Defending against malicious CDs and USB flash drives

This is completely a Windows problem, from what I can tell. As the article writer notes, these USB drives loaded with malware exploit the Windows "Autorun" feature. However, the writer then says that this can be defended against with a "simple modification of the registry". WTF?

This is similar to saying this malware can be defended against with a few simple edits in a hex editor. It's easy to change the wrong thing and break your computer entirely if you don't know what you're doing.

Expecting regular computer users to modify their computer's registry (or use a hex editor) is ridiculous, and insane. It's akin to expecting regular car drivers to replace the intake valves in their car's engine (though it's a lot less time-consuming).

If Windows is STILL so broken that Autorun is enabled by default, and can only be turned off by hacking around with obscure registry settings, then the only answer is to simply stop using Windows, and use an OS that doesn't have such an insane and stupid "feature".

I don't think this is the case anymore for Windows 7, they have changed allot in the autorun system.

> I don't think this is the case anymore for Windows 7, they have changed allot in the autorun system.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of businesses I've worked with are still running XP. The migration to Vista never took place, and the migration to Windows 7 is happening, but very slowly.