[Info-vax] Maybe a bit OT, maybe not.. in any case an interesting article

[Paul Sture]

On Fri, 18 May 2012 11:13:09 +0200, Nomen Nescio wrote:

> Johnny Billquist <bqt at softjar.se> wrote:
> 
>> On 2012-05-17 16:53, David Froble wrote:
>> > Bob Koehler wrote:
>> >> In article <jp0rk3$jlg$1 at dont-email.me>, David Froble
>> >> <davef at tsoft-inc.com> writes:
>> >>> I rarely re-boot, and I never turn on automatic updates.
>> >>
>> >> This is reportedly the most common cause of actual Windows security
>> >> failures. The crackers examine the patches to find out where the
>> >> security hole is, and then attack unpatched systems.
>> >
>> > My opinion is that the most common cause of security breeches is not
>> > having a good router and other firewall protection. No, not the
>> > firewall junk on weendoze.
>> >
>> > If a cracker cannot reach my system, then he can do no harm.
>> >
>> > Anybody here that opens something that they don't already know about
>> > gets kicked off the network. Then it's not my problem.
>> 
>> And the most common types of exploits are not other users contacting
>> your machine, but you inadvertedly and unknowingly downloading software
>> that exploit your system, and that software then connects to some
>> exterior host, thereby setting up an access vector to your computer. If
>> you think a firewall is protecting you in any way, you are seriously
>> mistaken.
> 
> No, that's the whole point of Windows firewalls. The threat from Windows
> is within, as you said. And a good Windows firewall (zonealarm, kerio
> etc) not only allows you to stop programs from *launching* but also
> allows you to *stop* anything you haven't explicitly permitted from
> connecting to the net.

And if you are using OS X, Little Snitch.

-- 
Paul Sture