computers are a security nightmare

computers are a security nightmare
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computers are a security nightmare ivankalish 07-13-2008
Posted by on July 13, 2008, 7:23 am
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Not so long ago, when you received an email, Outlook express would run
any code in the email. Still today, if you visit the wrong website
(and their are various ways hackers have to get you to do that), the
web page can run code on your PC. Even those prompts at the lower
right of you screen that say something like: "Your Adobe Flash Player
needs to be updated" can run code on your PC if you click on them.
You have no way of knowing if what you clicked on is legit or not.
Finally, if you buy a new computer and plug in your flash drive into
your infected computer to copy files over, the flash drive itself can
get infected, and when you plug it into your new computer, the first
thing that happens is that code on your flash drive runs and infects
the new computer.
Moreover, I've heard that so many viruses and other malware are
produced nowadays, that companies like Symantec simply cannot keep up.
In addition, many novices can be persuaded to actually download
malware and run it on their PC. They may be told that the software
will make their PC faster, or more secure.
Computers can be a great labor-saver and a great help, but I can
understand the attitude of one person who I know who never got one.
He doesn't have to worry about some hacker from Brazil, Russia, or the
US finding his computer and doing mischief, whether identity theft or
whatever.

Posted by Todd H. on July 13, 2008, 10:36 am
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ivankalish@hotmail.com writes:

> Not so long ago, when you received an email, Outlook express would run
> any code in the email. Still today, if you visit the wrong website
> (and their are various ways hackers have to get you to do that), the
> web page can run code on your PC. Even those prompts at the lower
> right of you screen that say something like: "Your Adobe Flash Player
> needs to be updated" can run code on your PC if you click on them.
> You have no way of knowing if what you clicked on is legit or not.
> Finally, if you buy a new computer and plug in your flash drive into
> your infected computer to copy files over, the flash drive itself can
> get infected, and when you plug it into your new computer, the first
> thing that happens is that code on your flash drive runs and infects
> the new computer.
> Moreover, I've heard that so many viruses and other malware are
> produced nowadays, that companies like Symantec simply cannot keep up.
> In addition, many novices can be persuaded to actually download
> malware and run it on their PC. They may be told that the software
> will make their PC faster, or more secure.
> Computers can be a great labor-saver and a great help, but I can
> understand the attitude of one person who I know who never got one.
> He doesn't have to worry about some hacker from Brazil, Russia, or the
> US finding his computer and doing mischief, whether identity theft or
> whatever.

Yes they are quite a pain in the butt. Some OS's are less so than
others, or if you want to be safer still, surf in a virtual machine
under vmware and roll back changes to teh VM every hour or so. But
keep vmware updated.... full escape from vmware has been demonstrated
too. LOL.

As a jocular coworker once enjoyed saying in response to computer
frustrations people would express as early as 1993: "Much of your
disillusionment is based on the myth that computers are our friends
and were designed to help people. Nothing could be further from the
truth, however."

--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/

Posted by Moe Trin on July 13, 2008, 3:03 pm
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On Sun, 13 Jul 2008, in the Usenet newsgroup comp.security.misc, in article

>ivankalish@hotmail.com writes:

>> Not so long ago, when you received an email, Outlook express would run
>> any code in the email.

This is because Outlook express is configured by default to "help" the
clueless who refuse to attempt to learn anything about their computer
except how to turn it on.

>> Computers can be a great labor-saver and a great help, but I can
>> understand the attitude of one person who I know who never got one.
>> He doesn't have to worry about some hacker from Brazil, Russia, or
>> the US finding his computer and doing mischief, whether identity
>> theft or whatever.
>
>Yes they are quite a pain in the butt. Some OS's are less so than
>others

but no operating system will protect against users who don't know what
they are doing, and don't WANT to know. Twenty years ago, there are
not a lot of malevolent things you could do with a home computer
except ring the "bell", delete all files, or form feed it out of paper.

The real world issues today are users who love Outlook, do not run the
security upgrades and are intrigued by the true story of snow white
and the seven dwarves.

>As a jocular coworker once enjoyed saying in response to computer
>frustrations people would express as early as 1993: "Much of your
>disillusionment is based on the myth that computers are our friends
>and were designed to help people. Nothing could be further from the
>truth, however."

