I was told by my IT guy who keeps my computer safe DO NOT OPEN ANY ATTACHMENTS any and all even if you know who sent them
personal site hacking
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Comments
depends
you can virus scan ( if you use the only os that can be victimized by viruses, windows )
if you are on a real os ( macos, linux, irix, beos, openbsd, freebds, netbsd, pcbsd, aix, hpux), you don't have to worry and can open them.
Stupidity is a capital offense. A summary not indictable.
Don't be fooled
Those other OSes aren't magically immune from software with malicious intent, they just aren't big enough targets for most attacks.
Cat
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You can't choose your relatives but you can choose your family.
no immune
rootkits are the one real weakness they have
take linux for an example, 250 different distributions, each requiring 200 different applications for minimal functionality ( the kernel, glibc, xorg, binutils, bash, file system tools ( to make file system on partition ) and a few others. ) but the VERSIONS can be dramatically different.
and vulnerabilities are version specific.
so out of those 250 distros, your virus will work on, 5
your rootkit can work on all of them.
12 different gui options.
15 browsers that can be set as default
3 different installable office suites.
the fact they fit the unix specification ( mostly ) means they are designed for security, and the vast number of options even in the core system makes vulnerabilities very hard to find in a widespread installed application usage.
linux from scratch installs 70 packages, which does not include a gui, or any browser. that is the next book BLFS that adds these optional apps.
or, use the HLFS for an install that is secured from the get-go.
openBSD, the most secure operating system, by any quantifiable criteria. 4 ( yes only four ) exploits in the default install since they first came out with a release, almost 30 years ago.
windows 10, 1000 exploits already.
Stupidity is a capital offense. A summary not indictable.
Virtually secure is not impregnable
You originally suggested that if you have any *nix based OS then you can open any attachment with zero fear but Apple and Ubuntu do not share your confidence on the matter.
https://support.apple.com/kb/PH21797?viewlocale=en_US&locale...
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Antivirus
Yes, Windows has more issues but I'm not suggesting it's perfect, I'm just saying some of the "real OSes" are not perfect either.
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You can't choose your relatives but you can choose your family.
That used to be true
There is plenty of hackers making malware for all the operating systems and tablets, and cell phones! Windows gets the majority because that is what most of the world uses. Windows is running on 90% of machines worldwide. All those operating systems if they aren't running antivirus and anti-malware software are quite vulnerable. I have antivirus on my Kindle HDX and on my Android cell phone. Its 2015 not 2005 and they are looking for anywhere they can get in.
I don't really know what you mean by "real os" as the ones you listed are combined maybe about 10% and modern Windows since Windows 2000 has been rather rock solid generally speaking.
https://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share...
Okay Except for Vista
When it was first released it really sucked...it got better...
real os
a SECURE multi user operating system
microsoft windows fails on secure ( and as long as activex is system level and responds to INTERNET activation it will never be secure )
it also fails on proper multi user security.
every other os, you NEVER need to login as admin account, windows you almost never get anything accomplished if not in admin account.
name 1 anti malware app that is not only scanning for windows based malware, other than rootkits.
bzzzzt, fail they only scan for windows viruses.
that 90% market share, is a marketing lie you know
it is based on SALES and you cannot buy a computer without windows preloaded.
so it is absolutely unreliable data.
Stupidity is a capital offense. A summary not indictable.
Rk hunter
Rk hunter
Maldetect
Clamav
Sophos
Avast
They will all scan for Linux based root kits or php shells or bash shells. I have a windows Antivirus that often complains when I download backups from customers hacked websites. Windows is not the only issue out there and running a not extra secured Linux system and assuming it is bulletproof is just asking for a drastic failure.
My servers and Linux workstations all run firewalls, and get regular malware, virus, and root kit scans. Plus I use things like hardened php/suhosin and use extra security measures to lock down access to parts of filesystems.
