Windows woes

[Georg Wrede]

Walter Bright wrote:
> Paolo Invernizzi wrote:
> 
>> Walter Bright wrote:
>> 
>>> Turns out, I did have a trojan rootkit on my system. arrgh!
>> 
>> 
>> It's more and more problematic... from Slashdot today.
>> 
>> http://it.slashdot.org/it/06/03/31/0741221.shtml

So now we have "yy/mm/dd" in addition to the already ambiguous 
"mm/dd/yy" and "dd/mm/yy". (Greetings to the guy doing the date library!)

>> As a test, I've a rootkit installed on an Windows machine from 3 
>> years, and it's still undetected. ;-(
>> 
>> If you are running a business, THAT is a BIG REAL concern for 
>> Microsoft...
> 
> 
> Mine was Trojan.AbWiz.F. It's a big concern for me. If my system
> hadn't started to misbehave, I never would have suspected it.

I've had a principle (since 1991) that Serious Production Stuff that 
needs to be on a Windows machine, is disconnected from the net. Like 
Physically.

Then I have 2nd tier, 3rd tier stuff, that is on various other 
computers, some more, some less "disconnected". And I've used the 
ZoneAlarm firewall since I don't even know when. On all of them.

Actually, if I ever install Windows on a machine, (anybody's,) I do it 
from the (or a) CD, install ZA, configure it, and only then connect the 
lan cable.

I've removed IE from any menus or the desktop, ever since Win95, I don't 
allow any scripts or popups, I don't visit "questionable sites", or 
actually any sites mentioned in spam (those I visit with Linux(!), damn, 
I must be a bastard pedophile... or a prescription medicine stalker ( 
:-) ), but since all my girls (since teen-age) have been polite, at 
least I don't have to visit the Goliathizing sites), and as a result, 
it's been quite a while (better knock on wood here) since I last had 
trouble. But it's a lot of drudgery. All of which _should_ not be 
needed. (Windows???? Nyet, it's Computers, Da? Right.)

I've run a few tests on how often all kinds of baddies knock on the 
"cow's behind" (made famous by this ugly named guy from Holland) or 
other "private" parts of my windows, and I've come to the conclusion 
that between the time I've got a "go" from the Windows Install, and the 
time I'd then have the firewall copied and installed, on average 350 
tries on my integrity are received through the wire. Figure that!

PS, AbWiz souds like something you see after-hours on TV, when you're 
too tired to touch the red button on your remote. And there's always a 
gorgeous woman demonstrating it.