Microsoft going soft on security?

[buttsie]

Ever since I upgraded to XP late last year (just biding my time till all the attacks stopped..lol)I've been happy with everything except their joke of security solution namely
ill fated live one care...never worked once...always froze

Now i hear its such a bomb that the paid service is being replaced with a program codenamed morro which will be free

Call me sceptical but giant commercial corporations are not charities so I think we can assume this will be your last resort if your ever in need of some freeware security
which covers

"Microsoft's new solution, codenamed Morro, will be available in the second half of 2009 and will protect against viruses, spyware, rootkits, and Trojans, according to Microsoft."


The rest of security industry has some rather harsh? words to say

http://www.builderau.com.au/news/soa/Security-firms-slam-Microsoft-capitulation-/0,339028227,339293399,00.htm

[Gullclaw]

You are right. MS are not that tough to protect your PC . Live one care is a big joke. They should have embedded it with Vista as freebie

[buttsie]

They've always never wanted to get involved is my reading of it

Windows 98 came with norton anti-virus...no firewall

Windows XP came with no anti-virus...firewall for vetting incoming only

All so they could push this and milk more money out of us
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Live_OneCare

Reads like a typical 2 tiered approach...1 to get you in and 2 to make you pay more to get what you should have received first time around

[brausch]

The only thing Microsoft are interesting in protecting is Microsoft. Its their backdoors and loopholes designed to allow them to snoop on users in order to find pirate copies of Windows that create most of the security vulnerabilities in the first place

[anklebiter]

I've always felt Microsoft's delve into security software was a huge conflict of interest.
Why constantly patch or update it's own operating system to beat hackers when they can make money off the very people who are trying to hurt them?

[buttsie]

I cant help feeling that somewhere in microsoft theres a prototype of the perfect PC
Its just never been released

Plenty of computer experts have written about how each Windows O/S could have avoided most of the patches if it had been written more accurately

Maybe having to make their O/S compatible for 3rd party software(17000+ programs according to vista)is a hindrance to actually producing a decent stable PC?

[DTravel]

Actually, its trying to selectively make less compatible the products that MicroSoft wants you to buy from them instead. Limiting themselves to just an operating system would make it easy to produce a very stable product but then they couldn't as easily monopolize everything like they want to.

The biggest reason is that MicroSoft just doesn't want to spend the money to fix Windows. They want to keep releasing new versions at frequent intervals while forcing as many customers as possible to buy the new version. Fixing all the glaring problems would cost them money. They think more money than they could get in increased prices (since there really isn't any room for increased sales). It would also take time which would force them to release new versions far enough apart that people would have time to realize they don't need all the latest bells & whistles. (Not to mention giving other companies enough time to beat MS to the market with the bells & whistles people do want or need.)

[buttsie]

Does make sense

this article about interent explorer puts the compatibility issue into the light perfectly

http://www.howtocreate.co.uk/wrongWithIE/

So why should we care? Because what people don't seem to realise is that if IE did things the same way as the other browsers, it would actually make web development much easier. Page code would be much cleaner and less bloated, more accessible. They would take less time to write, and in most cases would be cross browser compatible, usually without the need for hacks or detects. Web pages would be more likely to just work, and it would cost significantly less to make them.

[DTravel]

If you research how Bill Gates worked before and during the early years of MicroSoft you quickly realize that he is a very smart, very smooth, very amoral businessman. His only motivation is winning/profit/power. (At the level he "plays" at, they're all the same.)

http://img183.imagevenue.com/loc581/th_80036_sept10_122_581lo.jpg (http://img183.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=80036_sept10_122_581lo.jpg)

[shagger]

Who remembers XP's service pack 2 that messed my computer up seriously

[buttsie]

Every upgrade/patch comes with its own set of perils.
History says dont be the first to try it if you value your computer

Smartest thing i ever did was to turn the automatic update off
Reading the horror stories of what patches/upgrades have done to peoples computers in the link below its a wise move unless your still bravely using internet explorer to browse

http://www.askwoody.com

An Insiders perspective...quite illuminating

[the real McCoy]

Has microsoft ever bin hard on security? Is not the reason for their succes that they were so relaxed about it, they let anybody do anything to the computer. And you didn't even have to be in the same room. You could be the toaster in the kitchen, a guy across the globe or the bloke that actually owned the thing. Evrything was regarded as a peer.

