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Windows Is 'Insecure By Design,' Says Washington Post

Circuit Breaker writes "A Washington Post article says Microsoft Windows is insecure by design. Quote: 'Between the Blaster worm and the Sobig virus, it's been a long two weeks for Windows users. But nobody with a Mac or a Linux PC has had to lose a moment of sleep over these outbreaks -- just like in earlier "malware" epidemics. This is not a coincidence.'"

27 of 1,326 comments (clear)

  1. Ummm... by Exitthree · · Score: 4, Funny
    But nobody with a Mac or a Linux PC has had to lose a moment of sleep over these outbreaks -- just like in earlier "malware" epidemics.

    Except the Mac and Linux users in charge of those systems... ;)

    1. Re:Ummm... by theCoder · · Score: 5, Funny

      "...you have it easy, you run Linux, stop complaining!"

      That's when you snap your suspenders, scratch your beard, and remember why you have that smug look on your face :)

      --
      "Save the whales, feed the hungry, free the mallocs" -- author unknown
    2. Re:Ummm... by Geek+of+Tech · · Score: 5, Funny
      And people wonder why techies are grumpy...

      Well, yeah, because you know we all make so much money...

      Yeah.....

      --
      Stop the Slashdot effect! Don't read the articles!
    3. Re:Ummm... by SillySlashdotName · · Score: 4, Funny

      As well as bashful, sleepy, sneezy, dopey,...

      --
      Acts of massive stupidity are almost never covered by warranty. --me.
    4. Re:Ummm... by pmz · · Score: 2, Funny

      Well, yeah, because you know we all make so much money...

      I am literally a millionaire and own loads of property in New York. However, I simply don't know why the bank teller keeps saying, "Sir, Parker Brothers is not a part of the U.S. Treasury, and we cannot exchange this money for you." This liquidity problem is really keeping me from living the lifestyle I worked so hard for. The world is so unfair.

    5. Re:Ummm... by bhtooefr · · Score: 2, Funny

      I can just imagine that:

      "Outlook Express will have automatically running scripts!"

      "DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS!"

      "This is a COOL feature!"

      "DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS!"

      "But won't automatically running scripts will be used for virus transmissions?"

      *silence*

      Well, you did say it was in a room of 400 developers! Did you not?

  2. Unless... by Chemical+Serenity · · Score: 5, Funny
    ... you count the *nix administrators who had to scramble to put in antivirus software on the corporate mail server to stem the tide of 50k+ virus mails per day.

    On the plus side, if you work as a contractor, it's billable hours. :D GG SoBillable^H^H^H^H^H^H^HSoBig!

    --
    "People will pay big bucks for the luxury of ignorance."
  3. Quick linux security test. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
    To test if your linux box is secure, press alt f2 to open up the run dialog, then type
    yes > /dev/mem
    .

    If nothing happens then you have a reasonably secure linux box.
  4. Biased report! by lakeland · · Score: 3, Funny

    I wonder how much money RedHat slipped the Washington post for that one...? *g*

  5. Linux users by jabbadabbadoo · · Score: 5, Funny
    "But nobody with a Mac or a Linux PC has had to lose a moment of sleep "

    Like a Linux PC owner sleeps anyway....

    1. Re:Linux users by ceejayoz · · Score: 4, Funny

      They do sleep, they just sleep alone. ;-) joking, joking...

    2. Re:Linux users by ATMAvatar · · Score: 2, Funny

      Better to sleep alone than to get W32.STD :o

      --
      "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
  6. Good idea by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 5, Funny

    Here's a modest proposal: Microsoft should use some of its $49 billion hoard to mail an update CD to anybody who wants one. At $3 a pop (a liberal estimate), it could ship a disc to every human being on Earth -- and still have $30 billion in the bank.

    Please Microsoft, use CD-RWs. I already have a wall covered with silver AOL CDs ...

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
  7. Re:Corporate Blinders by mjmalone · · Score: 4, Funny
    What is it going to take? Ships sinking? Trains being derailed? Satellites dropping out of orbit?
    Major power outages in the northeast!? Entire DMV operations being shutdown!? Massive denial of service attacks cripleing the internet!? E-mail viruses bringing hundred thousand dollar mailservers to their knees!?
  8. Re:Ummm... AGAIN, WHY NOT WINDOWS LINUX???? by croddy · · Score: 5, Funny

    oh yes. they could call it MSUX.

  9. Re:MS Bashing by cduffy · · Score: 5, Funny

    There're two issues:

    1. There's this bug users didn't patch for

    2. The system's default configuration made almost everyone vulnerable being attacked via the bug, even if the user isn't actually making use of the buggy service.

