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Stop Being a Victim
Tim Mullen, 2004-04-27

An influential newspaper columnist blames "contemptuous techies" for allowing users to fall prey to viruses and spyware. But don't some users deserve a little contempt?

Comments Mode:
Stop Being a Victim 2004-04-28
Clownface (2 replies)
Consider the steps users had to take to infect themselves with some of the recent netsky virii - use a password to open a zip file, run the enclosed executable - these are not trivial skills. I know plenty of people who have no idea what a zip file is, let alone have WinZip or other Zip client installed. This is not a total lack of computer skills, they have enough to get themselves infected, and hopefully enough to clean up afterwards.

Education seemed like the answer - don't open unsolicited attachments, patch, AV, protect etc etc - but it obviously isn't working. As you say, users don't seem to really care if they get infected, and AV is failing to protect them.

Another problem is that for the next fifty years or so the majority of global internet users will be new users.There will always be a huge number of people who aren't quite switched on yet and are vulnerable to these attacks, and we will all suffer the consequences.

Happy happy, joy joy.

--

CF

[ reply ]

Link to this comment: http://www.securityfocus.com/comments/columns/236/25964#25964
Stop Being a Victim 2004-04-28
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Re: Stop Being a Victim 2005-07-10
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Stop Being a Victim 2004-04-28
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Stop Being a Victim 2004-04-28
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Stop Being a Victim 2004-04-28
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Stop Being a Victim 2004-04-28
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Victim !!? 2004-04-29
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I don't think people get it ... 2004-04-30
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What next? 2004-05-06
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Afterfreeze







 

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