/release-notes/fc5/test1-latest-en/#sn-security
> Actually, there should be more hype about Fedora's security 
>
> features¹. For instance, FC5 uses Stack Smashing Protector. I think 
> that it's worth mentioning it in the Announcement of Fedora Core 5².

Fstack-protector is already mentioned in 
http://fedora.redhat.com/docs/release-notes/fc5/test1-latest-en/#sn-security.  
I will include more comprehensive information about the other security 
features to the wiki and link from the release notes - 
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Docs/Beats/Security. Could highlight such 
overviews better in further announcements.  You are already in the edit 
group for the Fedora wiki. If you want to include such information 
yourself see http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/WikiEditing

Thank you for bringing this up to the list.

regards
Rahul

[Dawid Gajownik]

Dnia 11/26/2005 04:28 PM, Użytkownik Rahul Sundaram napisał:
> Fstack-protector is already mentioned in 
> http://fedora.redhat.com/docs/release-notes/fc5/test1-latest-en/#sn-security.

Yes, I know, but IMHO it's important to mention it in annoncements. Just 
take a look a recent articles about Fedora on /. or osnews.com:
http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/11/25/1454209&tid=110
http://osnews.com/story.php?news_id=12761
Authors just summarize official announcements. They won't even bother to
read Release Notes :(
> I will include more comprehensive information about the other 
> security features to the wiki and link from the release notes - 
> http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Docs/Beats/Security.

Thanks!
> You are already in the edit group for the Fedora wiki. If you want to
>  include such information yourself see http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/WikiEditing

Well, I'm not a native English speaker and right now I don't feel so 
comfortable in writing official texts. My grammar sucks and I don't want 
  people to laugh at me ;) Writing on mailing lists or in bugzilla is a 
bit something different...

[Rahul Sundaram]

Hi
> Yes, I know, but IMHO it's important to mention it in annoncements. 
> Just take a look a recent articles about Fedora on /. or osnews.com:
> http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/11/25/1454209&tid=110
> http://osnews.com/story.php?news_id=12761
> Authors just summarize official announcements. They won't even bother to
> read Release Notes :(

The test release notes tend to highlight what we require feedback on to 
get a better final release out of the door.  Fstack protector is mostly 
transparent to end users like how all security features should be but 
going forward we will take care to mention such features in the 
announcements. It would be good to get such reminders *before* the release.
> Well, I'm not a native English speaker and right now I don't feel so 
> comfortable in writing official texts. My grammar sucks and I don't 
> want  people to laugh at me ;) Writing on mailing lists or in bugzilla 
> is a bit something different...

I have heard that too many times and that excuse is basically 
unacceptable to me. I am not a native speaker either. I contribute and 
let peer review and other editors polish it if necessary. If you can 
contribute the raw content, editors can take care of the rest including 
grammar. The only requirement you need is interest and I see you already 
have it ;-)

regards
Rahul

[Greg DeKoenigsberg]

Yeah, the security features are prominent in the TalkingPoints:

http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Marketing/TalkingPoints

--g

_____________________  ____________________________________________
  Greg DeKoenigsberg ] [ the future masters of technology will have
 Community Relations ] [ to be lighthearted and intelligent.  the
             Red Hat ] [ machine easily masters the grim and the 
                     ] [ dumb.  --mcluhan

On Sat, 26 Nov 2005, Dawid Gajownik wrote:
> Hi!
>
> I've been reading recently lwn.net and I've found this article → 
> http://lwn.net/Articles/160380/ I knew about this patch restricting 
> acces to /dev/mem but I did not know that it prevents rootkits! IMHO 
> this should be mentioned in the Release Notes:
> http://fedora.redhat.com/docs/release-notes/fc5/test1-latest-en/#sn-security
>
> Actually, there should be more hype about Fedora's security features¹. 
> For instance, FC5 uses Stack Smashing Protector. I think that it's worth 
> mentioning it in the Announcement of Fedora Core 5². Information about 
> updated KDE, Gnome, kernel, etc. will not encourage users to change the 
> distribution. I know that it's also important, but only cool new 
> features may change their decisions :) Without it we will see more 
> Fedora's reviews similar to this: "The wallpaper is the same. Nothing to 
> see here, move along." ;)
>
> ¹ Yes, I know about SELinux, but why not to tell people about other 
> technologies?
> ² 
> http://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-announce-list/2005-November/msg00064.h...
>
> Regards,
>    Dawid
> --
>
> ^_*
>
> --
> Fedora-marketing-list mailing list
> [e-mail]
> https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-marketing-list

[Rahul Sundaram]

Hi
> ¹ Yes, I know about SELinux, but why not to tell people about other 
> technologies?

Added information from the talking points and other areas. 
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Security/Features. Would require more 
comprehensive coverage.  Help, feedback and suggestions welcome.

regards
Rahul