# Fucking crackers and virus writers! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 13, 2003, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-crackers-and-virus-writers/194795 "2003-08-13T01:36:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Guy\_de\_Mont\_Ange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5e9695/32.png) [@Guy\_de\_Mont\_Ange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_de_Mont_Ange)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-crackers-and-virus-writers/194795/41 "2003-08-14T10:39:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sterra \* > \*\*I’d thank a guy who wrote a virus to automatically patch the computer. \*\* One should be careful what one offers. I believe this latest worm does just that, this Saturday. All at once. Of course, I could be full of shite, too, since my source is a radio ‘personality’ with the tech savvy of your average AOLer. Oooo, my first post and it’s in the Pit.:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Read\_Neck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@Read\_Neck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Read_Neck)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-crackers-and-virus-writers/194795/42 "2003-08-14T10:42:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bill H. \* > \*\*Guess I don’t follow your point, **Read\_Neck**. And I’m pretty steeped in this stuff. Seems you’re pointing out that the XP firewall is less active than a Sygate firewall, which is true. But I really don’t see how that refutes (or even relates) to my point. Wanna elaborate? \*\* My point was to see how many Windows services access the net without your knowledge and where they go. If you don’t use Internet Explorer,Windows Explorer starts accessing. Why? ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-crackers-and-virus-writers/194795/43 "2003-08-14T11:31:59Z")
**Read\_Neck** , guess I still don’t get how that’s related to either: a) what I said b) the topic of unix vs. windows re: security, or most importantly c) the OP relating to security and worms in general. And for what it’s worth, I don’t know of even one worm that takes advantage of your browser sending out undesired traffic. And I’m somewhat knowledgeable about things worm-like. Could you elaborate on the security threat you’re concerned about, and how it relates to any of the topics here? ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-crackers-and-virus-writers/194795/44 "2003-08-14T17:39:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rjung \* > \*\*Why? What law is there that would _mandate_ a consumer-level UNIX box to have all sorts of insecure crap loading it down? \*\* Note that I didn’t say it would be _mandated_, just that that’s what would happen. **Bill H.** put it very well: that’s what the consumers want. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-crackers-and-virus-writers/194795/45 "2003-08-14T19:17:37Z")
My point regarding Unix isn’t that it’s a perfect operating system, because it isn’t. It just seems to me through years of experience with both Unix and Windows that it is far, far easier to implement custom security on a \*nix box than it is on a Windows box. And I have seen \*nix boxes where the only user with write access was root, specifically because they had to be secure. If the name of the game is security, I’d still rather lock down a \*nix box than a Windows box. I firmly believe \*nix is great for servers, but it’s not something I’d want to give all of my users. For as many ways as there are to easily improve upon an OS like \*nix and to shape the security as the admin sees fit, there are ways for lusers to fuck it up. Given my choice, I’d rather fix the fuckup of a luser on a Windows box than a \*nix box. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-crackers-and-virus-writers/194795/46 "2003-08-14T20:38:23Z")
I’m lucky I’m still running WindowsME, but my sister, who just got a laptop, is running XP, which means she may get hit. (And for some reason her burner stopped working). She’s also have a hell of a time downloading the patch-it keeps stopping on her. _sigh_ My uncle claims we’re going to get hit Saturday and Sunday with the second wave. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-crackers-and-virus-writers/194795/47 "2003-08-14T22:06:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Boo Boo Foo \* > **… release the worms…** Sounds like the beginning of the world’s slowest fox-hunt. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-crackers-and-virus-writers/194795/48 "2003-08-14T23:03:21Z")
**Guin:** Check your e-mail. I can help you out with that patch for your sister. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-crackers-and-virus-writers/194795.md?page=2)