Windows Vista comes with IE 7

[Death]

Keystroke loggers are an issue that goes far beyond software blockers, and well into physical security. Anyone who enters secure data into a system they don't have a fairly good reason to believe is secured, either in software or hardware, is asking for trouble.

As for the software, yes things can be found for free, but not everything. Having used all of the above, they're helpful tools, but if the user isn't attentive (particularly in updating virus definitions and adware bug databases) they're not going to help too much.

And the less said of ZA, paid or free, the better. ZA users were the bane of my existence when I worked an abuse@ address.

 

[Edfilho]

I hate Za. the windows firewall and a dsl router do the same job a lot better with infinitely less headaches. Not to mention less RAM and CPU overhead.

Camper, there hasn't been a DL limit in Firefox for as long as I can remember.
The download thingy is kinda weak, but most of my heavy duty downloading is done with Azureus or Soulseek, so it is good enough.

 

[Ijuin]

I heard that a completely unprotected computer has a half-life of about twenty minutes on the Web. In other words, there is a 50% probability of an unprotected computer picking up a virus in any given twenty minute period.

 

[Quarto]

Yeah, and I heard that there's a one in twenty chance of a piano falling on your head any time you're outdoors. In other words, there is a 100% chance that a piano will fall on your head in any given twenty minute period!

 

[Edfilho]

yeah, virii, trojans, worms, backdoors, all fiction. They don't exist. Everyone who believes in them is stupid. Sigh.

 

[Happy Camper]

And the less said of ZA, paid or free, the better. ZA users were the bane of my existence when I worked an abuse@ address.

Well you'll be pleased to know that I never contacted ZoneAlarm for anything. I'm open to suggestions if someone can recommed a better firewall that is free, and not the SP2 one because it's crap.

 

[Death]

Ed, what some of us is saying isn't that there aren't malicious programs/scripts/etc out there, but that the threat is vastly overrated, and hyped through a combination of reporters trying to look like they're up on modern computers and companies looking to cash in on unwarranted paranoia of a populace who's bombarded by the former group of hypers (so to speak).

As for ZA, my problem with it is the random idiots who cite ZA screaming about something or other as proof of a "hacker attack", sometimes on ports like 21 (FTP), 25 (SMTP), 110 (POP3), 80 (HTTP), and so forth. The note the AboveNet (now MFN) ticketing system required for closing a trouble ticket was often simply "GWF", or Goober With Firewall, whose complaint tickets were closed with a vague handwave about "we'll look into it and take action if warranted", then dismissed.

 

[Quarto]

Ed, what some of us is saying isn't that there aren't malicious programs/scripts/etc out there, but that the threat is vastly overrated, and hyped through a combination of reporters trying to look like they're up on modern computers and companies looking to cash in on unwarranted paranoia of a populace who's bombarded by the former group of hypers (so to speak).

Exactly. Virii and hackers do exist... and happen to be a really 'hot' topic. Even the least significant news story, if it involves virii, hackers, or anything bad computer-related in general, will immediately be blown up into something huge. And the so-called damages are always magnified, or sometimes spun out of thin air.

Take that Sasser worm, for example. Yeah, it did bring down some airports and postal services for a few hours... but give me a break. They'd like you to believe that the damages caused went into billions of dollars... in reality, the costs were probably smaller than in the case of that London airport strike a few weeks ago. And let's not even get started on the infamous Michaelangelo virus scare...

 

[Haesslich]

Well you'll be pleased to know that I never contacted ZoneAlarm for anything. I'm open to suggestions if someone can recommed a better firewall that is free, and not the SP2 one because it's crap.

Currently using SyGate, after I got tired of ZA blocking my Internet connection every two minutes until you restarted the PC - release/renew even after shutting down the firewall wouldn't work, and you couldn't kill the TrueVector service properly. I started installing firewalls on relatives' PCs myself after I got tired of going over only to find out they'd gotten nailed by some idiot program or another, Blaster being one of them. It's not a NEED in the way that antivirus is, but it's an extra layer of protection that doesn't hurt anything unless you're dealing with someone thinking they're getting hacked.

 

[cff]

Chicken's Guide to an uninfected system:
3. Keep up-to-date antispyware and antivirus programs, I recommend a combo of Ad-Aware, Spybot, and Spyware blaster. Add Spyware Guard for that extra layer of security and an antivirus program (I use AVG).
4. Use common sense; otherwise don't download shit that you don't know about and avoid websites you don't know or trust.

