Microsoft Windows' Security...

[tgpo]

With recent attacks, how safe do you feel using Microsoft Windows?

Winblows?? People Still Use That Crap?

[indolikaa]

Windows. Where does your data want to go today?

[DeleriumMDK]

If I didn't have a Router with a built-in Firewall my white boxers would be brown. Maryland's Motor Vehicle Services was brought down for a whole day, several people I know got hit with the msblast or whatever it was called..its just dangerous running Windows without some type of Firewall in this day and age, ESPECIALLY with Cable or DSL.

I'm actually more scared by Dell though. I called up cause I had a question and my 1 year of free tech support hadn't ended yet and they knew I installed my Pioneer DVR-104 and told me since I did that I voided my warranty and would charge me for any questions, so naturally I hung up. I know I'm not doing anything illegal with this PC but I just hate the thought of knowing Dell AND Microsoft have this sort of information at their disposal.

[vitualis]

Things have to be taken into perspective... If OSX ran on > 90% of home desktops (i.e., a high proportion of mostly identical computers, connected to a network and run by mostly clueless users), I'm positive there will be virii and worms galore too...

Sure Windows security has a lot to be desired. But you have to consider that people attack it a lot more than any other OS. If you want to aim for maximum damage with a virus or worm, you're not going to design one that attacks OSX are you?

Regards.

[sterno]

But you have to consider that people attack it a lot more than any other OS. If you want to aim for maximum damage with a virus or worm, you're not going to design one that attacks OSX are you?

While this is a valid point, it raises one very important question (which most people miss): how many problems would actually be found if (insert your favorite non-MS OS) was as big a target as Windows is? Sure, you'd have some, and there would be some really severe ones, but would you have as many major bugs? Most other OS vendors take a much more paranoid view of the world than MS does, which is good because sometimes the whole world really is out to get you.

[Greenspock]

With recent attacks, how safe do you feel using Microsoft Windows?

Winblows?? People Still Use That Crap?

Sounds like tgpo's got a grudge.

[tenders]

for me...firewall for sure.

yesterday i got a flyer from an ISP telling me about its great new deal. a few hours later i went to my current ISP's homepage to see if they were going to offer anything competitive to that,when all of a sudden i got a hit on my firewall. seems the ISP that sent the flyer was scanning my ports

[tgpo]

With recent attacks, how safe do you feel using Microsoft Windows?

Winblows?? People Still Use That Crap?

Sounds like tgpo's got a grudge.

I don't think of it as a grudge. I used Windows until I was 17. I had never used a mac when I got mine. With the3 years I've been Apple based, I just can't see why people still use WIndows, that's all.

[Greenspock]

With recent attacks, how safe do you feel using Microsoft Windows?

Winblows?? People Still Use That Crap?

Sounds like tgpo's got a grudge.

I don't think of it as a grudge. I used Windows until I was 17. I had never used a mac when I got mine. With the3 years I've been Apple based, I just can't see why people still use WIndows, that's all.

Understandable... its just hard to take someones Microsoft opinion seriously whos signature is Microsoft fodder.

[tgpo]

Understandable... its just hard to take someones Microsoft opinion seriously whos signature is Microsoft fodder.

I just think it's a funny quote.

[stiltman]

I just can't see why people still use WIndows, that's all.

Been using one form or another of windows since the beginning.

My current setup is win2k. I have yet to get hacked or get a virus.
I think it's the knowledge, setup and maintenance of the OS that matters.
Sure you can say it crashes (in my case trying to remove a nasty program), but I was able to recove with no lost data. At work, my server in the DMZ was only hacked once, and that was because the guy who did the setup left the (everyone) group full rights to all the partitions.

I think it all comes down to, what OS you find to be the most productive for your own application. In my case Win2k servers this purpose just fine.

[Baldrick]

win2k

[Baldrick]

win4k

[Greenspock]

I think it all comes down to, what OS you find to be the most productive for your own application. In my case Win2k servers this purpose just fine.

Yes!


Additionally... whatever OS you are running, you should always have some sort of firewall, an updated virus scanner... some sort of protection.

As far as the problem with Microsofts Windows... there was a patch that had been out for almost a month before all this that ppl didn't update too and that could have saved them a lot of heart ache. Windows has an update feature that mostly gets ignored (although it can be annoying.) Basically, whatever OS you have... keep it updated.

[Reaper88]

I use a firewall. I actully have a proxy set up to share out my internet connection between all my pc's and i have the firewall sitting on that. I dont acutllly run to many of the pactches on my pc and i have never gotten any of these viruses. Firewalls are great. I check the log on my firewall often and man it blocks alot of stuff. Dont know what it all is. I don't know how people can not run a firewall and get away with it.

