Search results matching tags 'Linux' and 'malware'

RE: Why Linux Will Never Suffer From Viruses Like Windows

mhenriday — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 10:02:03 GMT

[quote user="crazy4chrissi"]

"BIOS -> no USB boot = Be a great admin"

Great? Not the most stupid maybe.

Kid: Boot normal Windows (restricted access) -> run BIOS password tool -> go into bios -> change settings -> boot whatever he wants -> even change the installed windows os

You might say it's not that easy. Fact is, when I was in school, I did exactly that. I managed to install _a webserver_ on one of the computers, that was accessible within the whole school network.

And there were all those usual things like bios passwords, restricted accounts and stuff like that. It was comparably easy still. ;-)

I must admit that before that, the school PCs had these fancy hardware-cards that did not really write anything permanently on hard-drive, so always when you restarted, the computer was clean again. We did not find a way around these. Except using a screwdriver, opening the case and removing the card ;-)

A good physical case could probably avoid that to some extent.

[/quote]

Selection pressures seem to have made us the most ingenious of animals - great story !...

Henri

RE: Why Linux Will Never Suffer From Viruses Like Windows

mhenriday — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 14:50:32 GMT

Excellent post, A Dent - your description parallels my own (limited) experience in installing Linux (Ubuntu) on the computers of the retirees I often help. I usually have no problem convincing them to install and try Firefox and/or Chrome alongside the pre-installed IE, and the vast majority seem to prefer these browsers and to stick with one of them. But I've found suggesting a non-legacy operating system far more difficult ; generally speaking I refrain from doing so. In a few cases, however, I've lent refurbished older computers on which I've installed Ubuntu to members of our organisation ; these users have universally found it easy to operate and I've noticed that they have required much less follow-up help than their coevals using various versions of Windows....

Henri

RE: Why Linux Will Never Suffer From Viruses Like Windows

mhenriday — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 11:20:24 GMT

While I submit, PLowe, that you are wrong with respect to operating systems, Windows being inherently more vulnerable than GNU/Linux, I quite agree that the most important thing to do is to educate users. But when you assume, as you seem to do, that «low-income computer users» are inherently less capable of adhering to good computing practice and/or more susceptible to the blandishment of free pornography than their more well-situated counterparts, your prejudices are showing. Indeed, with such an attitude, I wonder how successful you are in «educating» those low-income consumers with whom you deal so regularly....

Henri

RE: Firefox Users Exposed to Vulnerability Via MS Stealth Install

mhenriday — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:41:57 GMT

Endersothergame, in my opinion many Linux distros already are fully competitive with Microsoft's OS. Gamers who react to being locked in by Microsoft might want to note the recent Make Tech Easier article on the Djl game manager (http://preview.tinyurl.com/yfhvflk ), which provides «instant access» to over 100 games. Not being a gamer myself, I haven't installed it on my Ubuntu Karmic beta setups, but it would certainly be interesting to hear from gamers and Linux enthusiasts who have tried it....

Henri