Stuff can and will still get in if someone wants to. Always. The only real obtainable objective is to make yourself so difficult to penetrate that they move on to easier targets. The number one issue with security is rarely what OS u are using, but instead the naivety of the user operating it.
Another religious argument
which is the *real* operating system... Windows, DOS, Apple, *nix..... **yawn**
Technically, all desktop
Technically, all desktop operating systems are DOS - Disk Operating System. You could argue that ARM based systems aren't DOS, because they don't tend to have a disk :)
As for "Real" vs.. what? Fake? It all depends on your attitude. Right now, there are only _two_ types of operating systems out there for desktops. Microsoft Windows, and UNIX. (I'm using UNIX to describe the type of OS, not any particular flavour. Linux is a UNIX, BSDs are UNIX, etc). Before you jump to any conclusions that I'm ignoring Apple, I'm not. Apple's OSX and up are all FreeBSD with a different GUI on top. Apple stopped making OSes after OS 9, and rightfully concentrated on their user experience, rather than how to make all the hardware work. (KDE and GNOME are GUI's, just like OSX)
Yes, you can install KDE on a mac - https://community.kde.org/Mac
ChromeOS was a linux/unix variant, and is now simply known for the Chromebooks.
A nominal desktop unix/Linux install tends to expose little to no ports to the outside, and then you open what you need. A typical Windows install opens about six ports to the outside - mostly dealing with how to talk to other Windows machines. I have about 12 ports open to the 'outside' on my Kubuntu system - most of which are actually only available to localhost. Yes, there's quite a bit of truth to the suggestion that Windows gets hacked so often because it's the biggest target, but there's also a lot of truth to the mention that Linux/Macs are a lot harder _to_ hack. Most of the time, exploits on a Linux box are through the web server(s), rather than exploits through FTP, SSH, or one of the network drive sharing protocols. They're not through executable files. Even those that come in through PHP tend to not be able to root the system - they can only run as the web server user, which by default doesn't have access to anything but the web folder structure and the temporary directories.
Do I think people should migrate? Yes. I think there are a large number of people that would be perfectly happy with a SuSE or Ubuntu install for doing their work - as long as they could run Quickbooks. They don't really care about the system - they just want to turn the system on, run their programs, and not bother to reboot for six to twelve months at a time.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Er?
Technically, all desktop operating systems are DOS - Disk Operating System. You could argue that ARM based systems aren't DOS, because they don't tend to have a disk :)
Any computer that runs an Operating System that uses a File System can be regarded as being of the DOS type. This includes in memory File Systems. Your Android Phone with its ARM chip has a filesystem.
My problem with Ubuntu is its 6 monthly release cycle. You have to keep updating it unless you use the LTS version. For stability and longevity you can't beat something like CentOS. But that is my personal preference.
Disclaimer: 40+ years in the IT Industry and have even written my own Operating System with a Filesystem (Circa 1981). My first DOS was DEC PDP-11 DOS V6. Ran from a 2.4Mb HDD (RK05)
The difference is that DOS
The difference is that DOS systems were designed to access a spinning 'disk'. ARM systems (tablets, etc) have no spinning disk. essentially they are permanent RAMDISKs.
I was trying to be specific and clear. If anything, the ARM systems are FOS - file operating systems. (Or ROS, Ram Operating Systems)
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Not strictly true
Quote
you cannot buy a computer without windows preloaded.
You can but not at the likes of BestBuy or PCWorld. You can buy a PC/Laptop with Linux installed on it in the USA and in the UK, Novatech will sell you a PC/Laptop with NO Operating installed.
Also, all Mac's can run Windows but you buy them with OSX Installed. My old MacBook now runs CentOS Linux. Actually a Mac is really a PC but a lot of people forget that.
To be honest, I stopped supporting any friends/relatives running Windows 8 or later. Can't be bothered with that silly tiled Interface. As for Windows 10... Really? That is nothing but spyware IMHO. Everything you do could be sent to the Mothership (Microsoft and thence to the NSA etc) Do you really want that?
I converted the last one from Windows to OSX yesterday. Yay!
