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Rocket scientist
I disagree, if the OS allows a single application to do stuff like this, it is the fault of the OS. The application should not be the only single layer that protect us of things like this.

The OS could prevent files downloaded as attachments or downloaded from a webbrowser to be executable by the mail or web client or by processes spawned from such a progroam. It could even prevent certain applications from reading and writing to certain parts of the file system, it could prevent downloaded applications to make internet connections until they were explicitly OKed by a human user.

All of this is possible in Linux if the SELinux stuff in the new 2.6 kernel is turned with a reasonable security poliy. If it was more widely used the number of spam messages generated by viruses would be significantly reduced.

The problem with this is of course that it doesn't stops attacks involving social engineering where the user is fooled to activate some virus by sombody pretending to be his boss or sysadmin. So we still need to validate the sender. But this can be done quite easily by just by teaching people that need to get in touch with us to use a valid RSA signature and filter out all mails lacking such signature. That way we could be quite certain to whoom we should complain if we get spam.
Posted by: uno@...   Posted on: 07/29/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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Here's an option  Domb2 | 07/27/04
RE:Here's an option  dnirG_ot_xA_oN | 07/27/04
Not a bad idea. And all software, OS's included,...  bjbrock | 07/27/04
won't work now too many people already have peecees  Squawkbox | 07/27/04
And get a license to leave you house.  voska | 07/27/04
This is the STUPIDIST thing I've read here in months...  BitTwiddler | 07/28/04
Thank you.  Immanuel Tranz-Mischen | 07/28/04
Stupid is as Stupid does....  Wolfie2K3 | 07/28/04
This is the STUPIDIST thing I've read here in months...  blacksheepxlch1 | 07/29/04
MyDoom  wtasbury@... | 07/29/04
MyDoom  blacksheepxlch1 | 07/29/04
Here is a wiser option  michael-t | 07/27/04
I like your idea the best  Squawkbox | 07/27/04
I think  michael-t | 07/27/04
You've got my vote too.  Immanuel Tranz-Mischen | 07/27/04
You have to ask your self  agottschald | 07/30/04
the problem with infected email  balsover | 07/27/04
Microsoft's popularity and malware spread  Anton Philidor | 07/27/04
Apple also caters to the IQ challanged crowd  balsover | 07/27/04
Ha, Mac users on average are SMARTER...  ITGuy04 | 07/28/04
If your so so smart...  somethinginnovative | 07/29/04
Blocklists  Yagotta B. Kidding | 07/27/04
most infected email that I receive  balsover | 07/27/04
Briefing needed:  michael-t | 07/27/04
you are a little out of touch  balsover | 07/27/04
Speak of being out of touch...  MacCanuck | 07/28/04
Buy a Clue....  ITGuy04 | 07/28/04
1st worm was NOT for Windows  bwklatt@... | 07/29/04
Very out of touch  johnnyu | 07/28/04
Good point I would only add atleast one more thing.  computer_man | 07/27/04
OK I'm no rocket scientist...  Richard Flude | 07/27/04
Perhaps for the same reason...  balsover | 07/27/04
Enjoy your prison  Sunny Jalolly | 07/27/04
No, not the same at all  Richard Flude | 07/27/04
What's wrong with improving?  somethinginnovative | 07/29/04
Rocket scientist  uno@... | 07/29/04
Oops  uno@... | 07/29/04
Ya damned Skippy!  BitTwiddler | 07/28/04
Yeah, Let's Have More Regulation!!!  gsquared | 07/29/04
What if the ISP's  balsover | 07/27/04
