widnows vs unix and security Re: Worms, Air Gaps and Responsibility

[ArkanoiD <ark () eltex net>]

nuqneH,

I work in IT security for 15 years or so, but looks like i missed some recent
changes, dealing with corporate networks with strict software policy.
Actually, i was really shocked after a brief discussion with one Windows user.
I was laughing when they talk about virus problems, "protection" functions
that do strange things in their software, but i did not actually realize how
bad things could be in SOHO and personal computing world.

- Hey, see, i've got a good program to purge spyware and other nasty code
from my system!

- Er.. man.. sorry.. purge WHAT?!

- Spyware! And things like that! You did not know? You install, say, new DivX
codec, and then it connects to some server in the internet, sending some 
statistics or something from your computer, looks if there is a software update
and so on.. Actually no one does know what it really does except people who
wrote it.

- Am i crazy or what? Do you mean average Windows user has his computer
controlled via network by something no one knows what?! And thinks it is ok?
If i run an application on my system and it connects to somewhere and tries
to do something without my intent, i contact the developers and beat shit out 
of them if they cannot explain WTF the way that satisfies me and prove it.
Do you really mean things are different in your world?

- Yes. Why does that disturb you so much? It just consumes some resources
and that's why i run that thing to purge it, actually i don't like but i
think it is generally ok! They are *not* bad guys, they do not steal my
credit card numbers or erase my disks, so why not? They just need some
statistics data to serve me better!

- That's not me. That's you are fscking crazy.



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