Web Site security not so secure (just don't go there)

Until the threats go away I am not going to stop warning you about malware and the importance of
backups.

Research has revealed, and I use the term revealed loosely, that security software vendors took on average two days to block new malicious web sites.

The article on Techworld highlights a few lowlights including AVG who seemed to score fairly low on the web site blocking front. A pity because generally they seem quite good.

I explained before how the whole game with the bad guys is to exploit this gap between finding and securing. Sooner or later you will fall into the gap and get toasted. Too many metaphors?

Anyway, the point is JUST DON'T GO TO BAD WEBSITES.  Sometimes this isn't as easy as it sounds, other time people feel the need to be dangerous or rude and wonder why bad things happen to their computers.

The answer to this is to have a sacrificial computer that use you to participate in risky behaviour. Make sure this computer is NOT on your network or connected to you computers in any other way (USB sticks, burnt CDs, external hard drives etc.).  When this computer gets toasted you shrug your shoulders, say "oh well" and rebuild it knowing all your work, family photos and private information is perfectly safe SOMEWHERE ELSE!

These days loading a FREE operating system like Ubuntu onto an obsolete PC is very easy and quite fast. The bonus is that there is infact less nasty stuff targetting these type of operating systems. Note I said "less" not "none".

Have fun but wear your digital condom please.