Uk Most Hacked Country
Thaldarin
Alonzi! Join Date: 2003-07-15 Member: 18173Members, Constellation
Alonzi! Join Date: 2003-07-15 Member: 18173Members, Constellation
<div class="IPBDescription">Home users are dumb!</div> <!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->_Hellfire_ writes "Symantec's Internet Security Threat Report for the second half of 2004 says that the UK is leading the rest of the world with bot networks. The report states that "...25.2% [of bots] are located in the UK. That now puts the country ahead of the US (24.6%), China (7.8%), Canada (4.9%) and Spain (3.8%)". Symantec blames a sudden uptake of residential broadband connections without the awareness of the required security measures."<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I think they are basically saying that the main of home users are dumb, and uneducated with the basics of computers. Considering America is about 5x more populated than us here in the UK too. Interesting find for me though.
EDIT: Forgot to raise my discussion points such as why wouldn't home users be educated with information like this, especially as new users tend to get told an awful lot by companies they buy from and most pre-installed computers come with firewalls etc. ISP companies here also provide the software and awareness guides. So why isn't Britain getting the message that other nations are concerning spyware and hacking etc?
I think they are basically saying that the main of home users are dumb, and uneducated with the basics of computers. Considering America is about 5x more populated than us here in the UK too. Interesting find for me though.
EDIT: Forgot to raise my discussion points such as why wouldn't home users be educated with information like this, especially as new users tend to get told an awful lot by companies they buy from and most pre-installed computers come with firewalls etc. ISP companies here also provide the software and awareness guides. So why isn't Britain getting the message that other nations are concerning spyware and hacking etc?
Comments
We're down the pub, not online, as a rule.
Replace the word 'bots' with 'omg people who didn't buy our stuff!!!' and you're probably closer to the real mark ¬.¬
No firewall, no anti-virus... I scan every now and then and turn up 0 virusses; I've owned PCs for over 5 years and never had one nor any symptoms indicating one. Only ever really move on to a new PC when a new game comes out my PC can't run :3
Personally, my PC has never been hacked before, using either Kerio Pro, and now nVidia ActiveArmor (Hardware firewalls ftw!).
nVidia AA system has to be the best that I've personally seen, especially when combined with NX Bit. The 4 nForce4 systems that I've built have never been hacked, mainly because of AA, and also because that the people I've sold nForce 4 systems to have passed a subliminal aptitude test (Read: "Do you use p2p", No. "Do you know how to use a firewall", Yes. "Are you a gamer" Yes.)
Never trust your anti-virus unless it is bang up to date, and you keep a close eye on open ports, and regularly scan your system for spyware...
The only time I have said that a system comes with a good/great firewall is the 4 aforementioned nForce4 systems (one of which is my own one)
People in the UK are getting more aware about viruses and trojans, hell, I even got a leaflet through from the bank about them, however, many people don't want to go to the hassle of paying 20 quid a year for an AV licence, and even then, most don't know how to update it. Laugh if you will, but yesterday, I had a business PC on my desk, with a copy of Norton AV installed, with a signature file dated...wait for it... 18/10/*1999*.
That shocked me enough to even tell the owner that I had uninstalled it, because having a database 5 and a half years old wasn't even worth the 100MB that the program took up. I got a dirty look from the person picking the PC up, and a bollocking from my boss, but I got the point across to them, as they came in later, bought a new AV solution, then proceeded to thank me for having a go at them, about making their clients details vulnerable. They even paid for me to go out earlier today, and teach their PC-based staff how to be aware about the nasties of the internet. Not bad for a single bollocking, and a verbal warning (which was retracted when I got back from the customer's)
Even if the problem is business only, the people working for the business affected will take home their ideals and apply the same measures to their home PC, which will leave us the same problem. If we educated the whole community on the dangers of viruses, then it would mean a lot less work for myself, and the other engineers around the world. But, it would mean that being an engineer would be a lot less stressful, and more colourful, than just disinfecting 85% of all the PCs put in front of us.
