harrack52 said:
Well I'm not sure what you guys do with your computer, but I can say that I used to have no anti-virus and no spyware detection tool. All I had to protect me is a firewall (Smoothwall). One day (not too long ago), I decided to install AVG and adaware/spybot S&D, and what did they find ? Nothing.But like I said, I don't spend time on porn and warez sites, and I don't use programs like kazaa or emule either.I guess the best protection remains the human brain.
If by "you guys" you mean me, you're wrong. I use Linux exclusively, so I never see malware at all. But I work with and administrate Windows PCs every day, and I was an NT domain admin for a long time. The company I work for now has a Linux backend (servers, routers, etc) with NT5 clients, as well as some legacy systems which cannot be upgraded (Win95, Win98SE, OS2). Even with a lot of high-risk systems, we've never had a virus or significant malware incident since I took the reigns about 8 months ago. So Harrack52, you're at least partially right: understanding the nature of the threat and the securty capabilities of the platform you're running is paramount to security.
On the other hand, before I came on board, my current employer's network (both hardware & software) was in shambles. I had to rebuild/refurbish every single PC, reinstall each and every OS, develop a uniform software rollout, etc. Part of the reason I had to tear down and rebuild everything is popular software which is generally accepted to be secure: Outlook, Norton Antivirus, Internet Explorer and AOL. Viruses can easily install themselves automatically by using the default behavior of Outlook's preview pane. All the user must do is receive a malicious email and mouse-over it (perhaps to delete it?). They don't even need to open it to be infected. Norton AV was installed, but failed to stop a widespread infection of a Sasser varient (and yes, they were behind a firewall even back then). I don't think I even need to go into the security capabilities of IE and AOL.
What I want you to realize is that the issue isn't so cut and dry as "
don't be stupid, and your Windows system will never get spyware or viruses". Imagine if we were talking about washing machines instead of Windows. When your washing machine breaks down, the service mechanic comes by, sees what you've done, and hits you over the head with a wrench. "You idiot! Everybody knows this machine will malfunction if you use the 'delicate knits' setting!" The point is that not everybody has sysadmin-level skills, even if they otherwise have tons of common sense. Even if they did, some things which seem safe are not.
