Eye on Microsoft: Another Call to Ban Zombie PCs from the Internet
- Dr. Roy Schestowitz
- 2009-08-26 14:05:59 UTC
- Modified: 2009-08-26 14:05:59 UTC
Summary: Links from the news on the issue of security
●
Opinion: Botnets must die
We already know Microsoft can't fix Windows' security problems. Every month brings yet another Patch Tuesday full of fixes for major vulnerabilities, yet Microsoft never catches up with Windows' security holes. It never will. Windows started out without network security, and every fix since Windows for Workgroups has been one patch on top of another, right through to Windows 7.
We also know education won't do the job. Anyone with a higher-than-room-temperature IQ already has security software and keeps up to date with patches. Let's be kind and assume that 90% of the Windows-using population does this. That leaves, what, about 100 million Windows PCs in the world available for botnet deployment?
Yuck! I don't like those odds!
No, the only solution is for ISPs to start checking Windows PCs in at the Internet gate, and if they don't pass a minimum security check, we don't allow them in. If an ISP doesn't join up with this posse, cut it off from the rest of the Internet. This really is a case where if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.
●
Dangers of the Microsoft Monoculture
Every once in a while, someone might point out that reporters have to actively avoid mentioning Microsoft Windows when discussing computer problems; but largely – at least ever since Dan Greer lost his job for pointing out the danger of a Microsoft Monoculture - there is virtually no mention that Microsoft products lie at the root of virtually all security and computer-related problems today.
●
Pink Floyd worm spreads on 'Chinese Facebook'
The techniques applied by the worm are similar to those of the Mikeyy worms that spread rapidly across microblogging site Twitter earlier this year and an Orkut worm in 2008. Orkut isn't popular in the US or Europe, but the Google-owned social networking site is big in Brazil and up and coming in India.
●
Software [In]security: Attack Categories and History Prediction
Recent Techrights' Posts
- FSFE (Ja, Das Gulag Deutschland) Has Lost Its Tongue
- Articles/month
- Ian Jackson & Debian reject mediation
- Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
- How to get selected for Outreachy internships
- Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
- Red Hat Corporate Communications is "Red" Now
- Also notice they offer just two options: MICROSOFT or... MICROSOFT!
- Links 26/04/2024: XBox Sales Have Collapsed, Facebook's Shares Collapse Too
- Links for the day
-
- Almost 2,700 New Posts Since Upgrading to Static Site 7 Months Ago, Still Getting More Productive Over Time
- We've come a long way since last autumn
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Friday, April 26, 2024
- IRC logs for Friday, April 26, 2024
- Overpaid lawyer & Debian miss WIPO deadline
- Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
- Brian Gupta & Debian: WIPO claim botched, suspended
- Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
- Microsoft's XBox is Dying (For Second Year in a Row Over 30% Drop in Hardware Sales)
- they boast about fake numbers or very deliberately misleading numbers that represent two companies, not one
- [Meme] Granting a Million Monopolies in Europe (to Non-European Companies) at Europe's Expense
- Financialization of the EPO
- Salary Adjustment Procedure at the EPO Challenged
- the EPO must properly compensate staff in order to attract and retain suitably skilled examiners
- Links 26/04/2024: Surveillance Abundant, Restoring Net Neutrality Rules (US)
- Links for the day
- Gemini Links 26/04/2024: uConsole and EXWM and stdu 1.0.0
- Links for the day
- Albanian women, Brazilian women & Debian Outreachy racism under Chris Lamb
- Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
- Microsoft-Funded 'News' Site: XBox Hardware Revenue Declined by 31%
- Ignore the ludicrous media spin
- Mark Shuttleworth, Elio Qoshi & Debian/Ubuntu underage girls
- Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
- Karen Sandler, Outreachy & Debian Money in Albania
- Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Thursday, April 25, 2024
- IRC logs for Thursday, April 25, 2024
- Links 26/04/2024: Facebook Collapses, Kangaroo Courts for Patents, BlizzCon Canceled Under Microsoft
- Links for the day
- Gemini Links 26/04/2024: Music, Philosophy, and Socialising
- Links for the day
- Microsoft Claims "Goodwill" Is an Asset Valued at $119,163,000,000, Cash Decreased From $34,704,000,000 to $19,634,000,000 and Total Liabilities Grew to $231,123,000,000
- Earnings Release FY24 Q3
- More Microsoft Cuts: Events Canceled, Real Sales Down Sharply
- So they will call (or rebrand) everything "AI" or "Azure" or "cloud" while adding revenues from Blizzard to pretend something is growing
- CISA Has a Microsoft Conflict of Interest Problem (CISA Cannot Achieve Its Goals, It Protects the Worst Culprit)
- people from Microsoft "speaking for" "Open Source" and for "security"
- Links 25/04/2024: South Korean Military to Ban iPhone, Armenian Remembrance Day
- Links for the day
- Gemini Links 25/04/2024: SFTP, VoIP, Streaming, Full-Content Web Feeds, and Gemini Thoughts
- Links for the day
- Audiocasts/Shows: FLOSS Weekly and mintCast
- the latest pair of episodes
- [Meme] Arvind Krishna's Business Machines
- He is harming Red Hat in a number of ways (he doesn't understand it) and Fedora users are running out of patience (many volunteers quit years ago)
- [Video] Debian's Newfound Love of Censorship Has Become a Threat to the Entire Internet
- SPI/Debian might end up with rotten tomatoes in the face
- Joerg (Ganneff) Jaspert, Dalbergschule Fulda & Debian Death threats
- Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
- Amber Heard, Junior Female Developers & Debian Embezzlement
- Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
- [Video] Time to Acknowledge Debian Has a Real Problem and This Problem Needs to be Solved
- it would make sense to try to resolve conflicts and issues, not exacerbate these
- Daniel Pocock elected on ANZAC Day and anniversary of Easter Rising (FSFE Fellowship)
- Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
- [Video] IBM's Poor Results Reinforce the Idea of Mass Layoffs on the Way (Just Like at Microsoft)
- it seems likely Red Hat layoffs are in the making
- Ulrike Uhlig & Debian, the $200,000 woman who quit
- Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
- IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, April 24, 2024
- IRC logs for Wednesday, April 24, 2024
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
Comments
Charles Oliver
2009-08-26 16:52:27
On a practical level, I don't see how this would work. How many connections to the net are via a router. The router is probably running linux. Any browser in use doesn't tell you how up to date a windows client is. So you're left with ISPs requiring the installation some bit of software they can monitor your PC with. Where does that leave Linux users? AOL from the 90s, is where.
Anything that prevents open access to all, whether it be lock-in to vendor file formats, extending HTML with things like flash or silverlight, or preventing access to the net dependent on your ISPs verification that you are running a secure OS has to be a bad thing.
twitter
2009-08-27 04:32:43