OOOBIE DOOBIE would you want to be that ISP's tech support  Squawkbox | 07/27/04
If people were told  balsover | 07/27/04
Good one Bombay......I like that  Squawkbox | 07/27/04
One more thing that works good  computer_man | 07/27/04
Several do  Yagotta B. Kidding | 07/27/04
You could position it as a service.  enduser_z | 07/27/04
The capitalistic way ..will save you .....not  george@... | 07/29/04
ISP do pull the plug....  middle of nowhere | 07/27/04
Dang, I need to train my fingers to hit the proper keys!!!  middle of nowhere | 07/27/04
my take...  ryusen | 07/27/04
your take ...  PJfromOttawa | 07/28/04
at last a smart person .  george@... | 07/29/04
"I see the future...booooooo"  george@... | 07/29/04
More reasons to NOT USE WINDOWS  ITGuy04 | 07/27/04
The sky is falling, the sky is falling...  Confused by religion | 07/27/04
You'd never know if you were hacked  voska | 07/27/04
As it happens -  Confused by religion | 07/27/04
Computers to work for people!  leandro_z | 07/28/04
Heheheheh!!!  tgrady | 07/29/04
And you know that...how?  Chad_z | 07/27/04
Yes, it took me time...  Confused by religion | 07/28/04
3 years running, no single intrusion  garci | 07/29/04
Nobody has time for looking at the sky - they're all patching  whisperycat | 07/27/04
Patching  IT Scion | 07/29/04
Patch up  Amalia | 07/29/04
You need to comprehend what I posted.  IT Scion | 08/02/04
I guess  michael-t | 07/27/04
or....  computer_man | 07/27/04
See my response above.  Confused by religion | 07/27/04
Hmm I'm surprise at the ammount of people complaining about infections.  computer_man | 07/27/04
Jump to conclusions much?  Immanuel Tranz-Mischen | 07/27/04
Better Chicken Little than an Ostrich.  Immanuel Tranz-Mischen | 07/27/04
I cnose a Mac and  Confused by religion | 07/27/04
cnose?  Immanuel Tranz-Mischen | 07/28/04
HEHE - Good one!  Confused by religion | 07/28/04
Been in IT VERY Long  ITGuy04 | 07/28/04
But That's Not What Sweaty Ballmer Tells Us  claytonmuhler | 07/27/04
And why would he lie?  Immanuel Tranz-Mischen | 07/27/04
Sorry, not convinced!  Big Steve_z | 07/28/04
Uses of Windows  gsquared | 07/29/04
Sure, everybody switch to...  tgrady | 07/29/04
Not quite true  uno@... | 07/29/04
OS Virus Protection = AntiTrust legislation  somethinginnovative | 07/29/04
You don't get it  lengua99 | 07/30/04
No to Windows??  IT Scion | 07/29/04
Also  IT Scion | 07/29/04
Standard Stories of Misery  michael-t | 07/27/04
Best Windows Machine - Unplugged  Chad_z | 07/27/04
No one owns this FREEdom OS..!  Xunil_Sierutuf | 07/27/04
Infected machines need to be stopped  Xanth_z | 07/27/04
I am getting  Linux User 147560 | 07/27/04
OMG!  MDDM_z | 07/29/04
All vendors have bugs, but sheer number of MS bugs is GROSS NEGLIGENCE !!!  Plain Logic | 07/27/04
Hold yourself responsible.  IT Scion | 07/29/04
Six of one  Yagotta B. Kidding | 07/27/04
Again, they need to make sure everybody knows this is a Microsoft problem.  DonnieBoy | 07/27/04
only way to fix this is for ms to give users  V Sanders | 07/28/04
and it should be easy to remove  V Sanders | 07/28/04
MyDoom is your Doom  peterdee_z | 07/28/04
IT admins have the IP  jdubuke | 07/28/04
MyBaldurGate to take a whack at Apple  FilledOut | 07/28/04
Symptoms not Diseases  Techscan | 07/28/04
Flaws  IT Scion | 08/02/04
MY DOOM  kittyj57 | 07/29/04
Plain stupid  MDDM_z | 07/29/04
stupid  Amalia | 07/29/04
must be from USA  Cobrajet500 | 07/29/04
How dare I?  MDDM_z | 07/30/04
Windoze and IE  bhattaci | 07/30/04

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