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6 Things I don't get....

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  • #31
    Ok, thing I don't get #7 is people who don't believe in viruses. Yes, I had one guy tell me that he didn't have anit-virus protection because he didn't believe they existed. After I got over the initial shock of that statement, I quickly told him about things like keyloggers, trojans, worms... I explained that personal information could be stolen because of an infected computer... I certainly hope that he listened and changed his mind, cuz that's just scary. Especially since he was a professor with access to confidential student records!
    On a slight variation of your #7, I got some people who actually think that it's the antivirus companies themselves that are creating the viruses so you can coaxed into buying the software.

    I always have one response to that: "If that was the case, there would have been someone blowing the whistle by now."

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    • #32
      Quoth HawaiianShirts View Post
      After all this discussion of security programs, what I don't get is this:

      I don't get why people insist that they don't need security software. I can understand them telling me they don't want my store's techs to install security. That's fine. But why do they claim they don't need it at all? Especially when they're buying a new computer because it's too expensive to clean out all the virus/spyware infections in their current computer.

      It's also confusing when they realize that viruses can be a problem but tell me they don't need security because they'll be taking the computer to another country (I've posted about that before) like Mexico. Are there people who really believe that American internet is different from the internet in other countries and that virus/spyware infections can only be contracted in the USA?
      The analogy I read a while back made the most sense to me, and it may help others, so here it is:

      Imagine there is a problem with home invasion robberies in your neighborhood. There is a thief trying to get into the houses and steal what he can, and mess up or break random stuff as well. He goes down a random street, trying doors until he finds an unlocked one, then goes in and does his deed. If all the doors are locked, he tries the next street over, or tries a simple 'bump the door' break in method. He is hitting houses every day, regularly, and all you have to do to stop him is lock the door with a decent lock.

      Now, multiply 'he' by about 1000, make 'every day' into 'every second' and 'your neighborhood' into 'your state/region/country' and replace 'decent lock' with 'antivirus/firewall'. It really is that bad, and it really can be that easy to protect yourself.

      Anyone who chooses not to install the software is just leaving their door unlocked.

      This actually seemed to help me get the idea across to less technically inclined people.

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      • #33
        Last year in March I found the answer to items 1-4 ... in the form of a cute MacBook

        1. Microsoft runtime: 'nuff said
        2. Enough to run the OS: I personally saw a man installing Leopard to a G4 laptop. For those of you who don't know Mac products, the G4 is about 7 years old. Yeah, Leopard works on OLD computers.
        3. Internet Explorer: the default Mac program is Safari, but I usually use Firefox myself.
        4. Antivirus? What's Antivirus? I'll be the first to admit...No I don't use it. It's not that I don't think there are viruses out there...it's just that most of them are still scripted for Microsoft. I did get curious the other day and went to Trend Micro to run a free virus scan...but it came up without any viruses.


        And a couple of notes...
        a: the dept of homeland security also recommends NOT using IE because of the way it's tied to your operating system

        b: if you use ad-aware to get rid of spyware you'll notice something interesting if you stop using IE for browsing... most spyware will go away. Yeah. back when I had a PC my scans came up pretty empty...and I was making it scan just about *everything*

        c: get a router. it solves a lot of issue #5 with the isp based security. BUT you have to change the password. Many hackers know what the default passwords are so...if you don't bother changing them, they can f**k with your stuff.
        and yes, one of my friends use to do that to his neighbor jsut for fun.... since the guy never changed the router password my friend would hack in and change the desktop picture. He could have done much worse but... he chose not to.

        d: don't share out your C drive if you're on a freakin wireless network. At least put in a freakin password on it. I mean it's one thing to do it on your own network when there's just a couple of computers there, but...when you're on a public wireless....ANYONE else on that network can see your drive.

        Yeah. I was surfing one day and looked at the avaialble computers on the shared networks (a nice apple feature!).. one guy had his entire freakin C DRIVE shared out and public. Helllllloooooooo? No. I didn't fuck with his computer though I could have. Hell... I SHOULD have edited his MSCONFIG to run a notepad file every time he turns the comptuer on... a file that reads, "NOTICE: YOUR C-DRIVE IS PUBLICALLY SHARED WITHOUT A PASSWORD PROTECT. ... BY NOW YOU'RE REALIZING WHAT KIND OF SECURITY RISK YOU CREATED. HAVE A NICE DAY. " ... heh that would have freaked him out!

        e: simple rules still apply... don't open attachments and read what you're agreeing to before you click OK.
        One of my old coworkers use to click OK to EVERYTHING that popped up, which is freakin awesome when he's surfing for free MP3 downloads at questionable sites. What's worse is that he had no f**king clue that HE was the one giving our computers viruses... he decided in his ultimate wisdome that it was all MY fault for installing Google Toolbar. then again M___ deserves his own thread anyway....(yeah that bad)
        Last edited by PepperElf; 02-14-2008, 01:59 PM.

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        • #34
          Quoth PepperElf View Post
          4 - most viruses are still for PCs not macs. I went to Trend Micro for a free scan and found...nothing on the macbook
          That's not quite as true as it used to be. Now that more people are switching to Mac, more viruses are starting to be written for Mac.

          The trainer for the class I took at the state and education ISP provider gave us a figure of how many known viruses there are for Mac.

          Just remember that nothing is safe. An ounce of prevention sort of thing.
          SC: “Yeah, Bob’s Company. I'm Bob. It's my company.” - GK
          SuperHotelWorker made my Avi!!

