basic - continued

[Rafiq Hajat]

>> The smart user only installs from the repos, does not open strange
>> emails and for sure does not click on anything in these emails. Last
>> but not least they have their router and their firewalls set up and
>> running. They also might have root kit detectors installed and if
they
>> are really careful might have a CD that they can run to check their
>> system for them because when you boot from a CD you know what the
>> software is and where it came from, hopefully. I guess you still
might
>> get caught by a bios infection.
> 
> In other words, one does what smart Windows users have been doing for
a
> good while.

Yes.. You can be perfectly safe on Windows if taking enough precautions.
Don't even need antivirus or other anti-stuff. Though it takes effort; 
more than
most are willing to put in.

Linux has a better security model, though. Microsoft just tacked it on
the existing architecture.

>> The truth is that we are NEVER 100% safe. Back up your data! Run a
>> tight ship, be smart and well informed!
> 
> Exactly. But unfortunately some people go about on mailing lists
telling
> others there are no Linux viruses, creating a false sense, or, even
> worse, a culture, of (in)security for someone to exploit once the
> platform gains the critical mass that warrants someone's starting to
> abuse it.

I agree.
Same situation with MacOS users. They get told they are invulnerable.

All I know is that every windows PC around here seems to be infected
with all sorts of nasty stuff. I go to the studio, plug in my flash
stick into the WIn XP PC to play some music that I've recorded and when
I return home, I plug in that flash stick and find all sorts of .exe
and.scn files that should not be there. I am relatively untouched as an
Ubuntu user and can clean the disk, but friends using a Windows OS have
been severely afflicted. 
Thank you Linus - may God bless you for starting this whole wonderful
movement! 


Rafiq Hajat
Executive Director,
The Institute for Policy Interaction
P. O. Box E14, Post Dot Net ,
Blantyre - Malawi.
Cell: +265 999 968800
www.ipimalawi.org 

On Sun, 2010-02-07 at 16:18 +0000, ubuntu-users-request at lists.ubuntu.com
wrote:
> >> The smart user only installs from the repos, does not open strange
> >> emails and for sure does not click on anything in these emails.
> Last
> >> but not least they have their router and their firewalls set up and
> >> running. They also might have root kit detectors installed and if
> they
> >> are really careful might have a CD that they can run to check their
> >> system for them because when you boot from a CD you know what the
> >> software is and where it came from, hopefully. I guess you still
> might
> >> get caught by a bios infection.
> > 
> > In other words, one does what smart Windows users have been doing
> for a
> > good while.
> 
> Yes.. You can be perfectly safe on Windows if taking enough
> precautions.
> Don't even need antivirus or other anti-stuff. Though it takes
> effort; 
> more than
> most are willing to put in.
> 
> Linux has a better security model, though. Microsoft just tacked it on
> the existing architecture.
> 
> >> The truth is that we are NEVER 100% safe. Back up your data! Run a
> >> tight ship, be smart and well informed!
> > 
> > Exactly. But unfortunately some people go about on mailing lists
> telling
> > others there are no Linux viruses, creating a false sense, or, even
> > worse, a culture, of (in)security for someone to exploit once the
> > platform gains the critical mass that warrants someone's starting to
> > abuse it.
> 
> I agree.
> Same situation with MacOS users. They get told they are invulnerable.
>