Researchers from a little-known security software company named Sunbelt Software have seemingly uncovered a criminal identity theft ring of massive proportions. According to one of their employees, Alex Eckelberry, during the course of one of their recent investigations into a particular Spyware application - rumored to be called CoolWebSearch - they've discovered that the personal information of those "infected" was being captured and uploaded to a server.
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Member since:"OSS is not a solution to the spyware problem."
Yes, it is. This solution has no equivalent in Windows.
There is no such thing as OSS malware. So use just OSS. This is easily identifiable - it is that set of software which you can get using your package manager.
"Everyone who is security aware knows what applications are spyware and wich are not. The problem is that "Joe User" don't know and dont care to know. The percentage of Joe Users that know or care wont' go up just because the application is OSS'ed."
Begs the point. If a Joe user has Windows - he will cop all sorts of malware.
If he has Linux - far, far less likely to happen.
If he has Linux and pays heed to one simple rule - it won't happen.
"The solution is to make users security aware and make them care"
That is one solution - change the world & improve all the people in it.
Or we could do it the actually achieveable way.
Member since:"Yes, it is. This solution has no equivalent in Windows."
Perhaps you have been living under a rock for the last 10 years but there is OSS software on Windows.
And there is non-OSS software on Linux.
Again, OSS is NOT a solution to the spyware problem. Just because there is no OSS malware at the moment does not mean there couldnt be or that there never will be.
The problem is not that spyware cant be identified, the problem is to make users aware of it and how it works. It helps little if the computing elite knows something is spyware if the big majority doesnt know and doesnt care.
"That is one solution - change the world & improve all the people in it."
"Or we could do it the actually achieveable way."
Because switching the entire planet to OSS and Linux is achieveable in the short term....
It's not a technical problem, it cant be solved by technical means.
Member since:
"Such a person probably has a security motive for doing that in the first place."
(...)
"People who are keen for security and follow that advice - will have zero problems."
This is, as much as I hate to say it, the same on Windows. If you're security aware you will not get hit by Spyware.
"People who do not - might get a problem (very unlikely but it is possible)."
These people are the problem. Since Linux penetration on the desktop market is still, in comparison with Windows, relatively small there is not incentive for the spyware makers to target Linux right now. If/when (depending on who you talk to) Linux get a seriously big market share this *will* be a problem since there will be many more users who aren't security aware and ripe for targetting.
"So - spread the word - you want to keep your new Linux system clean and secure? Then only install open-source applications from a repository."
OSS is not a solution to the spyware problem. Everyone who is security aware knows what applications are spyware and wich are not. The problem is that "Joe User" don't know and dont care to know. The percentage of Joe Users that know or care wont' go up just because the application is OSS'ed.
The solution is to make users security aware and make them care.