Why improving kernel security is important

Re:Why improving kernel security is important by tremon on Tuesday November 10, 2015 @02:08PM (#10541554)

It is philosophically pointless, as you are arguing from an untenable position: if you don't trust your system provider, you shouldn't trust your system. Leaving kernel bugs unfixed does not make your system any more trustworthy.

From a practical point of view, it's a different matter: the exploits may allow you to regain some control over an untrusted device. But you still have the fundamental disparity of you trying to gain (software) control over an untrusted (hardware) device. That makes it a pointless philosophical debate regardless of practical use.

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Re:Why improving kernel security is important by kragen on Tuesday November 10, 2015 @03:57PM (#10542436)

Oh, I hadn't thought of that interpretation of "pointless philosophical debate". You're right: considered as a purely philosophical debate, it's pointless. But considered as a debate over what practical measures to improve our contingent human reality in the face of non-ideal and poorly understood circumstances, it's far from pointless.

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Re:Why improving kernel security is important by saurik on Tuesday November 10, 2015 @05:04PM (#10542927)

In the real world of actual humans with every day problems, control is often more valuable than trust and trust without control can lead to situations where there is no value at all :/.

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