I really wish that people could learn to stop arguing over operating systems. We are all in this together. People arguing over operating systems is like players on the same football team battling each other rather than the other team. Let me explain.
We can all argue over which operating system has the best security, Windows, Mac, or Linux (if it is setup properly), but none of that matters in the least if the typical wireless technology supplied by telephone companies, ISPs, cable companies, etc., is trash. How secure is your wireless? I don't even use wireless. Want to know why?
One day I saw a blonde-haired woman sitting in a car outside of my house on the street with a laptop computer next to her. There was nobody else in the car. There was no license plate anywhere on the front of the car. I walked towards the car thinking she might be lost and needed directions. She saw me coming and drove off. When I looked at the back of the car there was no license plate anywhere on the back either. I am totally certain she was a wardriver. I don't trust any wireless. How good is your wireless supplied by your telephone company? Maybe 64 bit encryption and WEP?
Check a few books out at your local library. Books on identity theft, home computer security, home routers (not even business routers), etc. Then I dare you to contact your ISP, telephone company, cable company, or whoever supplies your internet connection and ask a few security questions. How secure do you feel if a spokesman is unaware that wireless is turned off by default on the companies own router, or a woman in technical support is unaware that NAT is a form of firewall protection?
Microsoft is not to blame for this. Microsoft could boost security for Windows computers 40 times and it would not matter if your wireless connection is insecure, or the people providing you internet service are clueless about security.
Think your Mac is secure? If the wireless is insecure it does not matter. The real insecurity is outside of your computer. And we all all part of a network of computers and people when we are on the internet. The servers you are going through might be Windows, Linux, or Unix, the home computers might be Windows, Mac, or Linux. Any weakness anywhere affects the security of all.
Does not matter if you have a super secure home computer if the companies you do business with on the internet have insecure data bases that can be hacked into easily, exposing your personal information and the personal information of thousands of other people to online criminals.
It gets much more complex than that. Even big legit businesses have dealings with the legit, somewhat legit, totally not legit companies with false business fronts that employ programmers to write the adware/spyware. Where do you think that software comes from? Somebody has to write it. The clueless people working in technical support for your telephone company are not even worthy of being on the same playing field. If you wonder why botnets can exist it should be obvious.
If terrorists had any real ability they could have done some damage already.
Nobody is watching the store. We could all switch to Macs and it would totally make no difference because the network is a disaster waiting to happen.
Personal computer security is probably the least of the problem. Sure you should make your computer as secure as possible but when you are hooked up to the internet most of the insecurity is outside of your computer. Much of the wireless technology is insecure, many of the technical people working for the telephone and cable companies are clueless, and large numbers of servers and database computers are setup improperly. It would probably require new laws to clean the mess up.
The security of your personal computer, Windows, Mac or desktop Linux, is only as good as the network security and the security of the server computer you are hooked up to. Today there is total failure of the network.
I know. I asked some security questions.
We can all argue over which operating system has the best security, Windows, Mac, or Linux (if it is setup properly), but none of that matters in the least if the typical wireless technology supplied by telephone companies, ISPs, cable companies, etc., is trash. How secure is your wireless? I don't even use wireless. Want to know why?
One day I saw a blonde-haired woman sitting in a car outside of my house on the street with a laptop computer next to her. There was nobody else in the car. There was no license plate anywhere on the front of the car. I walked towards the car thinking she might be lost and needed directions. She saw me coming and drove off. When I looked at the back of the car there was no license plate anywhere on the back either. I am totally certain she was a wardriver. I don't trust any wireless. How good is your wireless supplied by your telephone company? Maybe 64 bit encryption and WEP?
Check a few books out at your local library. Books on identity theft, home computer security, home routers (not even business routers), etc. Then I dare you to contact your ISP, telephone company, cable company, or whoever supplies your internet connection and ask a few security questions. How secure do you feel if a spokesman is unaware that wireless is turned off by default on the companies own router, or a woman in technical support is unaware that NAT is a form of firewall protection?
Microsoft is not to blame for this. Microsoft could boost security for Windows computers 40 times and it would not matter if your wireless connection is insecure, or the people providing you internet service are clueless about security.
Think your Mac is secure? If the wireless is insecure it does not matter. The real insecurity is outside of your computer. And we all all part of a network of computers and people when we are on the internet. The servers you are going through might be Windows, Linux, or Unix, the home computers might be Windows, Mac, or Linux. Any weakness anywhere affects the security of all.
Does not matter if you have a super secure home computer if the companies you do business with on the internet have insecure data bases that can be hacked into easily, exposing your personal information and the personal information of thousands of other people to online criminals.
It gets much more complex than that. Even big legit businesses have dealings with the legit, somewhat legit, totally not legit companies with false business fronts that employ programmers to write the adware/spyware. Where do you think that software comes from? Somebody has to write it. The clueless people working in technical support for your telephone company are not even worthy of being on the same playing field. If you wonder why botnets can exist it should be obvious.
If terrorists had any real ability they could have done some damage already.
Nobody is watching the store. We could all switch to Macs and it would totally make no difference because the network is a disaster waiting to happen.
Personal computer security is probably the least of the problem. Sure you should make your computer as secure as possible but when you are hooked up to the internet most of the insecurity is outside of your computer. Much of the wireless technology is insecure, many of the technical people working for the telephone and cable companies are clueless, and large numbers of servers and database computers are setup improperly. It would probably require new laws to clean the mess up.
The security of your personal computer, Windows, Mac or desktop Linux, is only as good as the network security and the security of the server computer you are hooked up to. Today there is total failure of the network.
I know. I asked some security questions.