Old worms learn new tricks

TalkBack 10 of 21:

Next »

« Previous

• Thread View
• Flat View

And really, it is not

Just to play Devil's advocate here...

It is unrealistic to expect an ISP to catch all viruses. Viruses are written BEFORE a scanner is able to detect them. All it takes is a small change in the signature of the virus for it to fail to be caught.

I see 100,000's of thousands of attacks per day against my websites and I get a load of virus infected mail.

The way I see it, it is up to the user to be knowledgable enough to use the equipment they are working with. For example, you don't go driving a car without knowing how to obey the traffic law (OK most people do, there are the yahoos out there). You don't plug in a table saw and promptly cut your arm off. Same thing with computers, you KNOW that viruses exist, you also should know NOT to open attachments unless you have implimented some way of verifying that the attachment is genuine (PGP as an example).

You can run around having sex with everyone while wearing a condom, doesn't mean you won't get a virus...

So, think of AV like wearing a condom, works most of the time, but not all the time...

If you are willing to trade your privacy for security (in order to verify all e-mails, someone would have to view every e-mail to you to ensure it contains what is expected), that is your choice. You choose to use the internet and e-mail, so you should accept the responsibility of your actions (same as if you go walking in Central Park at 2:00am).

Possibly it is the software / OS combination that you use that makes you more vulnerable or more of a target. You could change your software... You could run a virtual machine for e-mail and browsing, thus keeping your personal files safe. There are a large number of options that can help you have a secure and safe internet experience. Unfortunately, it requires you, the user, to do some work and research into what will and won't help you.

My ISP doesn't filter squat, I prefer it that way.

My opinion, yours may differ...

Posted by: douglasids   Posted on: 12/27/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

Alert moderator to an offensive message

Subscribe to this discussion via Email or RSS

SponsoredWhite Papers, Webcasts, and Downloads

• Desktop Authority Version 7.8.1 ScriptLogic Desktop Authority centralizes control over the desktop, combining into one ... Download Now
• Guide to Deploying Microsoft Windows Server 2003 on Dell PowerEdge Servers Dell Proper planning and installation information make deploying the Microsoft ... Download Now
• Improving Server Security Through DRAC 4 User Role-Based Permissions Dell The Dell Remote Access Controller 4 (DRAC 4), introduced in ... Download Now