Manuel Arostegui Ramirez <manuel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> write:
El Martes, 29 de Mayo de 2007 07:30, David G. Miller escribió:
>
> Unfortunately, I know quite a few idiots who own computers. They don't
> want to spend the money or take the time to learn how not to get
> infected by malware of whatever type. I set them up with Spybot or
> something similar and the next thing I know, they've turned it off
> because it interferes with the latest free toolbar or dancing gerbils
> they want. I tell them why they need it and they don't want to hear it;
> they just want their dancing gerbils. SIGH.
>
The thing here, from my point of view, is the fact that your hobbies do not
have to be the same ones as the rest of your friends or whoever.
I do understand people who only use the computer for basic things such as MSN
Messenger, Word and to check their emails.
Do you really think they should know about security? IMHO, No.
I drive a car, yes, but I'm not interested in more than that, actually.
I guess lot of people would blame me because I don't look after my engine when
changing gears, for instance. What I wanna mean is that me, you and most of
the human beings do not take care or pay attention to things they're not
really interested in. Don't mind whether you agree or not, this is the way it
has been and this is the way it's gonna be.
So if you still think a 70-year-old woman with white hair who wants to send
and email to her niece living in another city is resposible of not-knowing
about viruses and malware...good for you.
I've used th analogy of cars when discussing this subject. It actually
fits fairly well. I don't expect every driver to be able to disassemble
and re-assemble their car. Likewise, I don't expect every driver to
attend a defensive or professional driving class so they can evade like
James Bond. What I do expect is that everyone who owns a car maintains
it well enough that it is not a danger to others and that they pay
enough attention to driving instead of eating, talking on their cell
phone, texting or whatever that they don't become a menace to others.
For computers that means either running and learning how to secure an OS
such as Linux or *BSD or, if they run Windows, installing a decent
anti-virus program and running a firewall. I spend a couple minutes a
day verifying that chkrootkit didn't find anything malicious and
logwatch is just reporting nominal stuff. For Windows boxes it's even
easier since anti-virus products like Norton scan the system at start-up
and then actively scan incoming e-mail, etc. I don't think that's too
much to ask. I'd liken it to the requirement that everyone who drives
must pass a drivers test and must have insurance. We don't let people
learn to drive by "trial and error" and even Microsoft has made it clear
since XP that anti-virus is not optional along with providing a built-in
firewall.
I should also point out that zombified computer present a significant
risk to their supposed owners. If someone can control a system as a
spambot, they can also install a key logger and cause a lot of harm
through accessing accounts up to and including identity theft. Everyone
who uses their computer for more than just an e-mail client needs to be
aware that not properly securing it can mean a huge financial liability.
Les <hlhowell@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
... If you are a professional network admin, you get
access to other admiins through the usual contacts with your peers, and
the companies whose software you run. However, a home user, who is not
doing this professionally, such as I now, even with a degree, and
considerable experience, doesn't have the peer connections that you
enjoy, nor is there anyone checking our work, and it is a "hobby", done
after work for those not retired, all of which means that learning the
full garmet of security required is not within the scope of their (my)
use.
I'm a currently unemployed (I call it "trial retirement") geek. I put
together my own network as a hobby and to learn networking. I am
constantly amazed at how useful Google is for finding all of the arcane
things that people need to know in order to do more than just have a
client connection. The trick is to start paranoid and only open things
up once you're sure that you know what you're doing. This list is also
invaluable for that although you will probably get ten different (and
all correct) answers for any questions you ask.
Cheers,
Dave
--
Politics, n. Strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles.
-- Ambrose Bierce
