Soaring malware levels hint at criminal activity

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re: Linux User: Yup, I do, what gaphics card are you using.
ATI X800.

Also I saw mentioned somewhere else you installed a piece of malware into SuSE
Hehe, that is what happens when you get information 3rd hand! I did not install malware, I created a proof of concept shell script attachment in an email and tried to get it to run without resorting to anything that a clueless end user wouldn't be able to do. One of the immediate slams against Windows is that Windows has no executable bit but Linux does. Those people then claim that Linux is invulnerable to attachment based executable attacks without significant user intervention. To see if this was true, I created a small shell script that created a file in your home directory. I tarred that shell script with the executable bit set and then mailed it to myself. I opened the mail in KMail, double clicked on the attachment, accepted the warning, saved the script to to my home directory, went to my home directory with Konqueror, and double clicked on the shell script. The shell script happily ran and created the small text file. Long process? Requires user intervention? Sure does, but XP SP2/Outlook required the exact same steps, plus the extra warning you get on the last step when you double click on the executable to run it.

So, no, I did not install malware on my computer, I only wanted to see if there was any truth to the claim that the executable bit in Linux made Linux invulnerable to attachment based attacks. The proof is in the pudding, clueless Linux users are just as vulnerable as clueless Windows users. This lends huge amounts of credence, IMO, to the 'marketshare' argument.

I'll end by repeating what I've repeated many times before. I like Linux. I liked Linux 12? years ago when I had to recompile the kernel to get sound card support. I also like XP (with Firefox) since it has been rock solid in my eXPerience. I think that when everything is put together, Linux is as good as XP, something I say as a positive thing even though I'm sure you will take it negatively. In fact, the defensiveness present here when someone dares to say they have a minor problem with Linux makes me want to reply with I didn't expect a Spanish Inquisition (parallel to religious zealotry intended). I merely responded to the original quote but the font issues with Linux were resolved about 2 years ago by saying they haven't been resolved, in my experience. Did I do wrong or would you rather I pull a Loverock impression and start talking about how much linsux sux?; Posted by: NonZealot Posted on: 07/06/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use