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Minor wording fixes

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Rohan Kumar 2022-02-03 18:31:13 -08:00
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Supporting something I disagree with is generally easy to ignore. What I find more troubling is using the wrong reasons to support something I do agree with. I find it easy to handle views different from my own. I feel more troubled when I see people agree with me for the wrong reasons.
It's no secret that I'm a passionate supporter of software freedom: I've written two posts about how Free, Libre, and Open-Source Software (FLOSS) is necessary but insufficient to preserve user autonomy: It's no secret that I'm a passionate supporter of software freedom: I've written two posts about how Free, Libre, and Open-Source Software (FLOSS) is necessary but insufficient to preserve user autonomy:
@ -12,9 +12,9 @@ One of the biggest parts of the Free and Open Source Software definitions is the
* Source code describes what a program is designed to do; it is unnecessary and insufficient to determine if what it actually does aligns with its intended design. * Source code describes what a program is designed to do; it is unnecessary and insufficient to determine if what it actually does aligns with its intended design.
* Vulnerability discovery doesn't require source code. * Vulnerability discovery doesn't require source code.
I'd like to expand on these issues, focusing primarily on compiled binaries. Bear in mind that I do not think that source availability is *useless* from a security perspective, and I *do* think that source availability is required for user freedom. I'm arguing only that **source unavailability doesn't automatically imply insecurity**, and **source availability doesn't imply security**. It's possible (and often preferable) to perform security analysis on binaries, without necessarily having source code. In fact, vulnerability discovery doesn't typically rely on source code analysis. I'd like to expand on these issues, focusing primarily on compiled binaries. Bear in mind that I do not think that source availability is _useless_ from a security perspective, and I _do_ think that source availability is required for user freedom. I'm arguing only that *source unavailability doesn't imply insecurity*, and *source availability doesn't imply security*. It's possible (and often preferable) to perform security analysis on binaries, without necessarily having source code. In fact, vulnerability discovery doesn't typically rely on source code analysis.
*PS: this stance is not absolute; I concede to several good counter-arguments at the bottom!* (PS: this stance is not absolute; I concede to several good counter-arguments at the bottom!)
## How security fixes work ## How security fixes work

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footnote_heading: Notes footnote_heading: Notes
title: "The right thing for the wrong reasons: FLOSS doesn't imply security" title: "The right thing for the wrong reasons: FLOSS doesn't imply security"
--- ---
Supporting something I disagree with is generally easy to ignore. What I find more troubling is using the wrong reasons to support something I do agree with. I find it easy to handle views different from my own. I feel more troubled when I see people agree with me for the wrong reasons.
It's no secret that I'm a passionate supporter of software freedom: I've written two posts ([one](./../../../2021/01/27/whatsapp-and-the-domestication-of-users.html), [two](./../../../2021/02/23/keeping-platforms-open.html)) about how <abbr title="Free, Libre, and Open-Source Software">FLOSS</abbr> is necessary but insufficient to preserve user autonomy. After two posts spanning over 5000 words, I need to add some nuance. It's no secret that I'm a passionate supporter of software freedom: I've written two posts ([one](./../../../2021/01/27/whatsapp-and-the-domestication-of-users.html), [two](./../../../2021/02/23/keeping-platforms-open.html)) about how <abbr title="Free, Libre, and Open-Source Software">FLOSS</abbr> is necessary but insufficient to preserve user autonomy. After two posts spanning over 5000 words, I need to add some nuance.
@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ One of the biggest parts of the Free and Open Source Software definitions is the
- Source code describes what a program is designed to do; it is unnecessary and insufficient to determine if what it actually does aligns with its intended design. - Source code describes what a program is designed to do; it is unnecessary and insufficient to determine if what it actually does aligns with its intended design.
- Vulnerability discovery doesn't require source code. - Vulnerability discovery doesn't require source code.
I'd like to expand on these issues, focusing primarily on compiled binaries. Bear in mind that I do not think that source availability is _useless_ from a security perspective, and I _do_ think that source availability is required for user freedom. I'm arguing only that **source unavailability doesn't automatically imply insecurity**, and **source availability doesn't imply security**. It's possible (and often preferable) to perform security analysis on binaries, without necessarily having source code. In fact, vulnerability discovery doesn't typically rely on source code analysis. I'd like to expand on these issues, focusing primarily on compiled binaries. Bear in mind that I do not think that source availability is _useless_ from a security perspective, and I _do_ think that source availability is required for user freedom. I'm arguing only that **source unavailability doesn't imply insecurity**, and **source availability doesn't imply security**. It's possible (and often preferable) to perform security analysis on binaries, without necessarily having source code. In fact, vulnerability discovery doesn't typically rely on source code analysis.
_PS: this stance is not absolute; I concede to several good counter-arguments at the bottom!_ _PS: this stance is not absolute; I concede to several good counter-arguments at the bottom!_