Is dial-up safer?

Is dial-up safer?
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Subject Author Date
Is dial-up safer? Explodey 10-01-2008
|--> Re: Is dial-up safer? Juergen Nievele...10-01-2008
|--> Re: Is dial-up safer? PA Bear [MS MVP...10-01-2008
Posted by =?Utf-8?B?RXhwbG9kZXk=?= on October 1, 2008, 3:08 pm
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My roommate is forever worried that people are trying to hack into her
computer and steal her personal information. She's also certain that her
computer is becoming infested with worms and viruses.

She heard somewhere that dial-up is safer than a high speed connection, so
now she exclusively uses her 56k modem, even though we have DSL. Is this
really true? I'm sick of her tying up our phone line!

Posted by Juergen Nieveler on October 1, 2008, 3:24 pm
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> She heard somewhere that dial-up is safer than a high speed
> connection, so now she exclusively uses her 56k modem, even though we
> have DSL. Is this really true? I'm sick of her tying up our phone
> line!

Nope. Most crackers simply scan IP ranges - if she's hit, she's hit, if
her machine isn't patched, gotcha.

On the contrary, with a 56k modem she's not likely to download all
current patches, AV updates etc...

Juergen Nieveler
--
You will be healthier if you eat more chinese food.

Posted by FromTheRafters on October 1, 2008, 3:44 pm
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> My roommate is forever worried that people are trying to hack into her
> computer and steal her personal information. She's also certain that her
> computer is becoming infested with worms and viruses.

There is a thing in computer security called "A Healthy Paranoia".
If she looks back, I think she will see it. ;-D

> She heard somewhere that dial-up is safer than a high speed connection, so
> now she exclusively uses her 56k modem, even though we have DSL. Is this
> really true? I'm sick of her tying up our phone line!

Dial-up isn't necessarily safer, it is the combination of an "always on"
connection and/or a "fast" connection that makes the difference. That
and the choice between a static IP and a dynamic IP.

She's better off with DSL, and I doubt safety is affected much at
all by choosing dial-up.



Posted by Shenan Stanley on October 1, 2008, 4:23 pm
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Explodey wrote:
> My roommate is forever worried that people are trying to hack into
> her computer and steal her personal information. She's also certain
> that her computer is becoming infested with worms and viruses.
>
> She heard somewhere that dial-up is safer than a high speed
> connection, so now she exclusively uses her 56k modem, even though
> we have DSL. Is this really true? I'm sick of her tying up our
> phone line!

Technically - she is only safer because she is not connected *as much*.

She would get more patches in a faster manner by using the high-speed.

In fact - my suggestion for those who are that paranoid: Use the
high-speed, but disconnect the physical connection whenever you are not
actively using it. That's much like the dial-up option, but with the
benefits of high-speed (including faster surfing, patching, etc.)

If you have a router between you and your firewall - so much the better. If
she has the Windows Firewall (or some third-party firewall) and antivirus
software installed (and updated) - she is as safe as anyone could get -
other than from herself and bad habits (clicking on the wrong things, opeing
email attachments, etc) which doesn't lean either way between dial-up or
DSL.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html



Posted by PA Bear [MS MVP] on October 1, 2008, 5:42 pm
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Get a new roommate. Your current one is sadly misinformed.

Explodey wrote:
> My roommate is forever worried that people are trying to hack into her
> computer and steal her personal information. She's also certain that her
> computer is becoming infested with worms and viruses.
>
> She heard somewhere that dial-up is safer than a high speed connection, so
> now she exclusively uses her 56k modem, even though we have DSL. Is this
> really true? I'm sick of her tying up our phone line!


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