Ender2309 wrote:
steelie34 wrote:
Ender2309 wrote:
the only user tech savvy enough to not need AV is one who A.) doesn't use the internet or B.) one who doesn't use windows.
i run linux and windows in a dual boot. i never access the net on windows except for games.
i use the internet, and windows, and i do not get viruses. how can you assume i'm not savvy enough to avoid it? my browser has no javascripting enabled unless i say so, and i run it with a least privelage user account. i have been virus free for 3 years now...
most of the time you're not ever going to know you have a virus without a scan. not all viruses make your computer blow up. i honestly wouldn't be surprised if you're part of a botnet right now.
windows is well known for being virus friendly. there is virtually no security within a windows system unless you have AV. viruses can get around javascripting blocks. if even one gets in your whole system is compromised because it can authorize javascripting behind your back. also, java isn't the only way to get a virus.
firewalls will prevent getting infected over the network from other compromised machines. the javascripting blocking will stop 99% of viruses before then can even get to your system. even if it somehow got onto your machine, running your browser as a user will stop a virus from installing itself since it will not have the necessary level of system privelages required to install. i think most people out there really don't understand how it all works, and assume that windows is insecure and full of holes. i call bullshit because i get a weekly mailing from the US-cert organization that lists just as many security vulnerabilites in the linux and mac OS as it does in the windows OS. so those of you who jump on the bandwagon and say "i use linux because it's secure," you really need to think twice and do you research because it has it's own set of security flaws as well.
When was the last time there was an actual zero-day exploit infecting mass windows machines through a security vulnerability? it was the tcp 135 rpc buffer overflow exploit. since that was discovered in 2003, and most systems now have built-in firewalls, i meant to say i've been virus free for 5 years now. you say i wouldnt even realize it if my system was on a botnet without running some sort of AV scan to check. well let me say this, i monitor my network traffic quite frequently, i know what ports and apps should and shouldn't be communicating, and have never discovered anything out of the ordinary. if the virus was actually good enough to prevent detection when i scan my traffic with the various tools i use, then it would be a rootkit, which anti-virus software would have no chance of detecting anyway. so then what do we do? we use a different machine to monitor the traffic, and scan the OS. since root-kits can only exploit the host OS with it's process hooking techniques, a remote machine would easily detect anything out of the ordinary. and since i have no reason to suspect anyone has hacked my machine, i certainly don't suspect any rootkits on my machine.
so i think it's safe to say i am running my browser in a good enough sandbox to stop 99% of all internet worms. my firewall has been thus far able to keep out hackers from exploiting the last 1% of viruses. and i do have ways other than using AV software to detect the presence of mailicious software on my computer. i can confidently say i AM tech savvy enough to not require AV software. try not to infer any sort of harsh tone from my reply, im not trying to sound like an asshole. (happens all too often on the internet) I am merely trying to defend my stance as being able to successfully survive without AV software.
edit: and btw, vista has much much much more resilience to viruses than any previous M$ OS. it has several built-in countermeasures to detect and stop malicious software, so i do give them credit for finally thinking to put security above usability. the only reason windows used to be so virus friendly was because of its lack of security hardening with an out-of-box configuration.
Last edited by steelie34 (2008-02-26 07:57:21)
