Computer security is sometimes an oxymoron
As 2006 draws to a close, computer security has almost become an oxymoron.This month we find that some of the very tools we use to fight malware, spybots, spambots and viruses have gone over to the ‘dark side.’
But it won’t stay that way for long, as security experts scramble to patch the web, patch computers, patch hardware in an effort to make the web safe for holiday shoppers. After all, there are less than 10 days of online shopping and more people than ever will shop online this Christmas…
- Got corporate Norton Antivirus? You might just get a nice big fat yellow internet worm to go with it, if Symantec’s June patch isn’t applied…
- Got a Firewall? 11 $billion Quantas blamed its own firewalls for lousy customer service on Thursday. (how reassuring)
- Got netBackup from Symantec? Start patching…
Got Wi-Fi? You may want this Wi-Fi patch from Microsoft. (but it won’t solve all your wifi security problems. How about using wall plugs instead?)
Got Microsoft Word? Don’t open any unexpected word documents which arrive in your email
Microsoft updates its Phishing filter in IE 7.0 [CNET News] This fix is released separately from other security patches released on Patch Tuesday.
What do you give a hardened hacker for Christmas? [Hack in the Box]- Oops, Yahoo Messenger 8.1 automatically changed the computer’s default mail setting to Yahoo Mail. Yahoo issued a patch to stop this unwanted change in user preferences. Yahoo’s IM update: A trojan horse of surprises (cnet)
It turns out terrorists are better that the rest of us at using web technology: They already use chat rooms, internet video, multimedia…- Only 37% of IT professionals think their company can detect data breaches
- 41 mln US households have had an Internet security problem (and that’s the ones who detected it… )
Will this keep us off the web? No! We’re a bunch of addicted, lazy surfers and besides, we need to shop online (okay, maybe just I do. You don’t. I’m not about to pull the plug, even as things get wacky as the web burps its way to maturity.)
After all, there’s an asteroid out there with our name on it and 
we might as well enjoy what time mankind left (30 years to millions, it’s anyone’s guess.)
What do you think about computer security? Are you worried enough to stop shopping on the web? What do you do to stay safe.
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POSTED IN: Articles, Crises, Defend Yourself, Patches, Secure That Computer, Security
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