eat shit… millions can’t be wrong….

That is probably the best analogy I have ever read describing that issue!

I have only recently begun running Ubuntu 11.04 and I honestly feel like jumping in a pool of disinfectant every time I have to use Windows on public PCs.

How did such piss-poor, filthy, slow and futile software become so widespread?

People just need to know that there is a better alternative to Windows I guess…

What I actually wanted to comment on was a few simple steps that anyone can use to beef up security on their computer (running any OS). I’ll outline them in a few points.

User accounts. As much as you can do your work from an account without administrative privileges. This can help you save yourself from accidentally downloading a file which may contain software that self-loads/installs. It may also allow you to remove anything remotely from the infected account without causing harm to critical software segments.

Downloads. You went into this a bit. I concur, you should never click links inside emails. One can take this a bit further. Regardless of your OS, know which file extensions indicate programs or script files. If you have any doubts about a file extension, Google doesn’t.

Internet and routers. It is amazing how many layers of security you can add to your network, especially if you use a wireless connection. It is no secret that wireless signals can be found easily, but they have encryption protocols for a reason. Use them. For instance, if you use LinkSys, your router’s domain is http://192.168.1.1 go there if you never have. If you’ve never been there your account/password will be admin/admin or just the password admin with no account name. Regardless of your router make it will be some combination of this by default. If you can’t figure how to access it, Google can. Once you get there change your router to use a secure network (which means it requires a password to log on to it). Avoid WEP if at all possible, it is antiquated and YouTube can show you how to it hack it in all of 5 minutes. Your best option is WPA or WPA2. Another layer of security you can add is pretty simple. Determine the MAC address (sometimes called the “physical address”) of every computer you want to use your internet. It will be a 12 digit number in hexadecimal format (should look something like this–00:2B:89:94:EC:43–not mine by the way, just a number I made up). After you know what this is for each computer on your network, return to your router’s domain and modify the settings so that your router only authenticates access attempts from devices with those addresses (this helps because each MAC address is unique to each networking device/card and is assigned at the factory at which it is made). Lastly, change your router’s access password (the one for the router’s domain, not your internet) from the default setting. If you don’t any jerk with a laptop (within range of the device) can access the website and modify your settings to his liking or worse lock you out of your own network. Just by doing these simple tasks you will have added 3 layers of extra protection.

The best thing to keep in mind is that nothing can make you 100% squeaky-clean and safe. There will always be people out there trying to do things to screw other people over. Just use common sense. I spared quite a bit of detail, but with a little how-know and a devil-may-care attitude you can do all these things. Plus, always always remember Google can teach you how to do anything. Except build a quantum particle accelerator and travel time. Or can it?

A malicious user may have access to Linux source code, but he will NOT have the ability to inject malware into future Linux releases to be exploited.

And should anyone be worried that a malicious user has the ability to scan the source code looking for vulnerabilities? No… Millions of other eyeballs have preceded him doing the very same thing — and removing the vulnerabilities as they find them.

This sort of scrutiny & vetting does NOT happen with closed-source operating systems. (When’s the last time you successfully submitted a bug report to Microsoft for “leaving the doors open” in Windows?)

The post, if you read it, is about whether you should run antivirus or not.

And the bottom line is that whether there are real security threats or not, running antivirus does not protect you. Antivirus is useless.

As for source code availability making it easier for malicious folks to compromise a system, that sounds right in theory, but in practice, we know this not to be true. If it were true, closed source operating systems and applications would almost never be compromised… and they almost always are.