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When cows grow wings and learn how to fly

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

May 02, 2006
4:26 AM EDT



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: http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1945782,00.asp

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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