For windows 8 and higher, go
For windows 8 and higher, go to www.ninite.com and add 'classic start'. That fixes the Metro interface to have a good start menu.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
OS Market Share by Traffic
Just some statistics based on BigCloset...
48% of all visitors to this site use Microsoft Windows
25% of all visitors to this site use Android
19% of all visitors to the site use iOS
5.11% of all visitors to this site use MacOS
2.05% of all visitors to this site use a flavor of Linux
The rest of the data rounds out with Windows Phone, Chrome OS, BlackBerry and with a whole 0.11% is the Nintendo Wii :)
So while not showing 90% of all traffic, Windows is dominating about 95% of the "desktop" traffic to this site. That being said, Desktop traffic is only slightly more than 50% of the traffic to the site.
-Piper
Attachments
That's generally true about not opening attachments. There are exceptions: a friend or student sends you a paper he wrote.
For the ones you intend to open, probably best to save them first, and open them from explorer. Also, be sure to display extensions of all files, so you know whether your file really is MYPAPER.DOC or "MYPAPER.DOC .EXE".
-- Daphne Xu (a page of contents)
Here's the quick rule of
Here's the quick rule of thumb.
1) If it's a zip file, be immediately suspicious. If it only has _one_ file inside of it, delete it. There's no reason to zip up a single file unless it's to bypass virus scanners. (Yes, I know it can compress a document down drastically. Most non-technical people don't have a clue about that.)
2) If it's a document file, don't touch it unless you are expecting one from someone. That's PDF, XLS, DOC, DOCX, and XLSX (the most common ones), among others. In fact, even if it comes from someone you know, and you are expecting the document, STILL be suspicious unless the person puts something specific in the email. Just saying "Here's the Invoice for your services" doesn't cut it.
3) If you send an attachment to someone else - let them know separately. "I'll send you an email with all of the documents you're looking for." Two emails don't cost more than one.
4) If you're _still_ concerned, call the person in question and ask!
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
A Little change
Here's the quick rule of thumb (if you are not an IT proffessional)
I use .zip backups all the time. Most of them only have one file inside. My 32Gb SQLServer DB Backup becomes a single 800MB .zip file.
However you are perfectly correct about unexpected attachments to emails.
The current set doing the rounds are fake invoices. DO NOT OPEN THEM no matter what OS you are running.
We were talking about email
We were talking about email attachments. There's nothing that can be emailed that _has_ to be a single file in a zip file. You actually have to take extra steps to do it.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
And most importantly
Keep backups of everything you care about. Ideally use at least three: one current live set A, one offsite set B, and one old set C. Periodically rotate: A to B, B to C, and C to A.
Three is not enough
Go Google for 'rotating tower of hanoi'. This is IMHO the perfect way to keep and recycle backups on a rotating basis. I've been using this for 30+ years. Originally the medium was MagTape now it is HDD's.
Yes
3 is minimum. Fewer and you have single points of failure.
Also re: backups: be sure (by testing) that you can actually restore from them.
viruses and malware
Hi Everyone,
If you are using Windows then Emsisoft is the anti- MALWARE program I would recommend.
It is easily in the top ten world-wide and Norton and McAfee don’t even come close in the world court.
Unfortunately, Emsisoft has now abandoned their efforts to protect the early Windows Osystems due to too many exploits and the age of the systems. Yes, they admit Windows (et al) are full of holes which can be explointed. Fortunately, Emsisoft isn’t just an anti-virus program and it all has a portion which scans for likely threats not just those which have been documented and are in a database which must be updated daily for your systems’s protection.
Take a look if you want. They used to offer the first thirty days for free but you must shut off your other protection system before you use Emsisoft because they will cuase conflicts with each other and that causes problems... I know because Microsoft somehow turned the “protection” back on and - oh cat - did it cause troubles.
Oh, by the way, since I haven’t given out a registry number, I don’t get anything from recommending Emsisoft; usually an extra 100 days per new subscription is the incentive. No, I won’t give out a registry number because I feel people here who use Windows should have a little advantage over the ‘slings and arrows of outrageous fortune’.
