Security Samizdat

Bruce Schneier comments on the article by The Register about the UK’s new class of Type 45 destroyers and Vanguard-class submarines (carrying Trident ICBMs) will run Windows-based operating systems.

Is it wise? Well, all software has bugs. Operating systems are big pieces of software, therefore they must have lots of bugs. It has happened before. These kinds of systems should have multiple checks and redundancies built-in to avoid for any kind of problem. And proper support, heavily trained. And a good Change&Configuration Management process.

As The Register says (with a healthy dose of sarcasm):

“Again, Windows platforms may be troublesome to maintain, but most civilian sysadmins simply wouldn’t believe the resources the navy can throw at problems. A present-day Type 42 destroyer carries at least four people who have absolutely nothing else to do but care for the ship’s command system. As of just a few years ago, this was still a pair of antique 24-bit, 1MHz machines each with about 25KB of RAM.

Two of the seagoing sysadmins will be senior technicians with at least five years’ expensive general training and months of courses specifically tailored for the kit they are minding now. Their assistants will be less skilled, but still useful. They can take care of drudgery – minor bumf, safety checks, making tea – freeing the real techs for serious work. And the on-board team would seldom be expected to cope with anything as complex as a software update. That would be done in harbour by more advanced specialists, probably including vendor reps. Nor do the combat sysadmins get lumbered with general IT desktop support; there are other people to do that, also lavishly trained. If any organisation can keep Windows functional, it’s Her Majesty’s navy.”