[Suga-Sam]

Well in looking at all the post i see that we are missing a big point.
The main reason such devastating virus' and othe exploits are sooo fequent is that Microcrap has for a very long time not only ignored but shunned even laughed at people who reported these security flaws. So to show them these attacks and expoits are released.
So, while no matter what OS was King it would be attacked. MS made itself more of a target with Bills smug tude.
As for Firewalls the can protect you only as long as you practice good safe computting. I have run a firewall for years but have still been infected twice because of my own silliness. I know of several virus's that can defeat firewalls and virus scanners. So be ever vigulant no matter what OS you run, as there is no protection that can't be broken.
And for what it's worth,
As soon as there is enough third party software support for my liking i will switch to Linux.

[LanEvo7]

So macs don't have any security holes?

[Faustus]

So macs don't have any security holes?

We have plenty, but they very rarely actually get exploited. Since OSX most of them have been from the BSD side of things, and Apple has been good about fixing them in a timely manner. In the end this helps the BSD community as well as the Apple community.

[SB50]

i have a software firewall and anti-virus and a hardware firewall. i have never been infected by a virus or hacked. i didnt even have the patch but still didnt get the worm. lots of people are quick to hate microsoft's products because they dont like theyr bussiness practices, i think the two should be judged seperately.

[tgpo]

I agree. If a security hole is found, response time is typically under a day for a fix. In fact I've seen instances where the announcement of the hole was followed by the announcement of the fix on mac news sites.

[Greenspock]

Of course Macs... and Windows... and Linux... and FreeBSD... etc... have flaws. I think that one (yes there are many) of the biggest reasons that there are more Windows related viruses, etc is that more of the people familure with Wintel systems have more coding experience. After all, Macs "typically" (I mean this nicely folks ) are used by graphic artists, musicians, etc... basically less-technical (I mean code related and again nicely... don't want a flame war). How many graphic artists have been busted for spreading a virus? Second, it seems quite popular to hate the "big kid on the block." If the roles were reversed and Macs out-numbered Wintel systems, I'm sure we'd see Steve Jobs face on that Borg picture instead of Bills and just as many viruses and complaints. Not to say that Macs or Windows or Linux is any better or worse than any other platform.

[NightWing]

The main thing is to keep ahead of thing. Kind of like repairs on a car. The cheepst is change your oil. Else you will pay for a oil change including several expensive parts.

The best armor is to turning off unessary ports, multi level firewalls { hard and soft ), multi mfg viris checks. And watch your back!

The only missing for the above mix is a balistic firewall that if hit with an unauthorize ping or probe send the equlevent of a atomic bomb back to the pinger!

For those wanting to have a major shock try these places to hammer your poor firewall. Just because it running does not mean its set up right.

www.grc.com and www.dslreports.com

[lechtin]

I despise Microsoft's business practices, but I have to agree that the security flaws of Windows are just made worse by their market share. If you're a hacker and what to cause damage and hijack PCs, go for the most common ones...

For those of you interested in a bit more perspective, I run a dual-boot WinXP and Linux Redhat machine (since version 7.2). I must admit that I get about one email notice per week to update my Linux installation to block this vulnerability or fix that bug (but I never hear of a major problem before I hear of the patch...)

[Greenspock]

I despise Microsoft's business practices...

I think that we have a new whipping boy in that department....

SCO!

Trying to charge for others work on Linux!

[NightWing]

Wish MS would stop trying to improve the looks and junk features of the shell and just make sure the foundation is solid.

Also the day MS figures out its cheeper to get it right the first time instead of n patches later is the day it truly gets fixed.

PS: It also supprising how many wireless networks I run into that DONT have the security setting even activated!

Oh well time to fall of the soap box!

[vitualis]

The thing is that all OSes have security flaws and holes. For a proprietary OS, Microsoft isn't really that bad in terms of releasing timely patches. Of course, that doesn't actually mean that the vast majority of people out there will INSTALL the patch.

I believe that a big part of the "security problem" with Microsoft is its market share and the fact that a LOT of its users are computer illiterate. If someone is going to exploit a security flaw for nefarious purposes, you can almost bet it will be against Windows.

As for solutions? There really isn't any... Using another OS or installing security measures definitely help, but both of these activities will only protect YOURSELF. Perhaps the general public should be better educated but there is no short term solution for that.

Regards.

[LanEvo7]

Buy yourself a hardware firewall and you are set if you are so worried about security holes. There will always be security holes in any operating system. Of course I don't like Microsoft, but everything runs on it. And no, I'm not changing my thing to Linux. My windows xp system that I've built are extremely stable and do not get attacked despite all the "flaws".

[vtecwil]

I am currently running XP Pro and before that 98 SE . I have never been infected . I run Norton AV with auto-protect and always get those critical updates installed . I couldnt believe how many people got hit with that blaster 32 worm . The patch came out in july ! I suppose this is the same reason many people end up buying a 2000 dollar engine instead of a 10 dollar hose .

[Greenspock]

In case you missed the tread of a teen busted for modifing the Blaster code and re-releasing it...

https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=176336

It seems to me that this kid just wants some attention. He will now... from Bubba in Cell block C.

[NightWing]

That plus he had to fix all computer he wrecked! Or drop him in the pit moster from Return of the Jeti. Let him be digested for a thousand years!