The business PC also had a removable drive. The drive gets taken home every night to the owner's Win98-based, non-connected PC. Which was brought in previously, with instability problems, and general sluggishness. That PC got disinfected of the same viruses that I pulled from their business PC. And then from their removable drive. Do you see the pattern? Luckily they brought the businees PC in hours after their home one. The response was "How can the system be full of viruses? It doesn't go on the internet!"
The worst thing about people is their ability to make assumptions. Assumptions are the mother of all ****-ups, as a colleague says. People assume the wrong things. Wherever I go, be it on callout, or on a forum, I try to leave a wake of educated people behind me.
Like I said, people *need* to know about viruses, and their typical payloads. They also need to know about the threat that the PSW class, and spyware, pose to their personal details when shopping. However, people don't want to know about viruses, and spyware, until they realise that all their problems that they are complaining about is down to a lack of installed, and up to date, anti-virus.
Until people accept that they have to learn about these things, and how to remove them, then my desk will continue to be stacked full of virus infected PCs.
oh and owen... it is useless <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Not opening random mail and not downloading from random sites seems to do the trick. Like I said; 5 years of PC use and not one virus.
I scan with online virus checkers so they should be up to date anyways :3
Even spybot S&D and adaware haven't seen much use since I stopped using IE and switched to firefox ^^
Scanning with online checkers has to be one of the best ways to scan. Installed scanners can be compromised by certain viruses, especially the likes of Norton, and Panda.
I hear you on Fx's nigh on immunity to spyware, and RPC forces. Never had a single item of spyware on my PC, but mum's is reaching 100 items locked down, in about 2 months of IE use. Which isn't really that bad, seeing as the average PC that I disinfect has nearly 200 items on average, and 30 viruses. I think the record stands at 600-ood spyware, and 39000 infected files. VBS/Redlof... Attaches to all folders, in particular the folder.htt, or default.htt files. Minimum payload, but massive infection potential. I was stunned when AVG-Pro hit 39000 files...
Course, like you also said it's probably better in the long run to educate people than have them totally rely on defence programs forever :3
But then again, anti-virus and firewalls should be made standard issue for everyone connecting to the internet, as you can never be too sure about it. A person who has never had their car stolen may think twice about buying the alarm and immobiliser as an extra for their new car, but someone who had their last car stolen wouldn't give it a second thought. One bitten, twice shy. Shame that we can't get people to experience a virus infected PC, and have their account details stolen, and used fraudlently the first time they go online.
Rant over. I'm going to bed. Viruses annoy me enough as it is, let alone debating them. No offence ment Geminosity. I'm just tired...
I think we'd all be happier if the jerks who make virusses suddenly dropped dead and the net suddenly became clean from these destructive lil programs ^^;
Care to elaborate?
Geminosity, the very nature of the Internet is an information exchange. Even if all the virus creators suddenly died, their creations would live on. It would be impossible to disinfect all the files that are affected, due to their non-centralised nature. Take W32/Netsky for example. It infects one file on your computer, then does a drive-by download method, to download 35 infected files from infected servers. Then it waits for the files to be opened. Then it does it again, downloads 35 files to another folder (usually one linked to Microsoft programs), repeat, until PC owner realises what is happening, which may never happen. Every time an email is sent from an infected PC, a hidden attachment bulks up the email by 40KB, and contains the master infection code, a list of sites to download the files from, and a dummy code for an error box.
This will repeat until forever, unless you wipe every PC out there, at the same time.
Or even better, W32/Bropia.A variants, which attack MSN Messenger. This uses a hole in MSN to sent a message to everyone when the user signs on to .NET. The user's contacts download the file, thinking it's a legitimate file being offered to them, by their friend, and it infects that way. Messes up MSN, and adds another PC for a planned DoS attack on Microsoft, who will just reverse-engineer the code, and switch off their server a few minutes early, like what they did for W32/Blaster.A.
Viruses are here to stay, unfortuately, and the only way how we can reduce their effectiveness is to educated EVERYONE about how to spot a virus, typical payloads, and how to disinfect them.