As long as you follow #4, #3 is a waste of resoures. Especially the antispyware stuff. Never used one, never needed one. Just have a look WHICH download accelerator / p2p software,... you install. There are lots of spyware free ones.

As long as you keep your Windows up to date, #4 is all you need.

The problem is that you will have a trojan on your system BEFORE your Windows update will have been finished. Personal experience talking here (XP SP1, last Summer, before SP2 was out). PC was rebooting constantly before I could DL the fix against that exploit. And no, the only webpage I ever visited was microsoft.com. No other web activity either.

You can secure a P.C. for very little money. You can use AVG for anti virus duties, Zonealarm for firewall duties and Adaware for anti-spyware duties. Total cost= £0

ZA isn't a very good firewall anymore. There are better, free, solutions. Like Outpost (non pro).

I hate Za. the windows firewall and a dsl router do the same job a lot better with infinitely less headaches. Not to mention less RAM and CPU overhead.

If you have a router you can forget any INBOUND firewall. HOWEVER if you want to control which programs do outbound communication then a firewall still has its uses. I hate it when the media player connects to the web all the time for example.

 

[Chernikov]

*raises hand* I've seen two computers utterly wrecked by virii and another one unrepairable with freeware tools but still usable. It's not a joke, but the chances of the average user having their day ruined by any given virus are so small that it's not really something to stress about.

 

[AD]

I hate it when the media player connects to the web all the time for example.

I believe you can turn that off in the options though... just like for most legit software (same with loading on start and system tray icons... all of which I hate) There are some programs that dont have the option but you can usualy edit this out in either the registry or in the "services" panel under "administrative tools" (in control panel).

But yes, a firewall can do the trick easily enough

 

[Worf]

So which version will everyone be buying?

- Starter?
- Home Basic?
- Home Premium?
- Professional?
- Small Business?
- Enterprise?
- Ultimate?

(7 flavors of Windows Vista. Soon to compete with Baskin Robbins)

 

[Ijuin]

LOL! I will be buying Professional version, thank you.

 

[Quarto]

Is Ultimate the one that comes with the Bill Gates action figure?

 

[d3r3k]

So which version will everyone be buying?

- Starter?
- Home Basic?
- Home Premium?
- Professional?
- Small Business?
- Enterprise?
- Ultimate?

(7 flavors of Windows Vista. Soon to compete with Baskin Robbins)

Are you kidding me? Ridiculous.

 

[KrisV]

Not everyone needs all the features, especially in a small business or office environment. I'm sure cheaper licenses will be welcome for computers that are only used for data entry or such.

And Microsoft lost a ridiculous lawsuit where the EU demanded they sell cheaper versions of Windows that don't have things like Media Player bundled.

 

[Happy Camper]

A hacked ultimate copy.

 

[Haesslich]

A hacked ultimate copy.

Given the security features they're bundling in, I don't think this would be the best option to pursue for a company, given how the BSA's been making companies pay out the nose when an audit is performed (and failed).

 

[Happy Camper]

This would be for my own personal use. If I can get it for free, I might as well have the best option. That said, if a version of windows vista costs £50 or less, then I may just get it, provided it has the features that I want.

EDIT: Firefox has got it's first largley publicised security hole

Security hole hits Firefox

Buffer overflow flaw affects all versions of the open source browser
Tom Sanders in California, vnunet.com 12 Sep 2005
ADVERTISEMENT


Mozilla's Firefox browser is susceptible to a buffer overflow attack that is deemed 'highly critical', users have been warned.

The flaw was discovered by security expert Tom Ferris and affects all versions of the open source browser up to 1.0.6, as well as the beta for Firefox 1.5, he reported on his website.

The vulnerability allows an attacker to remotely execute code on a compromised system through a buffer overflow attack.

Demonstrating the vulnerability, Ferris offers a link to a page where a specially crafted URL will cause the browser to freeze and eventually crash, closing all browser windows. Microsoft's Internet Explorer is unaffected by the flaw.

Ferris reported the issue to Mozilla on 4 September, but allegedly decided to go public after a disagreement with the organisation.

Mozilla has published a patch that protects the browser against sites seeking to exploit the flaw, and has posted instructions for a manual workaround.

Firefox uses its record on security as a principal selling point in enticing users to switch from Internet Explorer. But although Microsoft's browser has been hit with a series of vulnerabilities, Firefox has also had its share of problems recently.

http://www.pcw.co.uk/vnunet/news/2142140/security-hole-hits-firefox

Time for some patching. Sure glad I use opera.