Operating Systems Vulnerabilities

NAME

POS 355

18 Mar 15
Carol Eichling

Operating Systems Vulnerabilities

As the reported number of security vulnerabilities continued to spike in the 20th century let us define a security flaw. A security flaw according to "Apple Security Flaw: What You Need To Know" (2014), "The flaw is in the way the operating system provides the essential services, known as secure sockets layer (SSL) or transport layer security (TLS). These two layers of security allow information to be transmitted worry-free between browsers and web servers, or between a mail server and mail client. SSL is in the form of encryption, which scrambles data sent over a network to keep it private. The second layer involves verification that the server is authentic." With the heighten computer security regarding vulnerabilities, the increase of user awareness and training users to not click on particular links is difficult yet feasible. Although most operating system has computer security protection, the tasks of protecting the systems from vulnerabilities are a daunting task because the operating systems are unique.
Security flaw in Microsoft and Mac OS X® A known security flaw in Windows is called the Freak. The Freak security flaw allowed hackers to create a simulated middle person attacks on the encrypted secure sockets layer and transport layer of a security connections. It was discovered that hackers could force websites to weaken the system encryption intentionally. Once the system encoding is hacked, hackers were allowed to steal data. "While the FREAK security vulnerability is mainly associated with Apple's Safari and Android's stock browsers, it apparently affects Windows PC too. Thankfully, Microsoft has issued an update that will patch up the vulnerability in its SSL/TSL implementation called Schannel" (Moon, 2015). A known fix for this security flaw was to issue monthly security updates depending upon the system needs

The same security flaw was identified in the Apple iPad's, iOS, and the Mac's OS X. Due to this major security flaw the OS X has become more secure with improvements in the memory protection techniques and system security defaults. A known fix is the automatic installation push of system security updates. According to "Google Reveals Security Flaws In Apple'S Os X Operating System" (2015), "Apple's product security page states that, "For the protection of our customers, Apple does not disclose, discuss or confirm security issues until a full investigation has occurred, and any necessary patches or releases are available" (para. 4).
Security Flaw in Linux®/UNIX®

In the UNIX/Linux operating system there a security flaw named Shellshock. Shellshock allowed hackers the ability to execute commands remotely without permissions, which could enable a hacker to take over an operating system, giving an unauthorized permission to confidential data and possibly set up future attacks on websites. According to "Krebs On Security" (2015), "The problem resides with a weakness in the GNU Bourne Again Shell (Bash), the text-based, command-line utility on multiple Linux and Unix operating systems. Researchers discovered that if Bash is set up to be the default command line utility on these systems, it opens those systems up to specially crafted remote attacks via a range of network tools that rely on it to execute scripts, from telnet and secure shell (SSH) sessions to Web requests". A known fix for this security flaw was to create a system security patch for users to apply to routers and web-enabled devices.
Conclusion
In conclusion, all the dominant operating systems (i.e., Mac, Windows, UNIX, and Linux) that control the flow of data have shown a particular type of the security flaw over large networks and the Internet. To maintain high operating systems secure; it is imperative to ensure they are fully-patched and perform security updates to ensure all systems are current with security updates.

The "GFI" (2014) website shows "Most Targeted Operating Systems in 2013." [pic] The "GFI" (2014) website states "There has been an overall increase in the number of vulnerabilities for all operating systems, irrespective of brand – Microsoft or Linux..Microsoft's operating systems once again took the top spot, overtaking Apple iOS, which had the highest number of vulnerabilities last year. The number of vulnerabilities in Apple iOS increased in 2013 but went down to 10th because Windows operating systems and Linux kernel vulnerabilities increased considerably more".
References
Apple security flaw: what you need to know. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/apple-security-flaw-what-you-need-to-know-1.2549246
GFI. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.gfi.com/blog/report-most-vulnerable-operating-systems-and-applications-in-2013/
Google Reveals Security Flaws in Apple's OS X Operating System. (2015). Retrieved from http://gadgets.ndtv.com/laptops/news/google-reveals-security-flaws-in-apples-os-x-operating-system-653225
Krebs on Security. (2015). Retrieved from http://krebsonsecurity.com/2014/09/shellshock-bug-spells-trouble-for-web-security/
Moon, M. (2015). Microsoft patches up FREAK and Stuxnet security flaws on Windows. Retrieved from http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/11/microsoft-patches-up-freak-and-stuxnet-security-flaws/