Windows XP users Phelled by new Trojan [Symantec bulletin, SP2 no protection, will see 2 IE popups]

The Register ^ | Dec 30, 2004 | Ashlee Vance

[BJungNan]

bump for later read.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

fyi

[BobL]

" But calling me gay because I buy a different computer is OK?"

That would not be OK. But you need to be called gay first. I think that a declarative statement to the effect: "Anyone who uses a Mac is gay" would be over the top. But his statement (don't call me gay) was more of a inoculation statement, intended to prevent someone from making fun of him.

My take on his statement was that there are people around him (and/or on this website) that are so insecure in their own selection of an operating system that they have to attack him for his selection. Like the class bully calling the nerd a dummy. He's probably just so sick of it happening to him that he feels that he must strike preemptively.

[Vermonter]

Do you really think hackers would spend all their time writing viruses for a program only 10% of people used? I don't think so.

You'd thing at least ONE might have by now

[Rodney King]

Do you really think hackers would spend all their time writing viruses for a program only 10% of people used? I don't think so.

The answer to any rational observer is that it is a mixture of both. Yes, IE is not very secure. Yes it is also true that armies of hackers have not worked to hard on the Mac because your virus won't go anywhere since the installed base is so low. The problem with discussing things with Jehovah's witnesses and Mac users is that they start from the position that everything that they believe is infalliable.

[rwfromkansas]

Well, since my Firefox blocks popups, I guess I am okay.

[PAR35]

Run Firefox or Mozilla on WIN 95 or 98, and you are safe.

[Rodney King]

My take on his statement was that there are people around him (and/or on this website) that are so insecure in their own selection of an operating system that they have to attack him for his selection. Like the class bully calling the nerd a dummy. He's probably just so sick of it happening to him that he feels that he must strike preemptively.

The more likely case is that the observation that Mac's are big in the artsy-fartsy crowd, coupled with the observation that Mac users are more defensive than Scientologists, coupled with the desire of certain peopleto tweek people who relentlessly promote certain views without entertaining the idea that they may not be perfect, leads to the statement being made. It obviously had its intended effect.

[Mike Fieschko]

Here's a couple of hundred of exploits that target Linux (open source)

Since all those are from 1998 or earlier, you might want to look at root kit hunter and chkrootkit for protection against recent exploits.

[rwfromkansas]

ditto...hardly a peep anymore when I run a scan.

[ConservativeWarrior]

Remember, Linux is only free if you don't value your time.

[konaice]

>>>Here's a couple of hundred of exploits that target Linux (open source).

Old news, ancient bugs. Have you checked the dates on those exploits?

But every single one of them has been fixed prior to this list being created. (Except those imbedded in third pary software like games and Kazaa etc.) The fixes were published usually within days of the exploit.

Even if this list were current (its way out of date), how would it compare against the 60,000 bugs in XP that were documented by Microsoft but un-repaired as of release date?

Imagine knowing about exploits but not fixing them!!!

As for the Biggest Bang for the Buck theory: There is no monetary reward for writing viruses. There is no glory in compromizing windows (every script kiddie can do it). You can't even brag about it.

Attacking windows is still done ONLY because it is so easy.

You've fallen for the microsoft fud too.

[Rodney King]

microsoft fud

What does fud stand for?

[Mike Fieschko]

You'd thing at least ONE might have by now

If you mean Linux, see my post #69 for programs providing some protection against root kits. Those referenced, of course, don't provide protection against exploits of sendmail, apache, php, or exploits of other programs running on Linux.

[MissouriConservative]

I've ordered the CD...a friend of mine from school suggested it too, but somehow it slipped my mind.

Thanks for jogging my old memory.

[EricT.]

I have tried a few Linux distro's and I have to say that I'm NOT impressed. I wanted so bad for it to work better than Windows, but I was disappointed. Boot time was very slow, operation was slow, hardware support was iffy at best, and who wants to take the time dinking around with command line adjustments every time something does not work quite right? There is also the problem with software support. Yes, supposedly you can run Windows programs using WINE, but that's like trying to fly in an airplane constructed from a '74 Pinto and duct-taped wings.

Linux is better than Windows 3.1 and maybe even 95, but it is no match for WinXP. If some enterprising Linux guru would put out an OS that is even competitive with XP, he would be a billionaire. I would buy it, and I loathe buying any OS.

[Disambiguator]

I think the sarcasm tag is implied in posts like Rodney's. Just to pile on, I'd buy a Mac, too, except I'm:

1. too cheap

2. a Windows sysadmin

3. someone who likes to use a CLI occasionally

4. Not into being presumptuous and ostentatious.

If I switch, it will to be to a real UNIX platform where the GUI is optional

[Knitebane]

Then you think wrong.

Exploiters write code to attack software. They write said code with the intention of being successful. Therefore, they write code to attack that which can most easily be exploited. The size of the installed user base is not terribly high on the list of priorities

In case you hadn't noticed, the most easily exploited browser continues to be IE, even as it's share of the browser market steadily decreases.

[Knitebane]

And windows XP is only $199 if you don't value your time.

And Linux takes less time to maintain.

[Vermonter]

Actually, I was referring to the Mac OS.

It's easy to make fun of the Mac user and the numbers of installed computers, but I have yet to be affected by a single virus in 20 years of running a Macintosh. This includes worms, trojans, you name it. I've never owned an antivirus program either and my machine is one the net 24/7.

With the Mac Safari (or Firefox and other) browsers, pop-ups are a non-issue as well.

I've also never had to re-install an OS to get my machine working again.

I learn things on these threads but the name calling gets old.