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          • #35
            o yes. There are some out there...but still not as many.
            and that's also why i did the online virus scan....

            plus... i was surfing and looking for lyrics and came on a page that tried to force an EXE download to my computer. it took a while to get otu of that loop, cos it didn't like me clicking "cancel" and refusing the download. Then it popped up a script that claimed I had thousands of viruses - simple ad crap but it did get me thinking.

            so... once I got that page closed out, that's when I went to do the free scan, which came up empty

            but... keep in mind, i also only surf via my home network with the wireless router. said router has its own password (using upper & lower case letters, numbers, & symbols). And a different password for the wireless network...granted I didn't bother with the numbers & symbols (less secure I know) but...considering the pw is over 15 characters, I'm not too worried about it either

            now granted that only protects me from asshats trying to hack in, and not from where I go online...which is why I try to be careful about where I go.

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            • #36
              Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but now that Macs use intel chips, that opens up the possibility of cross-platform virii? So with the free anti-virus scanners, I can't really see why you'd tempt fate like that.
              Ba'al: I'm a god. Gods are all-knowing.

              http://unrelatedcaptions.com/45147

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              • #37
                Not likely, as CPUs don't have any real programming in them. The BIOS is a target, but it always has been.
                I AM the evil bastard!
                A+ Certified IT Technician

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                • #38
                  Quoth Broomjockey View Post
                  Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but now that Macs use intel chips, that opens up the possibility of cross-platform virii? So with the free anti-virus scanners, I can't really see why you'd tempt fate like that.
                  Yeah. I'm pretty sure the actual hardware used has little to do with what viruses can affect it. Hardware drivers maybe, but not the hardware itself.
                  "Jester, I have an opportunity for you." Uh oh. What does he want me to clean? "It 's a chance for you to make some extra money." Crap, it must be really gross!

                  -Jester

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                  • #39
                    Quoth lordlundar View Post
                    Not likely.
                    Quoth Decker View Post
                    Yeah. I'm pretty sure the actual hardware used has little to do with what viruses can affect it.
                    Eh, well, it was a while ago, I wasn't terribly interested, and it's a vague recollection at best. I was wrong. Everyone mark your calendars, you won't be hearing me say that again for a while

                    Though now I'm kinda wondering what exactly they were talking about that day...
                    Ba'al: I'm a god. Gods are all-knowing.

                    http://unrelatedcaptions.com/45147

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                    • #40
                      So with the free anti-virus scanners, I can't really see why you'd tempt fate like that.
                      cos of ... several things.

                      1) most viruses come from either bad emails or weird places you go online. so... being careful with where i go or what emails i open covers those.

                      2) hackers who actively search for computers... need to break into the firewall / router first. intel chip or no, you can't hack if you can't get to it.

                      3) and i've worked computers... but in my opinion, the people who are use to PCs are more apt to be virus-shy... meaning they're more use to having to protect themselves all the time. It's gonna sound strange but... I kinda feel that some of the anti-virus companies are banking on that fear to get some extra money.

                      and... microsoft office / pop email programs. try to avoid those if you can, at least for home use. a lot of those email-viruses are scripted for them. yeah there's some that are scripted for gmail... but i've only heard ONE person tell me that he knew one guy who got a gmail virus. (as opposed to how many people we've all heard get hit by an outlook viruses?)

                      and lastly... the biggest issue. as i said before, you can't hack what you can't get into.
                      if you suspect a hack attempt just ... disconnect the internet. not very hollywood-like but much more effective than trying to out-code them back

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                      • #41
                        Quoth sld72382 View Post
                        On a slight variation of your #7, I got some people who actually think that it's the antivirus companies themselves that are creating the viruses so you can coaxed into buying the software.

                        I always have one response to that: "If that was the case, there would have been someone blowing the whistle by now."
                        They won't even employ people who have written viruses in the past, even if those viruses were never released into the wild.

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                        • #42
                          Quoth Broomjockey View Post
                          Though now I'm kinda wondering what exactly they were talking about that day...
                          Like I said before, it was probably the BIOS. Written carefully, they can be indistinguishable from a flash program, and about 50 times a lethal to a computer. Used to be a fun target for hackers to use against each other, but with the difficulty in writing, no ability to transfer once infected, and low application rate (how many people do you know flash the BIOS?), it's not a popular option.
                          I AM the evil bastard!
                          A+ Certified IT Technician

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                          • #43
                            Quoth PepperElf View Post

                            if you suspect a hack attempt just ... disconnect the internet. not very hollywood-like but much more effective than trying to out-code them back
                            well then again watch live free of die hard see what hollywood thinks PC's can do they think they can detonate gas pipelines from miles away and other things like that

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                            • #44
                              Quoth Cyphr View Post
                              they think they can detonate gas pipelines from miles away and other things like that
                              To be fair, if the system was automated, it could be possible to ratched up the pressure to a point where the gas could blow out the pipes and ignite in the resulting blow-out, though any system worth using would have some mechanical failsafes put in that would vent with that kind of pressure buildup. You can make the logic work, but you have to work too hard to do it. It's a Bruce Willis action movie. Stop overthinking it!
                              Ba'al: I'm a god. Gods are all-knowing.

                              http://unrelatedcaptions.com/45147

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                              • #45
                                lol. not to mention it was a die hard movie featuring the "Mac Guy" from the US commercials.
                                but yeah, hollywood always over-does things.

                                i'm just curious... how would those anti-virus companies find out that "person x made a virus" if it was never released?

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