Need Another Reason to Switch from Windows?

         Whether you use Windows— or not — there's some helpful info here for all of us!  Don't miss the suggestions about thumb drives and external drives.  Thanks to John Carter for the following detailed report!   He starts with the news article.  Feds: Infected USB drive idled power plant 3 weeks

       " There are four ways to protect yourself from a virus: 

        1) Keep an hourly updated anti-virus app running continuously. Since any new virus won't be detected and a cure found for up to 24 hours, this isn't any kind of guarantee that a Windows OS won't get a virus.

        2) Switch from Windows to any one of the dozens of Linux distributions. Linux is probably the most secure OS on the market simply because hackers know their return on investment isn't big enough to warrant going after it. There's just not that many Linux computers in use compared to the vast number of Windows computers. Still, installing an anti-virus app on Linux will give added peace of mind.

        3) Switch from Windows to a Mac. Because Mac is based on Unix, it has the same low-profile for hackers as Linux. There have been recent viruses found on Macs in the past couple of years — maybe two or three — so an anti-virus app is now recommended for Macs for added peace of mind.

        4) Stop using computers. (Now we know John is smiling when he says this!  Read on for more of his report.)

       "LInux and Mac are no longer safe now that hackers have discovered a way to infect any computer with a Java virus. But if the browser has Java turned off, or if you don't even install Java on your computer (and this does not include Javascript, which is still safe — for the moment), you're pretty secure when it comes to Java viruses that come in through email or a website. 

        "Still, this doesn't protect a computer when the virus is embedded in a brand new thumb drive or external hard drive that you just bought. So, another step in purchasing any thumb drive or external hard drive is to reformat it before using it.

        "Is Linux or the Mac really free from attack? Many companies using Unix as their primary operating system get attacked daily, but mostly by hackers trying to find a way into the computer through some unguarded port. Hackers don't go after personal computers in this way, simply because there's no assurance that their efforts will return as much of a reward, but this doesn't mean they won't try. 

        "Any computer, regardless of the operating system type, needs to be secured with a firewall for protection against attacks from the Internet, and that firewall needs to be monitored constantly and updated frequently — which almost no personal computer owner knows anything about."

        Well, it's time to come to the conclusion — for now — and John winds up with, "If everyone switched from Windows to Linux or Mac, the hackers will start going after them and we'll be back to grabbing at straws to figure out how best to protect our computers. But for now, either one is a better solution than using Windows."

Firewall: Yes? No?

Jim Hamm started the discussion about Firewalls with, "You may have already read this article. In recent years not much has been written about firewalls — one way or the other. I leave mine turned on in my Macs and when running Windows on my PC. Ubuntu doesn't come with a firewall and I haven't checked to see if one is even available."John Carter sends this information, "The purpose of a firewall is to keep someone from hacking directly into your computer."  He goes on to explain in detail. "Without a firewall, a computer is open to attack even if you have an Anti-Virus application installed on the computer. In fact, you don't even have to be browsing the Internet to be hacked if you don't have a firewall; the computer just needs to be turned on and connected to the Internet. "However, a firewall is not a guarantee to stop spam and viruses that come through email or when browsing the Internet. An Anti-Virus application is best for that. Ubuntu does have a firewall, but it is not enabled by default. The firewall is ufw. "If you have a server (one computer providing access to the Internet for other servers in a network), the server is the only computer in the network that needs a firewall, unless a given computer in the network wants to block a port on that computer for some reason. "All new routers (and some modems) come with a firewall (a hardware firewall) and it is typically turned on by default, and this is probably the only firewall anyone ever needs. In fact, a router with a firewall is recommended, even if you only have one computer and if the modem itself does not have a firewall. "However, the modem/router may not have the features and/or flexibility that a computer firewall (a software firewall) can offer. "If you have both the modem/router firewall and the computer firewall enabled, and if you have ports open for access in the computer firewall (required by some applications), those same ports need to be open for access in the modem/router firewall. "It's a little more complicated than this, but the bottom line is that the author of that article is off-base about not needing a firewall. However, he is right about one thing: 'Firewalls tend to be horribly managed.'" John winds up his view of the issue with,  "If something isn't working right and you turn off the firewall and things start working right, call an IT professional to properly set up the firewall. One such professional works at CompuTime in Prescott." Anyone else jumping into the discussion?