SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
from the Alt-right-plot-to-rule-the-world-through-Windows-exploitables dept.
This was just too funny not to submit. Do you not have the latest keyboard-logging Windows 10 on your, um computer? Not your computer, you know. But now, it turns out, according to the formerly great tech journal ZDNet, you are at risk! "Awake! Fear! Fire! Foes! Awake!"
But, wait for it, only if you run Windows.
Over half of applications installed on Windows PCs are out-of-date, potentially putting the security of users at risk through flaws in software that have already been patched by vendors.
Around 55 percent of software installed on PCs across the globe is in the form of an older version of the application, according to research by security company Avast — and that number has risen from 48 percent in their previous report.
Based upon anonyimized[sic] and aggregated data from 163 million devices around the world, Avast's PC trends report also suggests that almost one in six Windows 7 users and one in ten Windows 10 users are running out-of-date versions of their operating system, also leaving them open to exploitation of system-level security vulnerabilities.
Some of the programs most commonly left out-of-date include Adobe Shockwave, VLC Media Player, Skype, Java Runtime Environment, and 7-Zip Filemanager.
Putting off installing updates and running outdated applications can cause bugs and incompatibility problems for users, but more significantly, running out-of-date software can provide an open door for hackers to take advantage of holes left in programs that haven't had critical security updates applied.
Well, there it is. If you run Windows, you are running a security risk. Funny they would think how current your capitulation to the "Dark Side" is would make any difference. But on the other hand, the advice in general is good, just do not run anything out of Redmond, where the Dark Lord rules, and keep up to date on security patches. Except on my Android Phone. They ask me to do security upgrades, and I think, "Why?" I cannot remove the goddamned bloat-ware they put on goddamned thing, and they want me to approve upgrades? Hell no! I will rot in hell with my aging Android phone, with a version of Android nearly as old as I am, because the bastards will not allow me to upgrade to a more current version!
If Linux did shit like this, systemd aside, I would be BSD all the way. Sorry, too much commentary for a submission. But, really? Am I wrong?
P.S. When exactly did ZDNet take the tumble? Does anyone remember? Was it with the review of the new Microsoft Disk Compression Utility?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Nuke on Wednesday January 23 2019, @10:54AM (3 children)
Since the dirty trick that Microsoft played "updating" users' Windows 7/8 to WIndows 10, I have turned off updates on all Windows machines around here. (Mrs Nuke's, and the dual bootable/ VM copies that I have).
I have made the judgment that I can cope with viruses, encryption, data theft, or any other type of malware better than I can cope with WIndows updates.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 23 2019, @12:07PM (2 children)
I made that call when XP service pack 2 or 3 capped the number of outgoing network connections, supposedly to fight SPAM-generating malware, hat just so happened to murder torrent speeds as well. A few years later I made the permanent GNU+Linux jump.
I still consider grabbing on of those SD card to SATA adapters, installing XP and then switching on the write-protect switch so that a rebbot would wipe out anything that may infect it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 23 2019, @01:53PM
Unfortunately, full blown Windows requires RW access to the disk it boots from for various things to work.
Someone here, I think, in a previous discussion pointed in the direction of this software http://www.toolwiz.com/lead/toolwiz_time_freeze/ [toolwiz.com]
I've not really much use for Windows these days, but I'm still running Win7 on two laptops for occasional access to commercial graphics software the company paid for, I installed this not really because of the Microsoft BS (though it helps there) more like I was getting rather pissed off with one of these graphics packages installing updates on the fly which 'break' the system as far as my 'workflow' (urgh!) is concerned..even though these updates are supposedly switched off, it still fscking does it, so now, when it does, one reboot later, they're gone and the machine is back to a known usable state...yes, I do need to configure the firewall on Win7 to block the fscker from talking to the network etc, but as I said, occasional use..so low priority.
I've not done the extreme test yet of deliberately infecting the thing with a virus and seeing how well it really does protect the system, all I can say is that it works for me for what I need it to do (so much so, I'll be buying a license even though the free version works fine), but, as always, YMMV.
(Score: 2) by acid andy on Wednesday January 23 2019, @04:18PM
Still risky. Malware could theoretically flash your BIOS, inflect device firmware or microcode.
If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?