[OT] Browsing the internet... It is safer from Linux?

[Bob Sneidar]

I listen to Leo on the radio every Saturday. I really respect his knowledge and expertise, as I am an IT guy, and can verify that what he says is almost always spot on. 

However, a lot of what is discussed in these podcasts are what COULD be done, not what is ACTUALLY HAPPENING on a regular basis in the wild. 

The simple way to put all of this is that once information is in a digital format, and you open these regular lines of communication to the internet, the data, as protected as you may think it is, is now "in the open" meaning you no longer have the ability to monitor or control it. 

What anyone can do with that information, once they have it, depends largely on what you do on the internet.
You can make a good argument that shopping or banking online is a risky proposition. Any disgruntled IT kid can steal your information pretty easily if the IT at the site is not up to snuff. And if Google can be hijacked, then I don't think anyone can say that their web site is completely secure, so drive by downloads are going to be around for a while methinks. 

The thing to consider is that the more malicious people are with the information they collect, the more risky the proposition. But the web is not the only place this information is derived. Send in an application for employment, and someone is going to either type the information in to a computer, or else file it in a cabinet that at least a few people have access to. Same thing with applying for a credit card. 

So even if you threw away your computer today and never touched a keyboard again, this is not going to protect you from identity theft or a compromised credit card account. The whole point is that information about you is out there "in the open" and if someone tries hard enough they can get it and use it to their advantage and your loss. The internet just makes it a bit easier for them to get at it. 

Bob


On Nov 1, 2010, at 11:25 AM, Alejandro Tejada wrote:

> If...
> you do not feel deeply concerned about your Windows
> OS security (after hearing many of their podcast),
> then...
> you are definitely more confident than me
> about the security of your System.
> end if...
> 
> What does everybody think about these security topics
> explained in these podcasts? 
> 
> Al
> --