Posted on 10/08/2006 11:56:30 PM PDT by MadIvan
Check your vulnerability here
Been using it full-time for eight years and counting.
I can't imagine trying to use a Windows machine on a regular basis.
1 hijack attempt. PC suffered buffer overflow attempt to subvert web server built into Microsoft Windows. A successful attack would hand over control of the machine to a hacker
This is certainly patched, but almost no one runs IIS on a home machine.
2 "port scans" which look for weak spots in Windows software - reconnaissance by hackers seeking new victims.
A router protects the machine unless the port forwarding is enabled for a piece of software. Then, unless they are looking for an unpatched exploit, it shouldn't affect anyone who keeps up to date on patches.
11 attacks by the 'Blaster' worm - success would have rendered the machine unusable
Anyone with a machine susceptible to Blaster should have their computer taken away. It was patched years ago.
3 attacks by the 'Slammer' worm - success would have left machine crippled and prone to crashing
Same as "Blaster." It has been patched forever. These probes are just part of the "internet background radiation."
36 fake security announcements/adverts for fake security software posing as warnings. Reacting to these could leave a PC clogged with spyware.
This sounds like the old "messenger spam" problem. XP service pack 2 solves this -- as does shutting down the messenger service. (Note: this is not the same as instant messenging.)
Yes, Linux is more secure, but this is nothing but a scare story to get people to buy more Symantec bloatware. The real threats on the internet are "social engineering," where malicious people convince a user to give them data or manually install a malicious program. Both Linux and MacOSX require a user to type an adminstrator password before installing new software, something XP does not require.
Windows Vista begins to close that gap by requiring a "Yes" button before installing software. I would like to see if Vista can be configured to require an adminstrator password for software installation.
I am on dial-up and have been online for approx 15 min. Just checked the attack detection in my firewall and have already been hit with over 50 port scans and connection requests !!!
you could actually put some fast ethernet cards and use it as *the* firewall for a corporate network. many commercial firewalls are actually just Linux boxes with the OS burned into flash...
the firewall along with the NSA designed open source SELinux makes it easy run Linux as a *really* secure bastion host - good enough to reach Orange book levels.
You're absolutely ri....oh, wait, what's the corporate market share again, to say nothing of the home? Never mind.
yeah, its panic all righhht -- panic in Redmond.
actually, the story is just a narrative of what happens in the real world, every single day, 24/7 - as measured by a honey-pot.
as for Vista, this bloatware's only innovation is in the DRM, licensing Spyware and anti-Samba filesystem so offices have to buy Vista servers instead of using Linux Samba file servers...
thanks, I've just pulled ups his page...looks good.
I have been using the internet since it was DARPAnet. I have NEVER been hit with a worm or a virus, either at home or at work.
At home I use ZoneAlarm firewall (paid) and McAfee VirusScan (paid).
Hint: Configure your firewall to absorb pings and not reflect them. You will look like a dark hole. Close ALL ports not in use and enforce strict program based port control (in and out). It can be a pain to set up but it pays dividends down the road.
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
Uhmm.
I took a look. Didn't care for mandatory click to clear e-mail pop-up box.
Get the process names from Task Manager (Processes tab) and do a Google search on each one - there are sites out there that tell you the purpose of processes by name.
If you find one that you think is bad stuff, you then need to find out how to stop it from running each time you start your PC.
You can usually (not always) do this by clicking Start/Run and type "msconfig" and click OK.
Go to the "Startup" tab and see if it appears there - if it does, uncheck it. This is a list of many of the things that run when Windows starts. Uncheck the program(s) you don't think should be starting, then reboot. Check msconfig again. If they are checked again or new programs appear, you have some sort of self-duplicating spyware that starts automatically in some other way.
There are other programs that help hunt these down. Try:
BHOList - finds "browser helper" objects - finds spyware that installs within IE. (Not all BHO's are spyware. BHO = Browser Helper Object)
Autoruns - shows everything that runs at system startup. (http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Autoruns.html)
Crap Cleaner - cleans up a lot of junk that gets installed (http://www.ccleaner.com/)
CWShredder - gets rid of some spyware that some of the other programs can't seem to get rid of.
I agree, but also hopefully a wake up call to anyone who does not keep their systems updated/patched.
For those who think it is a Windows only issue, the port scans, Blaster, and Slammer worm attack attempts were attempts - they would occur whether the system were Windows, Mac, Linux, or any other OS on the Internet. It doesn't say whether any of them were successful - and they wouldn't be on a patched system. A port scan doesn't care what kind of computer is on the other end - it could be an IP enabled toaster for all it cares.
Still, up to date systems behind a firewall are still generally safe.
As for Vista, I just installed RC2 on my testing machine and will spend the next couple months pounding on it. It had no problems with my samba server out of the box. I've got a bunch of interesting hardware and software to test including HDTV capture and a bunch of anti-DRM stuff.
It's only been running for a few hours, but it seems to run well on an AMD64 with 512MB ram and a 6200 Nvidia AGP card.
Personally, I use different operating systems for different things. Windows works great for games and some graphic apps. Linux is my choice for internet use and servers. If I had the money, I would use Mac OSX for the graphics work.
Too many people take a fanboy approach to operating systems. They all have their strengths and weaknesses and you have to look at each system with an equally critical eye.
Ping
wow thanks....I'm going to have to figure out how to slowly muddle through this. At the moment I am trying to figure out how to unfreeze my printer. My husband was trying to print an email out, and since then his email is undeletable in the printer file. I've tried everything, cancel print job, delete...there must be a work around.
got zone alarm and defender...the pc is just so slow to load, and run. Opening any program is like early dial up.
Do you mean the progress box menu? You can just collapse it by using the arrow keys in the upper right corner. Once you do that, it won't come back. Other than that, I don't get a pop up box when I go there.
For the best spyware protection, get Webroot's Spy Sweeper. It only costs $29.95, but its 24/7 round-the-clock lookout for spyware is well worth the price. Not just my opinion, but it has won the award for best anti-spyware from PC Magazine the last several years. The free anti-spyware won't catch all spyware, but Spy Sweeper will.
I have broadband DSL, and I have had no problems. The built-in firewall with my DSL was omitted after I upgraded to XP's SP2. I checked my security with Norton SystemWorks yesterday and found no security breaches, so I am good for now.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.