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I hate virus writers

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Knifey
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02 Sep 2011, 6:43 am

Tom_Kakes wrote:
Knifey wrote:
bigbadbeast2007 wrote:
Why why why? i have been spending hours removing the remains of a worm that the av software couldn't. Why don't these people get a life? rather than ruining it for the rest of us!? :evil:
Its just the price you pay for using an operating system that is easy to code for. Because most programs are made for windows, most viruses are made for windows. If you only use a handful of programs for basic functions go use a mac where that's all that exists.


No

Its the price you pay for running a GUI in ring 0 and having a messed up permissions system that still lets you write dlls to root with a limited account...

:roll:


i'm sure there's no benefit to that and microsoft are just too lazy and dumb to change it and the only reason games are written for windows is because microsoft has a monopoly.. blah blah blah. if linux was so great it would come with every game you buy as the preferred operating system to run the game on.


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Tom_Kakes
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02 Sep 2011, 7:07 am

Knifey wrote:
Tom_Kakes wrote:
Knifey wrote:
bigbadbeast2007 wrote:
Why why why? i have been spending hours removing the remains of a worm that the av software couldn't. Why don't these people get a life? rather than ruining it for the rest of us!? :evil:
Its just the price you pay for using an operating system that is easy to code for. Because most programs are made for windows, most viruses are made for windows. If you only use a handful of programs for basic functions go use a mac where that's all that exists.


No

Its the price you pay for running a GUI in ring 0 and having a messed up permissions system that still lets you write dlls to root with a limited account...

:roll:


i'm sure there's no benefit to that and microsoft are just too lazy and dumb to change it and the only reason games are written for windows is because microsoft has a monopoly.. blah blah blah. if linux was so great it would come with every game you buy as the preferred operating system to run the game on.


I actually like both!

1 Linux/Unix
2 Osx (unix again)
3 Windows NT

Your right, windows is great for playing games, Osx for serious office stuff and linux for absolutely everything else including my droid!



Tom_Kakes
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02 Sep 2011, 8:07 am

Cornflake wrote:
Tom_Kakes wrote:
Knifey wrote:
bigbadbeast2007 wrote:
Why why why? i have been spending hours removing the remains of a worm that the av software couldn't. Why don't these people get a life? rather than ruining it for the rest of us!? :evil:
Its just the price you pay for using an operating system that is easy to code for. Because most programs are made for windows, most viruses are made for windows. If you only use a handful of programs for basic functions go use a mac where that's all that exists.
No

Its the price you pay for running a GUI in ring 0 and having a messed up permissions system that still lets you write dlls to root with a limited account...

:roll:
+10

@Knifey: Any OS is easy to code for, given its API, and viruses are written for Windows because it's far too easily done - for the reasons Tom gives.


8)

Yup it has nothing to do with the market share, virus writers write code to exploit vulnerabilities in the most obscure devices, routers and even industrial control units. Just because they can.



xowe
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02 Sep 2011, 8:48 am

Tom_Kakes wrote:
Cornflake wrote:
Tom_Kakes wrote:
Knifey wrote:
bigbadbeast2007 wrote:
Why why why? i have been spending hours removing the remains of a worm that the av software couldn't. Why don't these people get a life? rather than ruining it for the rest of us!? :evil:
Its just the price you pay for using an operating system that is easy to code for. Because most programs are made for windows, most viruses are made for windows. If you only use a handful of programs for basic functions go use a mac where that's all that exists.
No

Its the price you pay for running a GUI in ring 0 and having a messed up permissions system that still lets you write dlls to root with a limited account...

:roll:
+10

@Knifey: Any OS is easy to code for, given its API, and viruses are written for Windows because it's far too easily done - for the reasons Tom gives.


8)

Yup it has nothing to do with the market share, virus writers write code to exploit vulnerabilities in the most obscure devices, routers and even industrial control units. Just because they can.



