Black Hats are Winning

http://www.pcworld.com/article/203287/black_hats_are_winning_symantec_says.html?tk=nl_dnx_h_crawl

 

The full (and most revealing) title of this article is: "Black Hats are Winning, Symantec Says".

While it may make for interesting reading on some levels (and for some people), one way of summing up this article is that it is one big press release. Essentially, what Symantec is doing here is spreading fear, uncertainty and doubt, and then reassuring us that they have the solution.

"Technology that does not rely on capturing and analysing a threat in order to protect against it, like Symantec's Reputation-Based Security, is indeed becoming imperative", the report said.

A constant stream of these type of releases is standard operating procedure for Symantec. Keep stirring the fear pot, keep selling the medicine.

I don't doubt that what they say has an element of truth (malicious code writers are very active). But I am not so sure that things are as bad as they purport, and I am not so sure that other (better) solutions don't exist.

 

Every big security company does this, but some people are going to do the "duck and cover" routine anyway when they read it. I sometimes wonder about this "epidemic" myself. I figure I'm either incredibly lucky, or these millions of malwares are mostly coming from and stay on foreign domains such as Russian, Chinese and Japanese, domains I don't generally have contact with very often. I'm a high risk user and, occasionally I do pick up a baddie from P2P downloads. But, in the last few years, I've never actually crossed the line from the malware hitting my system to actually being infected. That's with just using a free AV, and an alternative browser for the biggest numbers of those years. And no, that doesn't include using LUA or any other restrictive measures, just plain old admin, an AV and my head.

 

Hi Page,
You`ve said it all with the artistry of a veteran. Every word a gem.

Of course the "Black Hat`s" are not winning, only at Symantec in order to sell their miraculous package of salvation to the gullible, using the same scare mongering tactics as everybody else does in the business. "dw", also a guy not to be tripped up is saying the same.

These so called "Black Hat`s" are out there in abundance, but so are countless numbers of "White Hat`s" who have the technical and financial resources to beat them. A remake of "The Untouchables". Elliot Ness - eat ya heart out.

By all means read what these purveyors of software say, we all must do that, but never forget that Hollywood sacred cow - THE GOOD GUY ALWAYS WINS !

John B

 

Yes they are.

Uumm, No. Already won.
Streets ahead..all the time.
If Symantec's "Power Eraser" is a development of this 'reputation based' tool: we have a looong way to go.

Rmus is one person ahead of the game in so many ways.

This article despite being from 2004 and an MS v Linux bent made some telling points about MS security.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/22/security_report_windows_vs_linux/#rpc
Some things haven't changed that much afaics.

 

Well, they must be quite a few streets ahead, `cos since I installed Sandboxie 3 months ago, I`ve neither seen `em or had as much as a "Have a nice day" from them.

Still it provides something to get paranoid about. Just keep looking over your shoulder, the Bogey Man could be lurking round the next corner to jump out and say BOO !

John B

 

Right, and he is also the one who continuously, and rightly so, demonstrates just how easy it is to prevent these over-hyped - to the extent people start believing they rise from the demonic depths of hades - exploits.

 

OK, I give in - it`s a wind up.

Not a lot of people know this, but Symantec are the sole sponsors of all the Batman & Robin films.

Has anybody really got something tangible to say about this nerve shattering announcement ? By the way - PC World are also in the business of selling, sort of funny coincidence eh ?

Have I seen it all before ? Create a panic in the neighborhood that burglaries have soared and the sale of shotguns follow at a high rate of knots.

John B