Ubuntu 20.04.4 LTS Updates

[Nick]

Security updates remain a dilemma.
The "is it broken?" question is taken as meaning "Does it do everything it is supposed to?".
But the question "is your security broken?" also means "can it be made to do something that it shouldn't?",
a far harder question to answer.
This is exarcerbated by the fact that security patches are released without details,
since otherwise bad actors would know immediately how to attack the systems of people
who have not installed the patch.
If you really want to know whether to install a security patch, you have to reverse engineer it first...

[retina]

Originally Posted by Nick

If you really want to know whether to install a security patch, you have to reverse engineer it first...

If only it was that simple. Such patches hardly ever exist by themselves, they are included only with the new version. Good luck untangling all the bits to grab only what you want.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by Nick

Security updates remain a dilemma.

That's why I resonated with this thread. And then shared my own "posture" with anyone who might care.

I do not mean to be flippant, but everyone stands alone at the end of the day, often amongst many adversaries (including thermal dynamics).

"Fiduciary duty" and "Duty of care" are long-established standards in Common Law et al. The "Hippocratic Oath" is a similar concept.

[storm5510]

Correct me if I am wrong please. As I understand it, security problems can exist inside the code of applications and their libraries. Having such would allow someone, or something, to access anything on a storage device, if they could get in. I would think Ubuntu would have a firewall system even though I have never seen it referred to using that description.

Did you know the term "firewall" originated in the automotive industry? A heavier piece of metal separating the engine compartment from the passenger area.

[kriesel]

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/firewall definition one predates automobiles by centuries.

[storm5510]

Originally Posted by kriesel

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/firewall definition one predates automobiles by centuries.

I have heard geologic and landscape features referred to as a "fire break." I only know what I have been taught. Thanks.