Fixing C's Biggest Mistake

[Walter Bright]

On 1/11/2023 5:35 AM, Don Allen wrote:
> 1. Steal your password
> 2. Produce the "secret key", which they won't be able to
> 3. Get past 2FA, which they won't be able to


Those are all good things. But it doesn't help you if you download a trojan 
version of the manager, or a trojan masquerading as an update. I've also seen 
several schemes that outmaneuver 2FA.

Allow me to explain the framing. At Boeing, it was never "that part cannot 
fail". It is always framed as "when that part fails, how do we land safely?"

So, *when* your password manager fails, what are you going to do about it?

I'm not singling you out, I'm trying to make a point. Far too many software 
developers develop a hubris that they can write software that cannot fail. 
Unfortunately, usually someone else is going to have to pay for that mistake.