Posted on 08/11/2011 5:48:55 AM PDT by ShadowAce
No difference. If I can get an executable to elevate the user (TO SYSTEM, mind you), the only difference is in smuggling the thing in (pwd protected zip) and tasking it to go off. The point is that an exe can get root or sec without any confirmation from the user. And it can.
The key is over the network attacks and that’s where they security is greatly improved. Now the attacks are pretty much social engineered attacks.
Not at all - FakeAV often comes in on an ActiveX exploit (drive-by), just like in the good ol days... And it ain't the only one. Java is not immune, but it still holds true that the lion's share of drivebys mainly effect IE (because of ActiveX (*SPIT*))
About 25% of the infected boxes coming across my bench are WinSeven. The majority are Vista or Seven. No real change at all from, my perspective. Did they tighten it up? YUP. But as always, 6 months out, it makes no real difference at all.
One thing that *nix did better than Win, it is built from the ground up with root being a separate entity from userland - not just another glorified Admin. Until that is met somehow in Win, it won't be without virus gear, IMHO. And the fact that Win boxen (Seven or otherwise) still need AV is the proof of it.
There is no point in disucssing if you think physical access is the same as network access.
But I will throw this out there. OSX is unix right? How did that malware get installed without user saying elevate my permissions?
Also why does Apple recommend AV?
In the spirit of full disclosure... This same mid-range old Dell does dual boot into Win7. Win7 gets to a usable desktop in about the same time. I don’t have anything against Win7, or XP for that matter. Either one would work fine for me as an everyday OS at home. As I said though, I prefer Linux, and it has some advantages for me.
I prefer it also. Not because of the fact that most of the software is free, but because of the motives of the people who write it. I have never had a trojan, virus or slimware on a linux box. The only real danger is a root kit, but they also mess up Windows machines. Security by obscurity.
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