As I said before, not everyone will want to know this, and we will be back to square one after a while.
*edit to cull misplaced comment*
Hmm, comebacks are so paradoxical these days.
Seeing as this is a discussion forum, maybe people should think twice before posting insults to people. I admit my comment was misplaced, however, two wrongs do not make a right, Snidely. Even if you felt belittled by my comment, you should not have replied in such a manner as to leave yourself affected by your own reply.
Maybe I should keep out of the Discussion forum, if this is what happens to the discussions. Before anyone points my fallacy out, I am fully aware that I may have started this particular argument, for which I apologise, both the forum in general, and to Snidely, for any emotional harm felt by my comment.
I have edited my previous reply, to not include the comment, and I will be more careful on my words in the future.
*edit for spelling*
But since you've edited out and apologised, you've disproven my statement. You're not a jerk. I've edited out my post accordingly.
The important thing is not that this happens on the forum, it's that we're mature enough to put it behind us.
I'll agree with the point here, norton is worthless when there are better programs out there for far less money. Patch showed us a great one AVG Pro, I also prefer to use PC-Cillin since that is Trend Micros and they do wonderful job as well. Not to mention they have the online scanner.
SpyBot Seach and Destroy
SpyWare swpeeper
Mozilla FireFox
AVG AntiVirus
Custom Set Security Settings with port access re-routed thru generally unused ports (thus changing the ports that are available to be hacked into)
SpyBot Seach and Destroy
SpyWare swpeeper
Mozilla FireFox
AVG AntiVirus
Custom Set Security Settings with port access re-routed thru generally unused ports (thus changing the ports that are available to be hacked into) <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I give you a nine out of ten for the close not as good as it can be virus protection.
After all spybot has no bearing on viruses, just changes to registry, and spyware/malware. Swpeeper isn't as reliable as Ad-aware by lavasoft, and AVG isn't quite as reliable as Pc-cillin, unless you actually buy AVG then it is.
*edit* <!--emo&::asrifle::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif' /><!--endemo--> typos
AVG-Pro
nForce Access Manager
nForce Active Armor
AMD NX Bit Prevention Technology.
AVG-Pro has a database of around 100000 viruses and variants, Only Kaspersky's AVP has more (109000 at my last check)
Active Armor, when enabled has to be the best designed firewall known to man.
The ForceWare Access Manager, when setup correctly, limits all entries to *YOUR* specifications, ie, When using Kazaa *spit*, you can limit access to *just* "My Shared Folder". Any attemps to access anywhere else requires a very good attempt. NX Bit just helps this, as a firewall can be broken by the "NX Bit", which is basically a forced application run, normally a hacking tool, which disables most security tools. Seeing as NX Bit Prevention is built onto all S939 processors, and when using XP SP2 (which should be a basic requirement of any nForce 4 system) it is enabled by defult.
Right, lesson over...
Care to elaborate?
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->_Hellfire_ writes "Symantec's Internet Security Threat Report for the second half of 2004 says that the UK is leading the rest of the world with bot networks. The report states that "...25.2%<b> [of bots]</b> are located in the UK. That now puts the country ahead of the US (24.6%), China (7.8%), Canada (4.9%) and Spain (3.8%)". Symantec blames a sudden uptake of residential broadband connections without the awareness of the required security measures."<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
As MrRobot i have l33t power to control all teh bots, controlling 25% of uk ftw
Maybe with meh newer more l33t power i can make another holiday, hmmm... april 8th Vegatable Samosa Day D;' , dont blame me for being a retard, you asked me to elaborate :<
Maybe with meh newer more l33t power i can make another holiday, hmmm... april 8th Vegatable Samosa Day D;' , dont blame me for being a retard, you asked me to elaborate :< <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Why would I accuse you of being a retard when I didn't get a joke? <!--emo&???--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
And on a lesser critical note(one of which to avoid this post from being considered 100% spam), maybe the gov shud just send everyone an anti-spyware cd. I must get atleast 5 Aol or other trash cd's in the mail each month