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The Windows Security Nightmare
latif writes "Microsoft has set aside a $5 million fund for paying off informants on malware authors. In my opinion a good chunk of this money deserves to be paid to individuals who help catch the Microsoft employees behind the design of Windows Registry and Windows Update. As I found out, the two mis-features work together to deprive Windows users of all protection from malware. The details of my experience are in the article Why Windows is a Security Nightmare." In a related story, Anonymous Wussie writes "This guy had family with a problem: A Windows XP computer hit by worms that couldn't stay on-line long enough to get patched. His solution? A CD. This article describes the custom made CD he sent to his family member with patches, tools, and instructions to make a fresh install of Windows XP Home Internet safe. I know I'll be doing this in the future."
Too bad the firewall software loads *last* in the startup sequence, leaving a gaping hole of anywhere from 20 seconds to two minutes (on a slow machine) when your machine is on the net and unprotected. And during the height of worm activity, that's *more than enough* time to get infected.
So you build the machine offline. Leave ethernet disconnected right up until the moment you're ready to hit Windows Update. You're already booted up with the firewall enabled. Connect cable, wait a few seconds for XP to notice it, hit update. Voila.
"An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it." Col. Jeff Cooper
god, just unplug the cable until it boots up (and start dhcp manually) - still, this is pathetic ...
What kind of half assed analogy is that? Are you saying that the only difference between windows and linux is the brand name? Oh, wait, the only difference is that Windows is what you buy to save a few bucks?
You can make all the arguements you want on why you think linux is better than windows. Your friend paid money for windows for a reason. Maybe it's because it's all he's used to and he doesn't like linux "because it doesn't reproduce the features and bugs of windows exactly", but it wasn't a decision based on saving a few bucks, it was a decision based on making the most out of his computer. Period.
If I had a friend who was having computer problems (no matter the OS), I would help them.
Yep... some bored seniors on the are as active as bored kids.