My intention was not to indicate it was a matter of market share that indicates that something is more or less vulnerable, it was to indicate the reason that there are less Viruses and general malware for Macs.

You have about 9 times as may PCs as you have Macs, which means 9 times the opportunity for viruses to spread, and likely 9 times as many programmers who would write Malware and other evil stuff.

The way I'm sure the evil Malware/virus writers look at it...
- if they have to send 100 people their virus to get 1 person infected (I am making this number up, I don't actually know the statistic)... If it is written for a Mac, they will have to send out almost 10 times as many email/spam/whatever infection vector, then for a PC - why do all that extra work.

Computers Suck. Then again, I can't stop using them. :)

Cheers!



Knifey
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02 Sep 2011, 8:52 am

Tom_Kakes wrote:
Yup it has nothing to do with the market share, virus writers write code to exploit vulnerabilities in the most obscure devices, routers and even industrial control units. Just because they can.
Oh please, writing virus's is 99% ego and 1% because they can. They want to infect as many people as possible to put another notch on their virtual bedpost to increase the size of their e-wang.


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Knifey
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02 Sep 2011, 8:59 am

xowe wrote:
You have about 9 times as may PCs as you have Macs, which means 9 times the opportunity for viruses to spread, and likely 9 times as many programmers who would write Malware and other evil stuff.
I'm not sure if that's an incredible over statement or understatement. There are about 3 major brands of motherboards and only 2 brands of CPU. I don't really know many viruses that care what hardware it is you are running as they usually try and exploit software, which doesn't matter what OS your running. There is a lot of software similarities between 32bit xp, 32bit vista, 32bit win7 and people often keep the same office program when they upgrade etc. I think windows awesome backwards compatibility is its own downfall with exploits sometimes.


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Cornflake
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02 Sep 2011, 9:21 am

Knifey wrote:
Oh please, writing virus's is 99% ego and 1% because they can. They want to infect as many people as possible to put another notch on their virtual bedpost to increase the size of their e-wang.
Nonsense. There's a whole criminal class involved with Windows malware now because anyone can do it - botnet farmers don't exist because they like agricultural things: malware generates income for these types.
It went way past the ego stage years ago.

Knifey wrote:
I think windows awesome backwards compatibility is its own downfall with exploits sometimes.
Or that Microsoft is incapable of fixing poor quality OS design decisions and coding.
Vulnerabilities are errors in design and/or coding, not features which must remain backwards compatible with more of the same.


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Tom_Kakes
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02 Sep 2011, 9:54 am

Knifey wrote:
They want to infect as many people as possible to put another notch on their virtual bedpost to increase the size of their e-wang.


Well i think if that were true and Linux was vulnerable you would see Linux/Unix servers exploited far more as most servers run linux. Look at ms server 2003, the most popular windows server. Its also the most exploited server but not the market leader.



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02 Sep 2011, 10:26 am

No virii here, either. Running Windows, Avira, CCleaner, and Spybot. Using Firefox with AdBlock and the security features turned up. I stay away from questionable websites, and I don't stream porn.

Nothing gets into this machine without my permission.

Nothing.


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Burzum
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03 Sep 2011, 3:45 am

bigbadbeast2007 wrote:
Why don't these people get a life? rather than ruining it for the rest of us!? :evil:

Most virus writers aren't out to cause havoc purely for the fun of it. Viruses are merely a means to an end. For them to reach that end they need to compromise your computer.



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03 Sep 2011, 3:49 am

Knifey wrote:
Oh please, writing virus's is 99% ego and 1% because they can. They want to infect as many people as possible to put another notch on their virtual bedpost to increase the size of their e-wang.

I'm sorry, but you have no idea what you're talking about. "Virus writers" that are doing it purely for ego are almost exclusively script kiddies that are incapable of doing any real harm.

The reason being, writing a good virus, one that spreads quickly and is difficult to detect, takes a large investment of time. People aren't going to invest large portions of their time into perfecting viruses merely to get a kick out of annoying you.