Six items from my 'interesting statements' file - gathered over time.

------------------------------
Somehow I missed the footnote which states "This feature unnecessary
for people with an IQ greater than that of a retarded duck."

You know computers hate you, because they do EXACTLY what you tell them to

I remember back when computers were annoying because they did what you
told them to do regardless of your actual wishes. Now they don't even
do that, because they're trying to *guess* your actual wishes.

Indeed. I'm getting so, so tired of the digital versions of spastic
ostriches wrapped in cotton candy insisting that they know better than I.

I remember when computers were frustrating because they *did* exactly
what you told them to. That actually seems sort of quaint now.

I feel obliged to point out that the computer was, in fact,
doing exactly what it was told. You were simply unaware
of everything it had been told to do.
------------------------------

But why would you expect this to change, when the sheep are willing to
buy the latest piece of crap that does everything you need, and you don't
have to learn _anything_

Old guy

Posted by Techie24Chick on July 14, 2008, 11:59 am
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On Jul 13, 10:36 am, comph...@toddh.net (Todd H.) wrote:
> ivankal...@hotmail.com writes:
> > Not so long ago, when you received an email, Outlook express would run
> > any code in the email. Still today, if you visit the wrong website
> > (and their are various ways hackers have to get you to do that), the
> > web page can run code on your PC. Even those prompts at the lower
> > right of you screen that say something like: "Your Adobe Flash Player
> > needs to be updated" can run code on your PC if you click on them.
> > You have no way of knowing if what you clicked on is legit or not.
> > Finally, if you buy a new computer and plug in your flash drive into
> > your infected computer to copy files over, the flash drive itself can
> > get infected, and when you plug it into your new computer, the first
> > thing that happens is that code on your flash drive runs and infects
> > the new computer.
> > Moreover, I've heard that so many viruses and other malware are
> > produced nowadays, that companies like Symantec simply cannot keep up.
> > In addition, many novices can be persuaded to actually download
> > malware and run it on their PC. They may be told that the software
> > will make their PC faster, or more secure.
> > Computers can be a great labor-saver and a great help, but I can
> > understand the attitude of one person who I know who never got one.
> > He doesn't have to worry about some hacker from Brazil, Russia, or the
> > US finding his computer and doing mischief, whether identity theft or
> > whatever.
>
> Yes they are quite a pain in the butt. Some OS's are less so than
> others, or if you want to be safer still, surf in a virtual machine
> under vmware and roll back changes to teh VM every hour or so. But
> keep vmware updated.... full escape from vmware has been demonstrated
> too. LOL.
>
> As a jocular coworker once enjoyed saying in response to computer
> frustrations people would express as early as 1993: "Much of your
> disillusionment is based on the myth that computers are our friends
> and were designed to help people. Nothing could be further from the
> truth, however."
>
> --
> Todd H.http://www.toddh.net/

What about using something like Deep Freeze?

Posted by Unruh on July 13, 2008, 2:36 pm
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And exactly why do you keep running an operating system which has such huge
security holes in it?
It is not computers that are the security nightmare.

ivankalish@hotmail.com writes:

>Not so long ago, when you received an email, Outlook express would run
>any code in the email. Still today, if you visit the wrong website
>(and their are various ways hackers have to get you to do that), the
>web page can run code on your PC. Even those prompts at the lower
>right of you screen that say something like: "Your Adobe Flash Player
>needs to be updated" can run code on your PC if you click on them.
>You have no way of knowing if what you clicked on is legit or not.
>Finally, if you buy a new computer and plug in your flash drive into
>your infected computer to copy files over, the flash drive itself can
>get infected, and when you plug it into your new computer, the first
>thing that happens is that code on your flash drive runs and infects
>the new computer.
>Moreover, I've heard that so many viruses and other malware are
>produced nowadays, that companies like Symantec simply cannot keep up.
>In addition, many novices can be persuaded to actually download
>malware and run it on their PC. They may be told that the software
>will make their PC faster, or more secure.
>Computers can be a great labor-saver and a great help, but I can
>understand the attitude of one person who I know who never got one.
>He doesn't have to worry about some hacker from Brazil, Russia, or the
>US finding his computer and doing mischief, whether identity theft or
>whatever.

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