WannaCry! Why Linux Makes More Sense.

It’s like my mother always told me, “It’s your own blooming fault!”

If you pirate software or fail to keep your OS updated, you deserve what you get!  I know, I know the world would be a lot better place if there weren’t so many evil dudes just trying to wangle a buck (or bitcoin in this case) out of hapless, overworked IT folks.  But the truth is there are, always have been, and always will be, those cads who like to take advantage of the unprepared.

I truly love this article – it really sums the whole mess up nicely as to why Linux makes sense:

http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/05/15/how-to-avoid-future-wannacry-style-ransomware-attacks/

My synopsis:

• Linux isn’t Windows – the very nature of Linux means less malware
• Patching Linux is a whole lot easier and less intrusive than patching Windows
• Linux is a like a “prison” – your pretty much guarded all the time
• Windows is like a “food court” – have at it, anything goes… once you’re inside
• Linux is the like the US government: separation of church and state:
  • The core OS is the “state,” and it’s sacrosanct;
  • The interface to the OS (i.e. the desktop) is like the “church,” open to anyone to modify – but it’s not going to be catastrophic if something goes wrong in the church!

IGEL even takes this a step further. IGEL OS is running in a complete read only mode. Only a small part of the system is writable to store the device’s last known configuration. All system modifications are only stored in memory and removed after a reboot. While building the IGEL OS firmware every single component (i.e. Firefox browser or Citrix Receiver) receives a checksum to be verified during the update process and boot, to assure the system is in a healthy state.

Last, but not least, what about recovery? IGEL’s Universal Management Suite (plus the IGEL Cloud Gateway for delivery to any internet connected device) enables the rapid, secure and highly manageable (e.g. granular control of individual devices and groups of devices) updating of thousands or 10s of thousands of endpoints simultaneously.  So, even when disaster strikes, you can get back on your feet quickly!

So, whatcha gonna do?

1. Run VDI in the datacenter and make sure your Windows OSs are all patched, up-to-date and not pirated.
2. Run Linux on the desktop, or endpoint or laptop or whatever
3. Stop pirating software and keep your OSs up to date.
4. Call IGEL…

WannaSmile!

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