System security with Tradestation

[Holmes]

Quote from mmillar:

Your strategies are held on your local PC. TS doesn't have access to them. They can, or course, take the buy/sell orders you send to them and try and work out what your strategy is but that's the same for any broker.

If anyone thinks TS has some secret software that is copying their hard disk then they're just a paranoid nutcase.

You can put money on it that if the payoff is high enough someone will attempt to get at it, whatever it is. It is all about risk:reward. There are plenty of unscrupulous people out there that make trojans to transmit your CC details etc.

Oh yeah, identity theft? Never happens, yeah right.

Most of this stuff is always an insider job and you never know what pressure is exerted on a programmer etc.

But even that security issue aside what for me is a greater worry is that when I am trading suddenly the software stops working because for one or another unexplainable reason the vendors server did not authorise the software on my machine to function. Too far fetched? No sir, happened with three different vendors to this person. I won't name these vendors, serves no purpose.

And then you have the "web based" interfaces and the interfaces to ones software. Vendor decides to upgrade breaking the interfaces.

The fault lies with the technology and the greed to charge a monthly rate and lock customers in. How much time have you spend familiarizing yourself with a particular product? And then going to another product you'll have to convert your stuff, how costly is that?

Note: this is in no way targetted towards TradeStation, it is the technology. Others are just as (or more) guilty of this.

All I want is stability, reliability and trustworthiness

Sherlock

 

[fritz_haber]

I try to see it this way - you can't protect yourself against everything. And that Tradestation steals my strategy is my last fear, because as someone mentioned before it would break their nack if they get caught in stealing strategies.

Imagine your strategies are completely safe on your computer, your network is completely safe against hackers (and I would love to see this network) etc.. Then someone breaks into your house and steals your computer .

As a trader you already have enough worries, so don't bother yourself with more ....

Happy Trading,

fritz_haber

 

[Holmes]

Quote from fritz_haber:

I try to see it this way - you can't protect yourself against everything. And that Tradestation steals my strategy is my last fear, because as someone mentioned before it would break their nack if they get caught in stealing strategies.

Imagine your strategies are completely safe on your computer, your network is completely safe against hackers (and I would love to see this network) etc.. Then someone breaks into your house and steals your computer .

As a trader you already have enough worries, so don't bother yourself with more ....

Happy Trading,

fritz_haber

That is why you use an hardware encrypted disk.

And these days you have the benefit of fingerprint login....

All they can do is reformat the HD and reinstall from scratch, hardware encryption is C2 secure.

Sherlock

 

[ForrestGump]

Quote from fritz_haber:

........................

As a trader you already have enough worries, so don't bother yourself with more ....

fritz_haber

Quite true.

In >95% of the cases, the biggest known threat to the account is the trader himself.

 

[fritz_haber]

Quote from Holmes:

That is why you use an hardware encrypted disk.

And these days you have the benefit of fingerprint login....

All they can do is reformat the HD and reinstall from scratch, hardware encryption is C2 secure.

Sherlock

IMO it's useful to protect yourself against the common problems - use a firewall and a antivirus prog, backup your system .... But as I mentioned before, there are always ways to overcome every protection - the only thing needed is enough criminal energy.

Happy Trading,

fritz_haber

 

[Holmes]

Quote from fritz_haber:

IMO it's useful to protect yourself against the common problems - use a firewall and a antivirus prog, backup your system .... But as I mentioned before, there are always ways to overcome every protection - the only thing needed is enough criminal energy.

Happy Trading,

fritz_haber

C2 protection is extreemly hard to break. But most thefts result normally in a reformat if it proves a bit hard to get into the machine.

Antivirus for what? Hardware firewall with NAT and statefull inspection: yes. Backup/ recovery: absolutely. No browsing / email on trading computer: absolutely. (worst case use a live Ubuntu CD for connecting to the internet without accessing your hard disk although there is these days a windows version as well: handy for having a clean environment to run antivirus / anti trojan from should the unfortunate situation arise)

Sherlock

 

[fritz_haber]

Quote from Holmes:

C2 protection is extreemly hard to break.

Not to feed your paranoia, but as long as you can access your system, there is always the possibility of someone forcing you to give him the access/information.

 

[Holmes]

Quote from fritz_haber:

Not to feed your paranoia, but as long as you can access your system, there is always the possibility of someone forcing you to give him the access/information.

And that is why you have a second inferior (mechanical) system sitting there while the real discretionary is hidding from plain view. "cloaking it".

Same as some encryption files - there is software that allows you to make a 'virtual encrypted disk" which you then just have the normal backup stuff in. But in there you make a second hidden encrypted virtual hard disk inside the first one which is not visible. And because they have gained access to the first one then they will not bother to look further.

There is a whole world behind this. Take a look at this:

http://securengine.isecurelabs.com/

http://www.truecrypt.org/

Physical spying through hidden cameras etc on your actions is actually the biggest danger.

Enjoy and GTTY

Sherlock

 

[PitchBlack]

Quote from fritz_haber:

... And that Tradestation steals my strategy is my last fear, because as someone mentioned before it would break their nack if they get caught in stealing strategies....


fritz_haber

Indeed as you said "IF" they get caught.
Never heard of spyware? That's software installed on your PC to transfer information to someone else without the approval of the owner of the information.

If Enron would be fraudulent they would be caught, if Refco would be fraudulent they would be caught..... But then it's too late, the harm is done.

 

[PitchBlack]

Quote from tomcole:

Not to burst your bubbles, but there have to be hundreds if not thousands of quants out looking for systems, optimizing systems , creating new systems with probably unimaginable computing power to mere mortals like us.

If you think you have a secret formula, you're kidding yourself.

So in fact what you say is that YOU know all the systems that exist and are used, and you are sure that they are not worth stealing it.

Sounds quite naive to me (or maybe arrogant).
Can you tell me how my system works? Can you tell me if i make money or not? Can you tell me whether my system is lousy or brilliant?

How can you know that nobody else has an "secret formula"?


The only one who is kidding himself is you.