It's good practice not to be the first one to try new bleeding edge software, microsoft or not, security patches or not, unless you like to go bug hunting.

Likewise I think that turning off anything automatic is a good thing. Remember the Sony rootkit that installed itself on comps even if the user declined the EULA (End User License Agreement)? Just because the CD started to spin when you put it in.

Do I remember this correctly? Please correct me if I am wrong, which happens a lot, but as I recall you cannot turn off the update of the update program. Now, I leave you whilst your paranoia is working.

Regards,
/trm

[buttsie]

You cant stop microsoft from alerting you but you can tell them I'll install it when I feel like it

That wonderful eula agreement..firefox are actually one of the very few that hasnt got one
attached to their software any longer

if only they'd all follow that lead

[the real McCoy]

This time you probably don't want to shut them off though.
Especially if you live in Asia.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/155585/microsoft_issues_emergency_security_patch_for_ie.h tml

But changing browser is always a good idea.

/trm

[buttsie]

You still use auto-update but you decide when to allow it to install.read far to many horror stories of patches causing conflicts and turning PCs into virtual lemons for the users to fix

Sites like www.askwoody.com get feedback from users of any problems and recommend when to install them.A far safer approach if you value your PC

The rule of thumb seems to be if your smart and not browsing with IE sit tight and wait

[avidfan]

ditch micro$oft and get ubuntu or another good linux based os, theyre much more secure and all the software you could ever want is free ;)

[highviolet]

LOL

<----- Apple FanBoy who has never used a Microsoft product.

[avidfan]

LOL

<----- Apple FanBoy who has never used a Microsoft product.

dont apple charge for updates though?

[highviolet]

No, updates are free. They get you on software, though. I was able to tweek a MacBook to run Redhat, but it wasn't worth it. The only reasons I use Mac is because I get my computers for free (don't ask, don't tell), and I record at home using Pro Tools.

[the real McCoy]

Maybe they heard you, buttsie. First time since 2005, Microsoft is offering a $250,000 reward to anyone that leads to the arrest of the person responsible for the conficker worm code.

www.forbes.com/2009/02/12/conficker-security-virus-technology-security_0212_conficker.html


/trm

[shag_buddy_007]

yeah bet linux plays all the new games real well.....lol xp is xp as a tech engineer i see it everyday where the user is the fault for simply not knowing not being stupid they just dont understand how things run...could always dual boot xp and vista till your happy on that, it seems with windows 7 out soon that vista will kinda be reserected in windows 7 to a point but im not happy they killed vista so quickly imho vista shouldnt have got out on the streets....

[AlBundy]

XP security is a joke. I'd rather go with vista as fucked up that is.

[donnalangtonukmode]

i got a windows security up date the other day so i installed it when i
logged off. Then later after i switched my laptop on i had a backdoor
troJen. TROJAN HORSE AGENT_r.OT

My FREE avg and nortans find it but they can't fix it and it's one of those
troJens that nick your bank details ff####ers.

I was waiting for nortons 90 day free trial to run out and then buy it, but
if this things going to nick my details what's the point....

So another format is on the cards and each time i do a format i get my 90
free trial back :D Saying that it's a good habbit to get into, to format and
get rid of all the crap.

[blondifan]

http://thumbnails25.imagebam.com/5609/e8bafa56086489.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/e8bafa56086489)

[buttsie]

If only it were that black & white

Have a friend whose been pulling her hair out while using the new snow leopard O/S

Seems compatibility with programs is always going to be an issue with Macs
http://snowleopard.wikidot.com/

Judging by how many questions are asked on all o/s forums I'm not even sure there is
a computer that wont give you a headache unless your smart enough to at least understand how they work

For a really sobering thought about computer safety take a look at this virus scanner site which uses 41 well known databases to scan individual files...not even close to 100% detection

http://www.virustotal.com/sobre.html

[the real McCoy]

As I understand your Microsoft computer may download stuff from malicious websites.

From Microsoft herself:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/2286198.mspx

"The vulnerability exists because Windows incorrectly parses shortcuts in such a way that malicious code may be executed when the icon of a specially crafted shortcut is displayed. This vulnerability can be exploited locally through a malicious USB drive, or remotely via network shares and WebDAV. An exploit can also be included in specific document types that support embedded shortcuts."

The link also has the traditional workaround, if you don't feel like upgrading to Mac, Linux or Unix.

/trm