Re: VIRUSes HOAXes Security/Trust Relations and, of course, Contradictions

From: George McKinlay (mckinlay@unr.edu)
Date: Wed May 22 2002 - 18:20:33 PDT


As Microsoft so likes to tout "one degree of separation"

Have you seen the MS ad with the wine merchant?

Imagine for a moment that the barrel of wine destroying all those racks
of wine is in fact a Microsoft virus (a payload of MS visual basic
mayhem usually) and the racks of wine is your data... then that scenario
that MS likes to tout as positive would (and should) scare the hell out
of anybody...

Hmm ...and that MS is so blind that they don't even understand that the
"one degree of separation" is in fact a terrifying scenario is even
more terrifying—untie that one...

It really is simple: use Microsoft applications, just don't use their
operating system ;-)

.net is .nut really!

Cheers

On Wednesday, May 22, 2002, at 02:28 PM, Nate Schmolze wrote:

> Or to get rid of or dismantle microsoft products, I'm serious.
>
> In addition to having AVG, I do all my email on the web (secure in more
> ways than one), and do not have any microsoft products installed on the
> computer. This is a must for anyone who does not want to be bothered by
> viruses.
>
> I no longer worry about hoaxes or viruses, and haven't for some time
> time. The last virus I had was Word 97 (every new line it indented to
> center of page, line after line after line) - Open Office Org 1.0 is my
> salvation now.
>
> Every virus I have ever had was because of some Microsoft "user
> friendly" loop hole to do something it had no business doing. In
> addition, not visiting windows update has also helped me be virus free.
>
> I did like the social capital argument though :)
>
>
>
>> The solution is also an age-old solution. One has to begin building a
>> new
>> social capital, a new trusted social network. For us, it is one that
>> knows
>> about viruses and their hoaxes, and has trusted resources at hand for
>> determining which is which. Part of that trusted social network is
>> the habit
>> of checking resouces for the authenticity of CV and VH threats. I
>> would like
>> to trust that threat warnings i receive here, on xmca, have been
>> validated.
>> Here is my contribution:
>>
>> http://www.lesley.edu/faculty/wbarowy/c7100/Security.html
>>
>> Don't hesitate to check it -- evertime i teach the course, I update the
>> references.
>>
>> bb
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
> nAtE
>
> vygotsky@charter.net
> http://webpages.charter.net/schmolze1/
>
>
> *****************************************
> The flag is a symbol of the fact that man is still a herd animal.
>
> Albert Einstein
>
> *****************************************
>
>
> _________________________________________________________________
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