4 ms·

scripts are just text files that can do a great deal when executed by the scripting language runtime Microsoft have done a lot in Windows 10 to counter PowerSh

scripts are just text files that can do a great deal when executed by the scripting language runtime Microsoft have done a lot in Windows 10 to counter PowerShell malware https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/poshchap/2015/10/16/security-focus-defending-powershell-with-the-anti-malware-scan-interface-amsi/ https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/poshchap/2015/10/16/secu... https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2017/12/04/windows-defender-atp-machine-learning-and-amsi-unearthing-script-based-attacks-that-live-off-the-land/ https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2017/12/04/windows-d... It’s not foolproof but it copes with many common attacks. It’s surprising Apple hasn’t taken this approach.

paranoidrobot 7y ago
To do so would run counter to the "Mac's don't get viruses/malware" mythology. There's been a persistent "That's only a PC thing" for a long time. Fairly sure it was even referenced in Apple's own advertising during the "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" phase.
- fortran77 7y ago
  Apple still advertises their operating systems as "Secure By Design". With the latest news about iOS zerodays in the wild for years, we know this isn't true. Do a google search for "Secure By Design" site:apple.com to see where they use this term for both iOS and OSX. Someday, someone will win in court over this.
  - jmull 7y ago
    Designing for security doesn’t guarantee no security issues. Done well it should substantially reduce the number and severity of security issues. To back up your claim from a numbers standpoint you’d have to quantify the number and severity of security issues in Apple OSs vs comparable OSs that aren’t “Secure by Design”. That’s obviously problematic in a few ways. You could also analyze the design of the OS for security flaws. Though again, finding that the design isn’t perfect isn’t enough. You’d need to show how the design disregards security. A proper analysis should acknowledge history, BTW.
    - jsjohnst 7y ago
      > You’d need to show how the design disregards security. I mostly agree with you, but don’t forget the ‘root login with empty password’ or ‘the password hint showing the password on encrypted disk unlock’ issues. I don’t see how anyone can claim that was secure by design. Sure, it was a bug, but a secure design would not have permitted that issue.
- booleandilemma 7y ago
  I still hear non-technical people repeating this. I’ve also heard people distinguish them as “macs” and “computers”. Working in tech and surrounded by people in tech all the time makes it easy to forget just how confused people can be over these things.
13of40 7y ago
PowerShell has bent over backwards from day one to avoid being a vector for malware. You can't invoke a .ps1 file from ShellExecute (that is to say, by double-clicking it), in its default configuration Windows Server won't run an unsigned script and client won't run a script at all, and there are fine-grained settings to control execution policy and language mode across your enterprise. That's not to say it doesn't get used for malware, but in its default state you have to actually be running arbitrary code in some other language before you can jump to PowerShell. (When PowerShell was being designed, it was right after the infamous security push in Windows, and they knew that if they shipped a new scripting language you could double-click from an email, they'd be crucified for it.)

paranoidrobot 7y ago

To do so would run counter to the "Mac's don't get viruses/malware" mythology. There's been a persistent "That's only a PC thing" for a long time. Fairly sure it was even referenced in Apple's own advertising during the "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" phase.

fortran77 7y ago
Apple still advertises their operating systems as "Secure By Design". With the latest news about iOS zerodays in the wild for years, we know this isn't true. Do a google search for "Secure By Design" site:apple.com to see where they use this term for both iOS and OSX. Someday, someone will win in court over this.
- jmull 7y ago
  Designing for security doesn’t guarantee no security issues. Done well it should substantially reduce the number and severity of security issues. To back up your claim from a numbers standpoint you’d have to quantify the number and severity of security issues in Apple OSs vs comparable OSs that aren’t “Secure by Design”. That’s obviously problematic in a few ways. You could also analyze the design of the OS for security flaws. Though again, finding that the design isn’t perfect isn’t enough. You’d need to show how the design disregards security. A proper analysis should acknowledge history, BTW.
  - jsjohnst 7y ago
    > You’d need to show how the design disregards security. I mostly agree with you, but don’t forget the ‘root login with empty password’ or ‘the password hint showing the password on encrypted disk unlock’ issues. I don’t see how anyone can claim that was secure by design. Sure, it was a bug, but a secure design would not have permitted that issue.
booleandilemma 7y ago
I still hear non-technical people repeating this. I’ve also heard people distinguish them as “macs” and “computers”. Working in tech and surrounded by people in tech all the time makes it easy to forget just how confused people can be over these things.

13of40 7y ago

PowerShell has bent over backwards from day one to avoid being a vector for malware. You can't invoke a .ps1 file from ShellExecute (that is to say, by double-clicking it), in its default configuration Windows Server won't run an unsigned script and client won't run a script at all, and there are fine-grained settings to control execution policy and language mode across your enterprise. That's not to say it doesn't get used for malware, but in its default state you have to actually be running arbitrary code in some other language before you can jump to PowerShell. (When PowerShell was being designed, it was right after the infamous security push in Windows, and they knew that if they shipped a new scripting language you could double-click from an email, they'd be crucified for it.)