When cows grow wings and learn how to fly

Story: Mac and Linux viruses?Total Replies: 0
Author Content
otis_2

May 02, 2006
3:26 AM EST







Mr Parris,

With all due respect Sir, I said "worst case scenario".

I rescue Windows desktop PC's from malware on almost a daily basis.
Many of these machines need a format and reinstall, as the operating
systems (Windows) become so corrupted (not user data), that they are
beyond the ability to boot (even in 'safe mode').

See: [HYPERLINK@www.eweek.com]

Recovering user personal data is normally not a problem, ie: boot from
Linux 'LiveCD', mount NTFS partition, recover data.

In the early days of malware it was mostly malicious. By that I mean,
the code seemed to be written by delinquents who got a thrill out of
trashing people's PC's (deleting data files, etc). Today that is
generally not the case. Today's malware writers are doing it for
financial gain, ie: stealing personal information, hijacking PC's and
turning them into SPAM bots or using them for DDOS attacks.

I will agree with you that virtually anything is "possible", but does
that mean it's probable? I suppose one could say it's "possible" that
one day cows will grow wings and learn to fly, but is this probable? Is
it really worth getting concerned about? This discussion is like
debating the relative safety of traveling by airliner vs. by
automobile. There is simply no comparison, however tell that to people
who are scared to fly because of endless media reports about plane
crashes.

As I write this, there are literally tens of thousands of hijacked PC's
all over the world the criminals have turned into "bot nets". They rent
them out on the black market for illegal activities. Every last one of
these PC's are Windows based.

Is it "possible" that one or more might be Mac/Linux/Unix based some
day? Sure, it is .... when cows grow wings and learn how to fly.

- R. Fennimore


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