__/ [ Mark Kent ] on Thursday 01 June 2006 11:23 \__
> begin oe_protect.scr
> Mathew P. <Mathew@xxxxxxxx> espoused:
>> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>> Hash: SHA1
>>
>> On 2006-06-01, Roy Schestowitz spake thusly:
>>> ,----[ Quote ]
>>>| A woman from Greater Manchester has become a victim of an internet scam
>>>| in which hackers hijack computer files and blackmail owners to get them
>>>| back.
>>>|
>>>| The new phenomenon, known as Ransomware, means victims cannot access
>>>| any of the files stored in their My Documents folder.
>>> `----
>>>
>>> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/5034384.stm
>>>
>>> Windows: Insecure by design.
>>> --Roy Culley
>>
>> I've read about this. Utterly amazing. How any clear thinking person
>> can deny the depth of security vulnerability, and the ease with which
>> serious breaches can and do occur in Windows, is a mystery. It's like
>> trying to support a theory that the earth is flat.
>>
>
> The more this kind of thing happens, the more people are going to be
> looking for secure alternatives. The MS-sponsored FUD (we've seen a lot
> of it here from the astroturfing crowd) is going to struggle to overcome
> problems as serious as this.
The problem may be that one of the selling point of Linux involves the
ridicule of a rival. Linux vendors will not play this game. They will boast
XGL, but rarely serve people some security 'enlightenment'. People will
knock themselves out and suffer before upgrading to Linux. Seen this
becoming the sole motivator to a Linux migration before...
One thing I love to see are some recent Ubuntu migrants (maybe weeks or
months old) who go out of their way to public forums telling Windows users
how great Ubuntu/Linux is. It leads to exponential expansion. The
chicken-and-egg scenario (e.g. vendors providing drivers, application ports)
is soon to be eliminated.
>> It's perfectly OK to like and use windows; but those individuals that
>> refuse to aknowledge the huge security risks are being dangerously
>> rediculous.
>
> Or they're being paid to do so.
I know it's slightly off topic, but I spent over an hour this morning erasing
SPAM. I can assure you that, judging by the repetitive nature of it, it was
spewed out from Windows zombies. Being a Microsoft-free person, I continue
to live as a sufferer, which I think is unfair. The legal newsgroups said
that no case can be made against anybody. That's what the majority said
anyway...
Best wishes,
Roy
--
Roy S. Schestowitz | One, Two, Free Open Source Software (FOSS)
http://Schestowitz.com | Free as in Free Beer ¦ PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
11:30am up 34 days 18:02, 9 users, load average: 0.31, 0.57, 0.92
http://iuron.com - semantic engine to gather information
|
|
