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General Security Discussions
If you could pick only one program for protection.
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<blockquote data-quote="ebocious" data-source="post: 833452" data-attributes="member: 75834"><p>Exactly. The longer we coddle those who wish to avoid the technical aspect, the more danger we expose them to. Criminals aren't sitting around, waiting for security companies to catch up. They're evolving, and working on AI malware that can sit on a server, probe a visiting client for vulnerabilities, and open fire on those vulnerabilities as if a live hacker were attacking that computer directly. This isn't a game. Cybercrime is the #1 largest criminal industry in the world for a reason. These guys play for keeps.</p><p></p><p>Gone are the days when prudes attacked adult sites in protest, and anyone dumb enough to visit those sites or engage in P2P file sharing was classified as a high-risk user. Today, "high risk" has a new meaning: it's not the sites you visit; it's what information you have on your computer. If you bank online, keep your address book on your computer, or store pictures you don't want to lose; then your greatest threat is not a virus crippling Windows, so you have to suffer the inconvenience of reinstalling your operating system. That was the '90s.</p><p></p><p>Far worse than a virus these days is having a keylogger send your CC information or online banking credentials to its owner, so you are delinquent on your rent or mortgage payment when you find your checking account has been cleaned out. Or a backdoor Trojan takes snapshots of your address book, and steals your grandmother's identity. Or you get infected with ransomware, and have to pay $600 or more and beg the person on the other end to please give you the encryption key because you didn't have a backup (which average users do not).</p><p></p><p>The above-mentioned threats are not limited to gamers, swingers, and pirates; they affect 80-year-old women who never get on the computer except to check their email, or visit Betty Crocker and Jo-Ann Fabrics. Once upon a time, anyone with a little practice behind the wheel could take a car out on the road. Today, we license people to drive. Security researchers have been saying for the past 15 years that we need to start doing the same thing for the Internet. It is estimated that about a third of all computers connected to the Internet are infected, in many cases unbeknownst to the user. An identity is stolen every two seconds. These are not ho-hum facts of life; they are real problems that we have as yet failed to address.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, every computer I'm responsible for has at least MBBE/MBBG and TrafficLight (also WDBP and WebRTC Leak Prevent for Chrome), CleanBrowsing DNS, and AppCheck anti-ransomware; along with whatever AV they had to begin with. For those who stay in contact with me, I add Cruel Comodo (I turn off all alerts) and a TeamViewer applet, so they can call me if ever they need something installed (which hardly anyone ever does).</p><p></p><p>It's not hard to secure computers. What's hard is explaining to intermediate enthusiasts who moonlight as the family/neighborhood geek that average users don't need to constantly deal with alerts like we do, because they are not download junkies.</p><p></p><p>Sorry for another off-topic post. But I hope it was at least contributory: not just because I explained what's out there right now, but because I'm including product recommendations and not just rants in my posts. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite110" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ebocious, post: 833452, member: 75834"] Exactly. The longer we coddle those who wish to avoid the technical aspect, the more danger we expose them to. Criminals aren't sitting around, waiting for security companies to catch up. They're evolving, and working on AI malware that can sit on a server, probe a visiting client for vulnerabilities, and open fire on those vulnerabilities as if a live hacker were attacking that computer directly. This isn't a game. Cybercrime is the #1 largest criminal industry in the world for a reason. These guys play for keeps. Gone are the days when prudes attacked adult sites in protest, and anyone dumb enough to visit those sites or engage in P2P file sharing was classified as a high-risk user. Today, "high risk" has a new meaning: it's not the sites you visit; it's what information you have on your computer. If you bank online, keep your address book on your computer, or store pictures you don't want to lose; then your greatest threat is not a virus crippling Windows, so you have to suffer the inconvenience of reinstalling your operating system. That was the '90s. Far worse than a virus these days is having a keylogger send your CC information or online banking credentials to its owner, so you are delinquent on your rent or mortgage payment when you find your checking account has been cleaned out. Or a backdoor Trojan takes snapshots of your address book, and steals your grandmother's identity. Or you get infected with ransomware, and have to pay $600 or more and beg the person on the other end to please give you the encryption key because you didn't have a backup (which average users do not). The above-mentioned threats are not limited to gamers, swingers, and pirates; they affect 80-year-old women who never get on the computer except to check their email, or visit Betty Crocker and Jo-Ann Fabrics. Once upon a time, anyone with a little practice behind the wheel could take a car out on the road. Today, we license people to drive. Security researchers have been saying for the past 15 years that we need to start doing the same thing for the Internet. It is estimated that about a third of all computers connected to the Internet are infected, in many cases unbeknownst to the user. An identity is stolen every two seconds. These are not ho-hum facts of life; they are real problems that we have as yet failed to address. Meanwhile, every computer I'm responsible for has at least MBBE/MBBG and TrafficLight (also WDBP and WebRTC Leak Prevent for Chrome), CleanBrowsing DNS, and AppCheck anti-ransomware; along with whatever AV they had to begin with. For those who stay in contact with me, I add Cruel Comodo (I turn off all alerts) and a TeamViewer applet, so they can call me if ever they need something installed (which hardly anyone ever does). It's not hard to secure computers. What's hard is explaining to intermediate enthusiasts who moonlight as the family/neighborhood geek that average users don't need to constantly deal with alerts like we do, because they are not download junkies. Sorry for another off-topic post. But I hope it was at least contributory: not just because I explained what's out there right now, but because I'm including product recommendations and not just rants in my posts. ;) [/QUOTE]
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