NY Times advice: don’t run Windows
In a sidebar to an interesting article on “botnets,” The New York Times’ well-respected writer John Markoff offers a number of “Tips for Protecting the Home Computer.” The first one: use a “non-Windows-based PC.”
The main article, entitled “Attack of the Zombie Computers is Growing Threat,” details how Windows computers are being taken over by the millions (literally) and used in a wide range of malicious deeds ranging from sending spam to corporate espionage to fraud and identity theft. The deeds are carried out by the taken-over (zombie) computers coordinated, often through the IRC (Internet Relay Chat) protocol, into a single advanced attack entity called a “botnet.”
The sidebar article offers practical advice to Windows users as to how to prevent their machine from being used as part of a botnet. In addition to simply not running Windows, other advice includes installing anti-virus and firewall applications, not re-using passwords and being sure to install updates. All good advice for Mac users too!
Monday, January 8, 2007