Have a nice day and may it be malware ( viruses, trojans, exploit ) free.
Anesidora
An edit of my previous comment about virus protection
I forgot one thing which is also important.
Emsisoft will spot, and halt, the operation of programs which "look" like they are malware. Sometimes we want those programs to continue to run. The Windows programs which look like that, Emsisoft already has in its "white files" so it leaves them alone. Anything you have added which looks like that will be questioned so you will need to let Emsisoft know it is a trusted program and can be allowed to run. That isn't difficult to do but can be a bit frustrating for someone who isn't familiar with Emsisoft. They have menus carefully thought out which will allow you to do this.
God Bless, Everyone
(and if I don't say it later on..... Happy Christmas)
Anesidora
Avast Anti Virus
Avast does similar. They have whitelisted programs, blacklisted programs, and suspicious programs as well as normal stuff. Anything that's suspicious it will recomend your run it in a sandbox mode which basically spins up a virtual space for the application to run in but allows your system to easily roll back any changes and not let it infect your core system.
Avast is available for both free and pay and has continually ranked near the top in most performance rankings.
Unfortunately, I've found
Unfortunately, I've found that Avast and AVG are now as bad as McAfee and Symantec/Norton. They cripple your machine. I have a laptop I worked on last night that while trying to install an update to Chrome - Avast locked it up for 10 minutes. Once I killed Avast, it roared through the update with no problem, and everything else on the PC is working fine.
The one I'm recommending to people, if they insist on getting one other than the built in 'Defender' or 'security essentials', is to get Eset's NOD32. It's still light duty enough to not be killing everything, and has a very good 'catch' rate.
The problem with the bulk of the programs now is that they want to filter EVERYTHING - instead of simply scanning when a file is opened and/or written to the hard drive. They want to intercept your email (and if your subscription expires, you then can't send or receive email), they want to check out every web page you go to (uploading your browsing information to a central site for checking and storage), and constantly have between four and thirteen applications running in the background to do it.
If you want an anti-malware program, get a subscription to MalwareBytes, and run it along side a basic antivirus package (Defender, NOD, etc). I have no personal experience with the program Ani has recommended above, so I don't have any opinions.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
I'll add one word, and then a bit of explanation.
"DO NOT OPEN ANY ATTACHMENTS" is good for most people, but if you have some specific reasons to that you need to be receiving files remotely then it becomes, "DO NOT OPEN ANY UNEXPECTED ATTACHMENTS"! But you need to be sure you know "Exactly What It Is" and from whom, double check the source, and you still should scan it etc.
The main reason it is often stated not to open attachments from someone you know is that it might not be form them, but from someone who picked up there name as someone you know one way or another. The other reason is that someone you know may have naively passed along something they got that is infected. The reason to scan even stuff you expect is, the person who sent it may have had the computer infected some other way and not know it yet, so the file they sent could be infected.
But if you do not "ABSOLUTELY NEED" to be receiving files for some "SPECIFIC" reason then "DO NOT OPEN ANY ATTACHMENTS" is a very good rule.
>i<
run in virtual windows?
I know it slows things down. Not that much if one is subject to virus attacks. Depends on how profile one is. Running only one virus protector let a virus in and bled over to my web page. My host server notified me I had others spamming with attached virus from my web pages. We shut the whole thing down. Offline for months now. Personal computers loaded with so many virus scanners they bog at the knees. Seemed the virus would be swept out, but was hidden and reactivate days later. Days of hide and seek turned into weeks. Thought about removing HDs but finally killed the virus. Some virus can hide in the memory, some in bios, some in the root command. Yet to find one single virus killer able to track and kill every virus out there.
Hopefully with my web page down I'm off the radar of those who plant virus's. I need to reboot my web page now. What a pain in the ....
Life is meant to be lived not worn until it is worn out
always,
Barb
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl