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Date: Thu, 19 May 2011 03:24:12 +1000
Subject: Re: obviscating python code for distribution
From: Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com>
To: python-list@python.org
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On Thu, May 19, 2011 at 2:54 AM, geremy condra <debatem1@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, May 18, 2011 at 12:36 AM, Hans Georg Schaathun <hg@schaathun.net> wrote:
>> But then, nothing is secure in any absolute sense.
>
> If you're talking security and not philosophy, there is such a thing
> as a secure system. As a developer you should aim for it.

Agreed. Things can be secure if you accept caveats. A good server
might be secure as long as attackers cannot, say:
* Get physical access to the server, remove the hard disk, and tamper with it
* Hold a gun to the developer and say "Log me in as root or you die"
* Trigger a burst of cosmic rays that toggle some bits in memory

If someone can do that, there's really not much you can do to stop
them. But you CAN make a system 100% secure against network-based
attacks.

Denial of service attacks are the hardest to truly defend against, and
if your level of business is low enough, you can probably ignore them
in your code, and deal with them by human ("Hmm, we seem to be getting
ridiculous amounts of traffic from XX.YY.ZZ.*, I think I'll put a
temporary ban on that /24"). Although some really nasty DOSes can be
blocked fairly easily, so it's worth thinking about them.

But mainly: Don't panic about the really really obscure attack
possibilities, the ones that would only happen if someone with a lot
of resources is trying to bring you down. Just deal with the obvious
stuff - make sure your server cannot be compromised via a standard
network connection.

Test your server by connecting with a basic TELNET client (or a
hacked-up client, if it uses a binary protocol). Test your client by
connecting it to a hacked-up server. Make sure you can't muck up
either of them. Assume that any attacker will know every detail about
your comms protocol, because chances are he will know most of it.

Chris Angelico