    On item [1], yes, there's a really strong argument that it's the user's fault. On item [2], though, it's pretty damn clearly the vendor's negligence.

  10. Re:Bad design 4 Security - Bad 4 Servicing ... by Politburo · · Score: 4, Funny

    Lord, give me the strength to forgive those who do not know what they are doing ....

    Can he give you the strength to forgive yourself?

  11. Re:If you "trademark" your mail addy... by Geek+of+Tech · · Score: 5, Funny
    I am just trying to figure out how to strike a balance between limiting my exposure to liability in this networked world (because everyone is happy to sue these days) and still participating in society in normal ways.

    Uh, hate to tell you, but unless you're sueing somebody you're not participating in society in normal ways.

    --
    Stop the Slashdot effect! Don't read the articles!
  12. Hey.... by Theatetus · · Score: 2, Funny
    All I got was weird colors on my screen...

    But my friend said to patch it by doing

    yes > /boot/bzImage

    Sure hope that works....

    --
    All's true that is mistrusted
  13. Re:New sig file... by E_elven · · Score: 4, Funny

    Of course, the next big trojan (it's supposedly to be called DamnTiny.Bill) will include something like that.

    From: BillG@ms.org
    Subject: I hate you, b1tch!
    Text:
    It was joke. Ahaha.
    Take a look at this. Finest Klatchian
    waterbeetle clock, it's really quite
    humorous.

    *****
    ALL MY EMAIL IS FOLLOWED BY THIS NOTICE.
    IF IT IS NOT PRESENT, BE AWARE THE MAIL
    IS NOT FROM ME AND MAY BE A VIRUS!
    *****

    Attachment: fkwbc34.vbs

    --
    Marxist evolution is just N generations away!
  14. In other news... by swtaarrs · · Score: 2, Funny

    It has been recently discovered that the Pope is Catholic. Who knew?!

  15. In other news... by MegaFur · · Score: 2, Funny
    Windows Is 'Insecure By Design,' Says Washington Post

    In other news, really, really smart scientists that spent a lot of grant money determined that: living people breath (air), fish generally live in water, Battlefield Earth was a mindwitheringly bad movie, and cutting down a tree with a herring is inherently impractical.

    Windows Insecure By Design? a world of ***!!DUH!!*** It's nice to see the general public starting to wake up to this fact. Expect to see the standard ports (135, 445, etc) closed when Longhorn comes out... maybe And even then, I doubt MS will make any other changes. Or, if they do, they'll open up five or six more ports in the process. :-P Not that I'm bitter... oh no.

    Let's never forget the conversation between a fictional Steve Jobs and Bill Gates in "Pirates of Silicon Valley":
    fictional Steve Jobs: We're better than you are. We have better stuff.
    fictional Bill Gates: You don't get it, Steve--that doesn't matter!

    --
    Furry cows moo and decompress.
  16. Re:I have a coworker who kept saying it was hardwa by dtfinch · · Score: 4, Funny

    Some of us developers working for smaller businesses need to handle EVERYTHING.

    "Hey, Dave, make our fundamentally different, colocated e-commerce sites securely share all their data amongst each other and seemlessly integrate it with this new proprietary MRP solution. Upgrade our computers when we're not using them. Find a legal way to install this one copy of Office onto all these computers. Make our computers faster and better. Don't touch my computer. Upgrade our Norton Antivirus server and all our clients. None of us want login passwords, but we do want security. This one mid-90's era server ought to be enough for all our needs. We want video conferencing on all our sites. We don't want to buy anything."

    I do almost as much IT support as I do development.

  17. Complete with ad for "Windows 2003 Server." by spoot · · Score: 4, Funny

    I thought it was amusing when I surfed over to the Post to read the article there was an ad for "Windows 2003 Server" on the page. I had to take a screen shot. If you want it it's here --> http://johnford.net/images/windows_ad01.jpg

  18. This story is nice by inkswamp · · Score: 4, Funny
    So Windows is insecure by design, huh?

    It's so nice to see Microsoft finally get something right.

    --
    --Rick "If it isn't broken, take it apart and find out why."
  19. Re:Dorms the breeding grounds?? by andrewski · · Score: 2, Funny

    God, you should give your kid some oregano and tell him to make his tuition by selling it as grass. Sounds like these kids aren't just dumb enough to smoke it, they're dumb enough to get really high in the process!

  20. Re:Total Windows XP updates by Brendan+Byrd · · Score: 2, Funny

    Read the rest of this comment...

    That, in and of itself, is funny.