time spent on security

I would like to see how much time the members here at Wilders spend on pc security a month.

 

Much more than 7+ hours a month ... just read all of my, um, important and serious posts in 10-Forward, for example, right now Beetlejuice and I are about to battle it out with a dishwasher and a jackhammer. (Actually, I really do spend that much time on pc security, most of it still learning and most of it from you fine folks).

Acadia

 

I stated mine at five hours but in reality it is probably twice that It is definatlly an ongoing battle.

 

I think i would fall somewhere close to this category





snowbound

 

Why does it only go up to 7 hours a month? Count me out then

 

It goes to 7/hr+ which would be from seven hours to infinity, thats a really long time infinity.

 

7+ will do nicely thanks.

No need to be reminded how much it really amounts to.

Pieter

 

"More."

 

I think an hour per week is reasonable for me. So maybe 5-6 hours, factoring in time looking at logs , dealing with FPs etc.

Time spent here reading this forum doesn't really count as security, it's more of a hobby. The security of my computers probably won't suffer much if I don't read this or related forums like Spywareinfoforum

 

Not counting time spent in security forums I spend more than 7 hours a month on security.Especially the last month.
If I consider updating M$ and the security programs that I use,scanning,looking at firewall logs,and program trials it's easy to rack up the hours.

Any amount of time spent on security is time well-spent IMO.

 

Is there anyting else, besides security?

yep, it's my job, too

 

i am not close but in this category... if security means learning bout security too and hou to b safe...

 

It looks like the members at wilders do practice what they preach==SECURITY==

 

That's because you spend time on non-essential tasks.
Certainly trialing a dozen firewalls and whatnot almost every day isn't necessary to security.

If you are a typical homeuser, who doesn't see security as a hobby , you seldom if ever trial new products.
Upating would take probably a couple of seconds, even if set on manual.You might scan your logs, but even then, you probably wouldn't spend much time, analyzing and reporting them.


So for those of you who say you spend "all hours" , I'm concluding either you are an administator of a huge network, or you spend WAY too much time, downloading ,installing and testing every new security related app, you hear about. That sucks up a lot of time.

And if it's your job, of course that doesn't count too.

Lest, the newbies who read this think pc security is too hard and you need to spend "all hours" on it, please understand that most people here are addicted to tweaking their system , trialling new software etc to enhance security (or so they think anyway as they search for the ultimate firewall or whatever).

Nothing wrong with that, but that certainly doesn't mean you can't be secure (by almost any standard) without spending as much time as the guys in this thread do.

There also appears to be an element of boasting in this thread, where people brag they are SO security conscious cos they spend so much time on it.

 

That might be an interesting poll. Or what is the minimal amount of time you could spend on security and still consider yourself to be comfortably secure .

That would perhaps be a more thought provoking question, are you spending too much time on security?
How much of the time you spent is strictly necessary and how much is just trying to satisfy your curiosity and keeping up with the latest and greatest ?

I have being considering such questions, and I suspect the answer in my case is too damn much.

 

No matter how much time I spend on pc security, and I mean the serious stuff not the 10-forward sugary fluff, I still feel my pc is INsecure. Yes, much more secure than the average home pc user but that’s not saying very much is it?. It’s like I’ve said many times in many forums: One can never start patting oneself on the back and say, "My system is finally secure" ... THAT'S when you'll get nailed. Heck, if the multi-million dollar firewalls of the Pentagon can be hacked into, and they have been, what chance do I have? (Although the Pentagons computers would be a much more interesting target) It’s like they say, "If a burglar wants to break into your house bad enough, and if he is a pro, he’ll get in". All one can do is make your home (pc) uncomfortable looking enough for the vast majority of bad guys who are not pros. So what does one do? ENJOY LIFE and if that means computing and surfing, GO FOR IT!! Yes, you stand a chance of getting killed every time you hop into your automobile, does that mean you stop driving? You can’t let the bad guys control your life thru fear or they win. It’s kind of like here in America, we can’t let the terrorists control our lives thru fear, we must continue to live our daily lives normally like we always have (although I’m afraid at this point the terrorists are winning).

I practice so much pc security because I find it interesting almost fascinating, but I am not an expert. When some of you, like you Jayk and many others, starting getting technical, you all go WAY over my head. One time I was corresponding via a forum, I think maybe even this one, with Kevin the creator of BoClean: What the hell was he even talking about?! (He was telling me, well us, about a new Trojan that can actually TURN YOUR PC BACK ON after you’ve turned it off, yikes!) ... but I still enjoy all of this stuff and the camaraderie in this forum and besides, each time ya'll get a little too technical for me, a little more usually sinks in and stays with me (I’m learning!). In my opinion the most important thing I personally can do for the security of my pc is simply not to store any sensitive information on my system: credit card numbers, social security numbers, etc. Kill all of the auto complete stuff in IE. I assume that one day I will be hacked, so I try not to keep anything interesting in my system. (I also assume that one day I will be in an automobile accident, so I wear my seatbelt, drive a car with airbags and scores well in the government crash test, but I don't stop driving) Even with all my carefulness, I had a credit card cancelled because someone hacked into a company’s system that I had done business with. Moral of that story: do not allow a company to store your credit card number for "easier checkout the next time you shop" and check all banking and broker statements with a fine tooth comb.

Anyway, sorry to ramble (just had two cups of coffee). The moral of the story: just enjoy life and surf without anxiety. I’m thankful to Paul, the operators of other forums, and the posters who know more than me, for helping me and many others "tighten up" our systems. See ya around.

Acadia

 

Since wilders is a security forum And I did want to know how much time the members spent on security I would have to be all inclusive on testing and personal pc security. Hey give me a break it is my first poll.

 

Some of us actually work in security, including realtime and virtual/pc. I had to put in more than...300 hours per month! I get paid for a little more than half of them. The rest are a hobby. I feel/am more secure but any seasoned security veteran will tell you -- Don't get too comfortable!.

Reactive security (what a lot of people do when a new worm comes out in the wild) can work if you have an excellent understanding of what to do about it. It's best to be proactive, which means you do a security audit of the unit while asking questions about how you might deal with potential problems based on what you (and your buddies) know. I use both techniques in my work. As for my hobby, I feel I still have a lot to learn. Gettin' there.

 

I do not even want to count the number of hours I spend a month on PC Security.

It sometimes seems I cannot spend enough time for it.

Now if I could get my son to spend more time on PC Security I would not have to fix his computer when he comes home from school.


Randy

 

sort of alot....

...only, i feel its important to add, its only temporary. I am very close to having it all figured out, and at that point i will just drop by to read posts as an acedemic excercise.

-HandsOff