PC attack every 12 minutes

Just thought this might be an interesteing read for switchers...

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/...rgeted+by+hackers+'50+times+a+day'/article.do

Just saw it on Drudge... I'm so glad I'm done with Windows!

wow. im so glad i mainly use mac now!

Well duh. I just plainly can only smirk and turn the other way.

For one, I chose a Mac because it's the only thing I feel I can call a computer without getting a bad conscience.

Then, taking care of a PC is an art for itself. It's a bit of common sense and doesn't cost anything to get protection.

It's also upto the user. And since I AM a user, I chose a Mac instead of AVG Free AntiVirus Version 6.5.3.5.6.2.1 RP3 .

PCs are easy to keep from being attacked. Never hook up to the internet. :black:

sursuciofla said:

PCs are easy to keep from being attacked. Never hook up to the internet. :black:

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Since I use my main PC for games on the computer and not on the net, except for my LAN I have no reason to use it on the net. I use OSX for that.

Open System Preferences, click "Sharing", and turn on Remote Login.

Leave it on for a few days and check your logs in Console.

See how many login attempts you get. (I've done this before and I got around 20 hits.)

I thinks thats a bit OTT, they had something about this on the BBC, they had minor attacks (pop ups) every 15 minutes, but only a hijack attempt every 2 hours.

The PC with no AV got seven viruses over two weeks (they kept it up to date with MS Patches)

The one with AV had no problems.

I think its just about actually updating, having a firewall and not opening files like lol.jpg.exe

surfwax95 said:

Open System Preferences, click "Sharing", and turn on Remote Login.

Leave it on for a few days and check your logs in Console.

See how many login attempts you get. (I've done this before and I got around 20 hits.)

Click to expand...

I take it no one got in? I have looked at the logs and also my router logs. Amazing how many people tried to get in my network.

Right now my server runs on 2K Pro till I can get OSX Server down the road. I checked the Firewall logs and saw hit after hit, but never any damage. I have the server pretty well protected.

Pretty much why I usually direct people with little or no computer experience and who won't want to learn what to do to take care of Windows to buy a Mac. Linux is also really nice, but still is not for novices unless they are just using it as is and not wanting to add much of anything.

Nope, no one got in because I am "teh U|33|2 1337".

Not really, the logs show only 2 or 3 password attempts via SSH, so they weren't trying too hard.

i'm no XP fanboy, but for the sake of fairness, it should be pointed out that they specifically installed XP with no service packs, didnt run any updates (which MS pretty much forces you to do), and didnt have it behind a router/firewall (which the vast majority of users now do). it was a pretty flawed experiment in my opinion. of course an out of date OS with no protection will get hit.

granted, i still think OS X would do much better in the same circumstances, its not a real relevant or telling experiment that they setup by a long shot.

the part that gets me is that you have to be a power-user of sorts at this point to NOT get automatic updates, and yet any power user would know how to secure the machine, so it isnt even the "old ladies who dont know what they are doing are prone to attacks" argument. there is no person who would actually run the machine like this.

anyway, like i said, i am no XP fanboy, but it needed to be said. biased research pisses me off, especially when it is so blatant that it was obviously set up to fail.

mike n said:

i'm no XP fanboy, but for the sake of fairness, it should be pointed out that they specifically installed XP with no service packs, didnt run any updates (which MS pretty much forces you to do), and didnt have it behind a router/firewall (which the vast majority of users now do). it was a pretty flawed experiment in my opinion. of course an out of date OS with no protection will get hit.

granted, i still think OS X would do much better in the same circumstances, its not a real relevant or telling experiment that they setup by a long shot.

the part that gets me is that you have to be a power-user of sorts at this point to NOT get automatic updates, and yet any power user would know how to secure the machine, so it isnt even the "old ladies who dont know what they are doing are prone to attacks" argument. there is no person who would actually run the machine like this.

anyway, like i said, i am no XP fanboy, but it needed to be said. biased research pisses me off, especially when it is so blatant that it was obviously set up to fail.

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I would agree with you there, its sad that people try to prove points by doing flawed unfair experiments. I agree with you

my pc windows machine has been been virus free, and clean for years and up to this date. never been attacked or penetrated. you just have to know how to protect your windows machine, there's no rocket science involved.

Who's to say 10-20 years from now this won't be Apple's Mac OS? And I read this article (old article but same point) long time before and don't think you are immune from being attacked by viruses or hackers...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12537279/

I think many Mac loyalists (I being one of them) are blind when it comes to the subject. I love Apple and I love Macs but I know anything is possible.

Kulokoy said:

my pc windows machine has been been virus free, and clean for years and up to this date. never been attacked or penetrated. you just have to know how to protect your windows machine, there's no rocket science involved.

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Exactly. I have never had any problems with Windows.

Sorry, double post

Windows is horrendous. I've just built my dad a PC but we only have an original Win XP CD from 2001. I still haven't managed to install it properly yet.

As soon as you install, Windows Messenging attacks you, so that has to be turned off. The settings for this are hidden well away. Next, I go onto Google and search for MSN Updates. This takes a lot of faffing and downloading of new installers. Then I try to get AVG Antivirus and install it. It immediately flags up all sorts of trojans and where they've come from I've no idea because I've only been on Google and Microsoft.

Then I try to get Service Pack 2. Online it won't let me as it says I have a dodgy copy of Windows, which isn't true. So I try using automatic updates. 250megs later and after half an hour of installation, it gets stuck at the end and I have to restart. This causes it to have to roll back to the original version, which takes another half an hour. Eventually I get going and my internet connection stops after 5 mins and I get inundated by worms and trojans. AVG goes crazy and says it can't get rid of some of them. I download a fix for a particular virus which I have to run in safe mode, which turns out to have no effect.

So I reinstall Windows from scratch.

Then I go through the same rigmarole and after Service Pack 2 finally installs, I restart and get an error 'NTLDR not found. Press ctrl-alt-delete'. So now I can't even start the machine and have to start all over AGAIN.
Pathetic.

Windows is fine if you've patched up when you're supposed to over the last couple of years. My main machine is perfect. Try and do it from scratch with no service packs and it's a complete nightmare because it's so badly written. I don't care when people say 'Macs are no better than PCs. People just don't bother writing viruses for them.' Surely an egomaniac virus writer in the far east or whatever would love to have the recognition of being the first to get a damaging Mac virus out there. OS X is a far better written OS. If WinXP was so secure, they wouldn't be bleating on about how scure vista is in comparison. It also makes me laugh when I see TV ads on about how secure MS are making their software as if they're taking the credit for trying to fix the piece of crap they brought out in the first place.

Rant over!