“Frightening”
I realize that 95% of the world runs Microsoft, but it doesn’t mean that 95% of the world is right. You can argue the fallacy being a bigger target, but UNIX, the underpinnings of Mac and Linux, has been around 35+ years.
Even Microsoft’s own exec called a recent hack “frightening.”
I can’t blame MS entirely though. This is the part that will most likely earn the wrath of some my most favorite people. Most novice users either do not care or are totally ignorant of how to manage their own security, much less their own data. So you have a company that has a horrible track record of security and a large user-base that is apathetic about security — based on 20+ years of computing experience at this point. Great combo, no?
Am I suggesting that you run right out and buy a Mac or load Linux over your shiny Windows computer? Not on your life. Read something other than the most recent Harry Potter book. Read about how to secure Windows XP/Vista. Do SOMETHING other than cry the defeatist mantra, “What can I do it about?” What can you do about it?
An army of consultants can not, I repeat for emphasis can’t(!) protect you from yourself. They can not train the apathy out of you. If you don’t care. If you don’t educate yourself. If you don’t try, it is simply a matter of time before you put your computer in your car to have it “fixed” by Ye Olde Computer Shoppe.
Yes, I think I will be revisiting this topic again. And again. And again.
November 14th, 2007 at 9:57 pm
Angry?
Those who assume that they will be taken care of by governments or their software will soon find out what is meant by ‘the big lie’.
November 14th, 2007 at 10:10 pm
No, not angry. Not at all, Skip. Actually it is a sense of disbelief. I had a good friend say those words to me. Then another. Then another. Then it just hit me that you can’t hold Microsoft 100% responsible for the state of security on the desktop if the end users will do nothing to educate themselves. So, when I chose to write on this subject, I wanted to take a completely different direction and get people’s attention. My audience is fairly local: friends, family, and parents. I won’t leave it at just this; I intend to follow up with an answer to “What can I do?” Until then, folks need to read on how to protect themselves, search Google, etc. Frankly, their kids are often more Internet savvy than the parents, although cliche, that isn’t how it should be.
I want people to read this blog to comment, complain, get upset. They bank online. Shop online. I would bet 90% of them don’t know when it is safe or how to protect themselves.
Anyhow, it is late — night.
November 21st, 2007 at 10:14 am
I feel this is directed at me. Okay…I get the message.
Crissi
November 21st, 2007 at 10:17 am
Crissi,
Nope, but I am glad it resonated with you in some way.
January 16th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
U are right I do not know how, but I am trying to learn more about security. It is a tough problem to solve. It seems as soon as one problem is solved, another one pops up. it is a continuing problem that has to be worked with all the time. My best solution is not to put anything on the computer that u care about anyone else having access to it.
Dad