[nzlug] Trusted Executables?

[Simon Bridge]

On Tue, 2008-04-29 at 15:33 +1200, Nevyn wrote:
> I was thinking about this the other day and seeing as the subject has
> come up....
> 
> Recently I've been working on a few MS Vista machines.

"Trusted" is a jargon word with special meaning depending on who you are
talking to. Care must be taken to verify the meaning.

In security, a "trusted" system is usually (but not always) taken to be
any part of your security implimentation where the entire security model
fails if that part fails. (As distinct from "trustworthy", or, even,
something you feel good about trusting.)

In MS/marketing speak, it is anything that lets MS control your computer
- as well as stuff MS gets paid to call "trusted" etc.

It's nice for marketing because it doesn't actually say what it is
trusted with, or to do. Everyone assumes it means it can be trusted by
them in a manner which concerns them - but that's not what is actually
claimed.

>From the actual behaviour, I can see FSFs point when they call it
"treacherous".