Re: [NTLK] [OT] Apple OS vulnerability?

From: Matt Howe (matthowe_at_comcast.net)
Date: Thu May 26 2005 - 11:18:17 PDT


Not to start the whole Windows vs. Mac debate again but having the proper
software and settings on a Windows XP machine will make it as safe as any
other. I use an XP machine at work and another at home. My home machine is
constantly on and constantly connected to the internet. Neither my work nor
my home machine has had a virus or ad ware since I locked them down. From
most of the experience I've had cleaning up people's computers, they are
their own worst enemy. My neighbor had every language package in the world
downloaded onto his Win 98 SE machine. I asked him why he kept answering Yes
to download Chinese and Arabic character sets, seeing how he doesn't speak
either. I have a co-worker here whose machine I have to clean regularly
because he goes to sites to download cute desktop pictures and Email add
ons, and of course you have to accept ad ware to use them.

I think there is less an issue of this OS over that OS than it is a matter
of taste and environment. Most of the security issues in this day and age
are from people making mistakes. I'll bet if you checked deep enough into
your employer's computer, you would find that some of that ad ware was
already on the computer. And with advertising gimmicks cooperating more and
more, who knows what triggered it.

Matt "Ducky" Howe
matthowe_at_comcast.net
mywebpages.comcast.net/mhowe41

-----Original Message-----
From: newtontalk-bounce_at_newtontalk.net
[mailto:newtontalk-bounce_at_newtontalk.net]On Behalf Of RAParker
Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2005 1:04 PM
To: newtontalk_at_newtontalk.net
Subject: Re: [NTLK] [OT] Apple OS vulnerability?

Mac OS vulnerability? uh...sure...

Just last night I'm surfing around on my employer's WinXP machine and
out of no where, some search bar starts to install. No warning, no
cancel, can't control-alt-del kill it, only choice was to to pull the
plug. Some adware garbage started to get it's tentacles in to the
computer and I had to run two different adware programs, four separate
times just to clean up. That took over an hour to recover.

This isn't the first time, nor the last. And, who really knows how
un-compromised any Windows (XP or otherwise) machine is. If you use a
public Windows machine, you have no safety with passwords or accounts.
Think about it.

Ron

--
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--------------------------------------------- ThinkApple
low|       BSD for security,                       |\/|\
end|            MacOS for productivity,            |/-|/
mac|                 Windows for solitaire.        |\ | @ Quadzilla.NET
-------------------------------------------------- A LEM Bumper Snicker
---
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