Re: Worms versus Bots

["Steven M. Bellovin" <smb () research att com>]

In message <409808D0.5020408 () cox net>, "Laurence F. Sheldon, Jr." writes:
> chuck goolsbee wrote:
>
> > > However, up to 90% of the users *are* stupid:
>
>
> > Seriosuly though, the Internet might be a better place for it. After 
> > all, 90% of those "stupid" people just want email and HTTP.
>
> Do we have a pointer to a rigorous study that indicates either
> assertion?
>
> Or is it possible there are other explanations?

Don Norman has argued quite eloquently that it's a technology and human 
factors failure -- see, for example,
http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/200312/msg00105.html
(reprinted from RISKS Digest).

Now, I'm not saying that it's easy to get things like this right, and 
I've argued loudly against the notion that auto-patching is a sane 
approach.  But if we deny that there's a problem except for "stupid 
people", we're not likely to find a solution.


                --Steve Bellovin, http://www.research.att.com/~smb