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Virus Writers Look Ahead: Target 64-bit Windows
Ashcrow writes "A new virus, named W64.Shruggle.1318 by Symantec, is being 'tested' on AMD64 machines running 64-bit Windows. While it is not currently a danger to 64-bit Windows users, it does show that virus writers are looking toward the future. The exploitable software in questions is currently unreleased outside of beta. News.com has the full article."
that Windows is just targeted because it is so popular, not because of inherent security problems.
After all Windows 64-bit is allready installed on millions and millions of machines so it is only natural that hackers attack it instead of those few machines that run 64-bit Linux.
Oh, wait...
Nevermind.
Sometimes it is almost as if antivirus companies hire people to write all those "proof of concept" virusses, just to make sure that they don't loose any marketshare and they have another good reason to have their spread through press releases...
Ricardo.
Yes, but....
Maybe I am too much into conspicy stuff, but I have the idea that it is in Symantec's best interests that their clients believe that even the new, upgraded OSes need virus protection.
So they are going to look VERY hard to find reasons why 64 bit XP needs new anti-virus tools.
..causing Jonny Public and his family endless grief, making them stick to windows 2000 or 98.
The general public are stupid and would not even be able to handle that level of security! They'd want to know why their new mouse cursors can't be installed, why their IE search bar needs a password, etc, etc
I am a viral sig. Please copy me and help me spread. Thank you.
The general public are stupid and would not even be able to handle that level of security! They'd want to know why their new mouse cursors can't be installed, why their IE search bar needs a password, etc, etc
Good. It's time for the general public to suck it up.
If the general public can handle OSX (and presumably they can), then they can handle this. OSX installers require the admin password.
I was almost with you, right up to the "Any .exe not installed by the MS Installer should be marked as "dirty", and windows should refuse to run it" comment.
I understand your concern, but this would break compatibility with absolutely everything, which would be enough to make people avoid upgrading. I agree that it would make virus-writers lives more difficult, but its at too high a price on the user's experience.
Maybe an alternative would be an Admin-controlled "install mode" - drop into that, and for the duration of the session anything can be installed, and will automatically marked as 'good'. Disconnecting from the network while that is running would obviously be handy, too.
"I Know You Are But What Am I?"
Who modded this insightful? I am on windows, I have no problems whatsoever, I don't even have tracking cookies and I haven't been hit by a virus since 1999 or something like that. So quit calling people retards just because they are using windows in a network environment! P.S. I have nothing against linux, I would love to switch but there are no drivers for my USB PPPoE modem for linux. I am not even talking about driver problems on BeOS (which I consider better than linux).
AMD has the NX bit, and ISTR that Intel doesn't have it on their IA32e, or whatever the heck they call it, and that they reserved NX for IA-64. The NX bit makes the job more demanding for virus and worm writers, so I would expect AMD to give them additional concerns.
The living have better things to do than to continue hating the dead.
Yeah. It's really crippling being able to run a variety of commercial software including all the latest games.
Sheesh, what's with all the OS hate around here? Linux, Windows, BSD, Mac OS, Mac OS X, etc are just tools. Tools that can help you get jobs done. Use the best tool for the job. I wouldn't imagine editing video on anything but OS X, just like I wouldn't imagine playing games on anything but Windows, just like I wouldn't imagine running a dedicated server on anything but Linux.
No one OS is crippling. Limiting yourself due to fanaticism is.
Etiquette is etiquette. He kills his mother but he can't wear grey trousers.
It'll be idiot proof, so anyone can get infected...
It won't be idiot proof, it will be idiot dependent
Pavlov. Does this name ring a bell?