Attack of the zombies
Jun. 30th, 2004 10:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
plonqI figured that was the cause when I couldn't connect to LJ last night or this morning.
I know this doesn't apply to anyone in my friends' list, but I feel the need to vent. I agree with Brad's post on this matter up to a point. I think he is misguided when he says, "One thing you can do to help is not run Windows." Uh, sorry Brad, but I don't think it works that way. Let's just suppose the wet dream of all the "mom's basement" crowd came true and suddenly every single windows user out there suddenly converted to Linux or OSX. Instead of clueless users running insecure Windows boxes, we'd have clueless users running Linux or OSX boxes - with even LESS idea of how to secure their systems.
The solution is simple:
IF YOU ARE GOING TO RUN WINDOWS THEN PLEASE SECURE YOUR FUCKING SYSTEM. There is no excuse for not securing one's system except for ignorance and/or laziness. Apply the patches - they're free. Get a virus scanner - AVG is free. Get a firewall. ZoneAlarm is free.
Better yet, spend the $30 for a router with a built-in hardware firewall. If you must use Internet Explorer and Outlook/Outlook Express then KEEP THEM UP TO DATE AND TIGHTEN UP THEIR SECURITY SETTINGS. It's not rocket science, and it's not even that hard. If you don't know how to do it, ask someone. We'll be happy to help - it's to our advantage if your system isn't the equivalent of a bug-infested, phlem-spewing toddler in a crowded elevator.
If securing IE is too much for you to figure out then dump IE and use Firefox. It's a vastly superior browser anyway. Scan your sytem with AdAware and/or Spybot Search & Destroy occasionally and break the fingers of the last person using the computer if they find anything. If you can't figure out how to secure OE then get a fucking Hotmail account and have people mail you there.
I am growing tired of making housecalls to people whose computers are riddled with spyware, adware, viruses and trojans. These are people who should know better. Sometimes their kids have disabled the virus scanner because it "slows the computer down too much". Not to be insensitive, but if that's the case then get a faster computer or get off the fucking internet. There are three people who I have been cajoling and brow-beating to change their ways when they are online and, bless them, I think some of it is finally starting to sink in.
When somebody gets behind the wheel of their car and drives it through a crowded fruit stand, the least we do is take away their license. When somebody gets on the internet and, through ignorance, laziness or incompetence, hands the keys over to some junior script-kiddie, the least we should be able to do is pull the plug on their connection until they can prove that they have changed their ways. If that doesn't work then I'm all about putting a bullet through their CPU as a mercy-killing. Grrr.
I know this doesn't apply to anyone in my friends' list, but I feel the need to vent. I agree with Brad's post on this matter up to a point. I think he is misguided when he says, "One thing you can do to help is not run Windows." Uh, sorry Brad, but I don't think it works that way. Let's just suppose the wet dream of all the "mom's basement" crowd came true and suddenly every single windows user out there suddenly converted to Linux or OSX. Instead of clueless users running insecure Windows boxes, we'd have clueless users running Linux or OSX boxes - with even LESS idea of how to secure their systems.
The solution is simple:
IF YOU ARE GOING TO RUN WINDOWS THEN PLEASE SECURE YOUR FUCKING SYSTEM. There is no excuse for not securing one's system except for ignorance and/or laziness. Apply the patches - they're free. Get a virus scanner - AVG is free. Get a firewall. ZoneAlarm is free.
Better yet, spend the $30 for a router with a built-in hardware firewall. If you must use Internet Explorer and Outlook/Outlook Express then KEEP THEM UP TO DATE AND TIGHTEN UP THEIR SECURITY SETTINGS. It's not rocket science, and it's not even that hard. If you don't know how to do it, ask someone. We'll be happy to help - it's to our advantage if your system isn't the equivalent of a bug-infested, phlem-spewing toddler in a crowded elevator.
If securing IE is too much for you to figure out then dump IE and use Firefox. It's a vastly superior browser anyway. Scan your sytem with AdAware and/or Spybot Search & Destroy occasionally and break the fingers of the last person using the computer if they find anything. If you can't figure out how to secure OE then get a fucking Hotmail account and have people mail you there.
I am growing tired of making housecalls to people whose computers are riddled with spyware, adware, viruses and trojans. These are people who should know better. Sometimes their kids have disabled the virus scanner because it "slows the computer down too much". Not to be insensitive, but if that's the case then get a faster computer or get off the fucking internet. There are three people who I have been cajoling and brow-beating to change their ways when they are online and, bless them, I think some of it is finally starting to sink in.
When somebody gets behind the wheel of their car and drives it through a crowded fruit stand, the least we do is take away their license. When somebody gets on the internet and, through ignorance, laziness or incompetence, hands the keys over to some junior script-kiddie, the least we should be able to do is pull the plug on their connection until they can prove that they have changed their ways. If that doesn't work then I'm all about putting a bullet through their CPU as a mercy-killing. Grrr.
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no subject
Date: 2004-06-30 08:28 pm (UTC)What you said is not entirely true (about being lazy or ignorant), and here's my reasoning: for dial-up users it's almost impossible to get the patches without losing a few months of your life. This has been a constant source of aggravation for my company since roughly 800 of our laptops are in the field on dial-up service. They come in to the office maybe once every 8 months or so, which makes staying current a rather difficult proposition at best.
Sure, it's easier if you stay current so you only have to download one hotfix instead of 17, but let's face it... at 28.8k a 1.5MB hotfix is nothing to sneeze at. When they get punished by two or three days of new patches they're going to become a little gunshy. I'm not sure how we can work around this, but I don't entirely blame them for avoiding patches if they don't have access to a DSL or cable modem at home (or a happy internet-enabled LAN at work).
no subject
Date: 2004-06-30 08:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-01 01:40 pm (UTC)One thing I definitely miss about living with the 'rents - Road Runner. *sigh*
no subject
Date: 2004-07-01 01:37 pm (UTC)I pay $8.95 for a cheap-ass dialup connection. For someone who's broke, I think I've done all right. :p