A Naive User's Guide to Running Windows More Securely
Linked by Alcibiades on Wed 4th Jan 2006 18:04 UTC
Windows Like a lot of people who have worked in the business, I find myself in conversations about computer security with people who are having problems or know people who have problems. I wrote this to save me from explaining the same thing over and over again to different people, and to save them the trouble of having to make notes as we talked. It was meant to be something you could give to a 'naive user' and have them be able to read and follow it more or less unaided, and while not being a complete guide, at least be something that made them more secure than before they got it.
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RE[3]: Dang!
by Snifflez on Thu 5th Jan 2006 06:57 UTC in reply to "RE[2]: Dang!"
Snifflez
Member since:
2005-11-15

"You need to do much more then Spyware scans, you must also pay for and update virus scan, you must spend time trying to figure out if emails even from your friends can contain malware."

This is a weak argument. Since HTML itself cannot be executable, all you have to watch out for are the attachments. However, in this day and age, if you're dumb enough to click on an attachement without making sure that it's safe... well, you deserve to have your system borked by malware; maybe that'll teach you the lesson of being careful online.

Secondly, periodically paying for an update to your virus scanner isn't exactly a huge time-killer, since those subscriptions last a long time. Once again, with most of those services, you can schedule the frequency of getting the updates and scanning your system. Those processes will be run in the background, thereby not affecting your overall performance due to the fact that Windows is a multi-tasking OS. Your argument still doesn't wash.

I will give you the WMF vulnerability. It does sound quite scary. Overall however, it fails to prove your point that Windows is hard to maintain periodically. Every OS is bound to have its "scary virus" once in a while.

I'm not going to bother replying to the emotionally charged anti-Windows ranting and raving that constitutes the rest of your post. I don't like using Windows, but emotional appeals have nothing to do with logical reasoning.

Reply Parent Score: 1

RE[4]: Dang!
by Windows Sucks on Thu 5th Jan 2006 07:26 in reply to "RE[3]: Dang!"
Windows Sucks Member since:
2005-11-10

Wow, so I wonder why I don't have to pay for that stuff on any other OS.

I wonder why when on my Mac if I slip up and click on an attachment I dont have to worry that my computer is gonna die.

I wonder why there are more security applications for Windows then any other type of application.

And why should I pay for Microsofts problems?

So because MS has a ton of money and their products still suck, I am being emotional? Yet we all sit here day in and day out and compare MS's products to products made by companies (Some of which like Ubuntu don't even have an income)

You don't find that odd? Come on now.

All I can say is that I showed my grandmother this page today and asked her if she wanted to do this to her machine so she could use Windows. She laughed cause she could not understand any of it.

All she could say is "Why don't I have to do any of that on the Ubuntu machine you set up for me" LOL! All I could do whas shrug my sholders.

Reply Parent Score: 1