Re: Adobe Alternatives

[ron () gmail com]

Hey Jeff:

The definition I was thinking of is that "Security by Obscurity" depends on doing something to hide from hackers.  But 
usually the attempt to hide is so weak that anyone except the computer illiterate can see through it with a trivial 
effort.  

For me the classic example of "security by obscurity" that comes to mind is the suggestion to turn of SSID broadcast to 
help "secure" your wireless access point.  It may have been a useful tip 5-10(?) years ago, but since then enough 
freeware and hacking tools have become available that anyone can defeat this "security" recommendation.

In that context I was placing the idea that switching from the market leader (Adobe) to lesser used software is 
obscuring you, a little, from hackers.  But like any dependence on obscurity it is not really secure, it just thins out 
the number of potential hackers trying to get at you. For example obscurity filters out "script kiddies" who only run 
attacks that they download, who do not have the skills to create their own new attacks.  It still leaves you open to 
"serious" hackers who may "specialize" in attacking less known software on the theory that their attacks will take 
longer to be noticed and exposed, and creating anti-malware (ie AV Signatures) will be lower priority thus take longer 
to release.

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