Mailinglist Archive: opensuse (1956 mails)

[Hans van der Merwe <hvdmerwe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, 2007-08-07 at 01:15 -0800, John Andersen wrote:
> On Tuesday 07 August 2007, Hans van der Merwe wrote:
> > If/When Linux makes it big-time on the desktop do you think it will also
> > be bogged down with virus attacks as MS is now.
> 
> No. 
> The reason windows is attacked is because its EASY, not JUST because its
> popular.  Believing otherwise is swallowing Microsoft FUD hook line and 
> sinker.
> 
> 
> > Why is it assumed that Linux is less prone to virus attacks?  
> 
> Because it is.  With windows, simply sending you a file can infect
> you.  With linux, sending you a file and having you click on it all
> day long STILL does not make it executable.
> 
> 
> > I know to 
> > install stuff in the system, root is necessary, but installing and
> > running dangerous stuff in the user home directories is easy; you just
> > need a cunning app to fool the user in executing malicious code.
> 
> Social engineering is always a risk, but with Linux you can even prevent
> against that to a far greater degree than with windows.  Egress filtering
> does a lot.  But the real protection is that users who are too dumb to 
> realized WHY they are being asked to set something executable when all they 
> thought they were doing was getting a eCard from a classmate or a bored girl
> are also too dumb to figure out how to set it executable.
> 
> 
> > (given, doing this in Win is easier, but not impossible in any flavour
> > Linux)
> 
> I submit that for all practical purposes it is impossible.  Or at the 
> very least impractical.
> 
> Evidence:  We have been fighting windows viruses and worms tooth
> and nail for Over 10 Years.  Wouldn't you thing that would have
> been time enough for some clever virus writer to try and take over
> that very LARGE segment of internet web servers that run on
> various 'nix machines, and which serve as firewalls to vast 
> data warehouses?

> Further advances in SE linux make it even less likely in the future.
> 
> Bill would like you to believe its JUST because his OS is popular.
> 

Again, Im only talking about Desktop Linux, not servers - web users dont
have logons, email and web-browsing on arb webservers - so it remains
dumb user proof.

But my main concern is that dumb users usually make up most of the
desktop market out there - and preaching to them that Linux will make
there virus problem go away is setting them up for a fall.

 Hans




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