NEW PC ON IT'S WAY!!! YEAAAAAAH!!!!!

Yanche wrote: Just about all the virus problems you get are possible because there is a defect in the installed software on your computer.

Yanche, I agree with everything you said there. I would just change one or two words in that statement:
ALL virus problems you get are possible because there is a defect in the installed OPERATING SYSTEM.

I didn't use "all" and narrow the problem to the "operating system" because some viruses exploit software defects in applications. For example the Adobe Acrobat version 7 and earlier can allow unwanted Java script to run on your computer. The OS could be bug free and the computer system would still have a vulnerability. The Acrobat bug is cause by a memory corruption from a specially crafted pdf file. It overwrites a specific memory location which in-turn could be used to run arbitrary Java code. For the computer geeks all the details are here: http://www.piotrbania.com/all/adv/adobe-acrobat-adv.txt

For the rest of us what it means if you view a specially crafted pdf file you could have a Java script running you don't know about. All a virus created has to do is to convince you to look at his "special" pdf file. Usually easy to do. Then the script that is a part of his web page does it dirty work. That's why it's important to also update application software as well as the operating system. "Windows Update" alone will not do the job. If your virus checker finds something it's already to late.

All a virus created has to do is to convince you to look at his "special" pdf file. Usually easy to do. Then the script that is a part of his web page does it dirty work. That's why it's important to also update application software as well as the operating system.

Bingo!

I'm up & running!

Spent hours loading all my pics, documents etc. Plus spyware removers, antivirus etc. Has Norton! Deleting that one.

Tryiing to get used to this keyboard -- keep hitting caps lock & enter button -- VERY aggravating! But being able to surf again is nice!

SMITTY wrote:I'm up & running!

Smitty, Good stuff! I'm doing the same thing to my sisters old PC right now. Old PC died, power issue. copying old hardrive to new PC's harddrive as we chat. Lots of fun.....

It's a royal pain in the ass. I spent the better part of 5 hours today loading all info -- I don't know how anyone can sit in a chair for 8-10 hours/day! I'm going nutso!!

Luke...
http://service1.symantec.com/Support/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039
Use the force wisely!
This would help...
That chair situation!
http://www.humanscale.com/products/freedom_index.cfm
My day gets broken up by the service calls.

In my first post on this thread (NEW PC ON IT'S WAY!!! YEAAAAAAH!!!!!) I suggest a free service that e-mails you a list the most important security threats weekly. Here's a snap shot of the latest:

"Widely Deployed Software
(1) CRITICAL: Adobe Shockwave Player Pointer Overwrite Vulnerability
(2) HIGH: Google Chrome HTTP Response Buffer Overflow Vulnerability
(3) HIGH: Foxit Reader JPEG2000/JBIG Decoder Multiple Vulnerabilities
(4) MODERATE: Bopup Communication Server Buffer Overflow Vulnerability"

Usually the list is longer. You can take a quick look at the list and see if it applies to the software on you computer and then scroll down to the detail description. For example this months #1.

Begin quote:

"(1) CRITICAL: Adobe Shockwave Player Pointer Overwrite Vulnerability
Affected:
Adobe Shockwave Player version 11.5.0.596 and prior

Description: Adobe Shockwave Player, with over 450 million users, is a
multimedia player created in Adobe Director and allows its applications
to be published and viewed by a browser installed with a Shockwave
plug-in. It has an invalid memory overwrite error which might lead to
remote code execution. The specific flaw is in the way a vulnerable
Shockwave Player allocates memory while parsing a specially crafted
Director file. An attacker will have to trick an unsuspecting user to
load the malicious Director file; for example by enticing the user into
visiting a web site that hosts the malicious file.

Status: Vendor confirmed, updates available."

End Quote

Using the SANS e-mail alerts (http://www.sans.org/newsletters/)have helped me big time in keeping my computer virus free for over a decade. Highly recommended.

Great info as usual, Yanche!

...and no less thanks to the rest of yooooz!