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He addresses that. The browser has a different security model than the OS. The OS's model is based off of the user being the unit of security. If a user runs a
by euank 13y ago
He addresses that. The browser has a different security model than the OS.
The OS's model is based off of the user being the unit of security. If a user runs a piece of software, that software can interact with all files owned by the user. It can make web requests to anything.
The browser's model has the unit as the webpage, not the user. Each webpage is sandboxed from others. If one webpage is malicious, in theory it cannot modify users files or even other webpages.
The difference in model makes a malicious webpage significantly less scary than a malicious program.
Your example, of running your whole OS in the browser, is unrealistic; in reality you'll be running each piece of the OS in a different isolated tab.
This model can work since the web was built for each site to be independent and self-contained... We've already gone too far down the rabbit-hole of native programs being extremely powerful to easily fix that.
The OS might not be lost though. You can run scary software in a VM. You can run each program in a separate chroot. Perhaps soon you could just spin up an lxc (with docker perhaps) for each different program you want to run. These methods of running software all basically transform the OS into using the browser's model.
It's also worth mentioning that the browser model has inherent security flaws for as long as it persists the executable on external servers; you have to find a trusted channel to access the data everytime whereas the program only has to be verified once after downloading.
- jebblue 13y ago>> The browser's model has the unit as the webpage, not the user. The user loses control, the user loses. >> This model can work since the web was built for each site to be independent and self-contained... https://developer.chrome.com/extensions/samples https://developer.chrome.com/extensions/samples "Content Script Cross-Domain XMLHttpRequest Example" >> whereas the program only has to be verified once after downloading. Opening the door to hackers who find ways to infiltrate that program _after_ that check has been done.