Oh ya, it's windows afterall, if the apple ads are true then windows is pretty fragile and within a few minutes you'll have all kinds of malware and viruses, best be all patched up
That thing which all PC nerds love. OS reinstall...right?!
- Thread starter Grall
- Start date
Silent_Buddha
Legend
Oh ya, it's windows afterall, if the apple ads are true then windows is pretty fragile and within a few minutes you'll have all kinds of malware and viruses, best be all patched up
Gah, don't remind me. I still shudder at how busy I was when Code Red hit the net... And all those unpatched XP boxes I was fixing for months and months after that would get infected because people refused to update their XP install. /sigh.
The most fun was friends of mine who were die hard, "Windows Update Sucks." people. Yeah, they'd figure out they were infected by Code Red. Clean install of Windows XP. Connect to the internet. Infected within seconds of connecting to the internet.
I gave away so many CD's with XP service packs on it, because I couldn't be arsed to do it myself for friends that were so stupid they avoided windows update like the plague.
Regards,
SB
Blazkowicz
Legend
I'm one of those stupid Windows Update avoiders!
during the worm years I was avoiding XP too and ran an OS without services or even users : 98SE. (I mean, user accounts)
I still regret it (there was no need to segregate between DOS and windows games)
during the worm years I was avoiding XP too and ran an OS without services or even users : 98SE. (I mean, user accounts)
I still regret it (there was no need to segregate between DOS and windows games)
I never had problems with my XP install getting virus's or malware, even before SP2, then again that's when I started using alternative browsers like Firefox, back when it was called Phoenix./firebird.
I usually have windows update set to download updates but let me install them btw.
Blazkowicz
Legend
you were probably behind a router.
back then it was common to be directly facing the net (pppoe DSL, if you weren't on dial-up), XP was hosed before you even ran IE to grab the SP or hotfix.
at one point I had a router (old PC with two ISA NICs).. running windows 98, no matter how stupid that sounds, with some shareware router software.
back then it was common to be directly facing the net (pppoe DSL, if you weren't on dial-up), XP was hosed before you even ran IE to grab the SP or hotfix.
at one point I had a router (old PC with two ISA NICs).. running windows 98, no matter how stupid that sounds, with some shareware router software.
Many of those people who hate(d) windows update had probably pirated windows registration keys anyway, and were getting paranoid when MS was getting increasingly concerned about piracy, with online activation and genuine copy and whatnot...
Today it's just sheer idiocy to not update your OS install, with all the malware and botnet crap circulating out there. No way around it, if you don't update you're dumb.
Today it's just sheer idiocy to not update your OS install, with all the malware and botnet crap circulating out there. No way around it, if you don't update you're dumb.
I also (partially) hate windows updates. Maybe it's a myth that started from the fact that Xp was indeed slowed down when installing (at least in my experience). I can't really tell if this went on with vista (although I had been using it for two years - also installing some of the updates), it was slow probably due to all sorts of services i had enabled.
Anyway, for vista & 7 I do install most updates that seem to be related to performance& compatibility. I skip most security updates as NT 6.x is actually quite secure and i don't visit any bizarre web places. Anyway, we all have AVs and firewalls up-to date, we have routers with firewalls on them and ISPs are using some fw protection as well.
Anyway, for vista & 7 I do install most updates that seem to be related to performance& compatibility. I skip most security updates as NT 6.x is actually quite secure and i don't visit any bizarre web places. Anyway, we all have AVs and firewalls up-to date, we have routers with firewalls on them and ISPs are using some fw protection as well.
Silent_Buddha
Legend
Problem with that is that you can still get "questionable" web code through advertisements on perfectly upstanding websites.
It's quite rare, but occasionally one slips through that targets older vulnerabilities in the OS and browser.
And as Blazkowicz mentioned above a lot of the pain and anguish from Code Red back then could have been mitigated if routers and/or modem+router combos were more prevalent. Either way, it gave the entire industry a kick in the pants that changed many things for the better in the aftermath.
But OMG, I still knew the occasional idiot that would get infected with it 6 to 12 months after the initial outbreak. Yeah, I want my unpatched XP box as the DMZ on my router. /blarf.
Regards,
SB
Pardon the language, but don't be a moron. Install the damn security updates, you have NO reason not to.
The fact there even are security updates tells you about the ACTUAL security of NT 6.x; IE, it's only as secure as you make it.
You can get attacked through compromised legitimate websites or, as already mentioned, adbanners for example, and these attacks aren't anything a firewall is going to stop. They'll come right on through since you were kind enough to not install the security updates that plug up the vulnerabilities these hacks use to gain access to your system.
Congratulations, your PC is now part of a botnet swarm controlled by an international criminal network, a busy little bee sending spam email and surrepticiously participating in DDOS attacks against other targets on the internet.
So don't be a fool. Install the damn security updates already...
Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.
Legend
I agree, all it takes is a legitimate looking link on a site that takes you somewhere that's been compromised, and OS security holes can be exploited straight to your desktop.
When you see the number of security patches from MS that involve phrases like "fixes a vulnerability that allows a remote attacker to take control of your machine through the use of maliciously crafted web code"....
Even behind a firewall, all it takes is a browser or script exploit, or for you to need a DMZ for a few minutes, or to have trouble with your internet so your ISP tells you to connect directly without a firewall or router to the modem, your virus scanner to be behind the curve because you get caught out early in a trojan's release, etc, and you can get compromised
Security isn't one thing, it's lots of layers, and they have to be continually updated and monitored.
