Re: [DotGNU]Microsoft's security blind spot

[Rhys Weatherley]

Bill Lance wrote:

> Let me rephrase my question.  How do those of us
> working on the server ends of dotGNU such as SEE and
> VRS those of us working on the Pnet end develop a
> common security and privacy shell that will work when
> it's all put together?

There really is no "magic bullet" that makes a system
secure/private.  It requires severe attention to detail in
the code and protocols.  Cross-checking each other,
and performing code reviews would help.

It's rarely a good idea to design a system that will be
secure/private when it's all put together.  It's even
worse to rely upon some "shell" to provide security.

It's better to design the pieces to be "mutually
distrustful", so that if one fails, it doesn't compromise
everything else.  i.e. every component is responsible
for its own defence.

Other than that, I don't know what I can really say.
There are guidelines for writing secure code, but they
are very generic: check all buffer boundaries, never
trust the caller to get parameters right, don't leak
unnecessary information, etc.

Cheers,

Rhys.