Security threats Toolkit

Story: Spyware still hijacking Internet Explorer

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The "big target" excuse of elaged "consultants" is really getting boring. Tons and tons and tons of non-Microsoft web and database servers out there. Any big problems? Nope.

Know what BIND is? Well, without it the Internet wouldn't function that well. Very big target. Take that down and you'll be in the history books for a long time. It's not from Microsoft. Any big problems there? Nope.

Cisco IOS then. Out there in huge numbers. Many of them not so securely configured or up-to-date. Plenty of security warnings even. Any big problems there? Nope.

Akamai. The infamous ad provider. 14000 servers in 1100 networks spanning the Internet. Every computer on the globe and somehow connected to the Internet makes contact with that network more then once. Very attractive target. Hack that network and you can certainly make the headlines. Does not rely on Windows. No big problems. Why?

Windows XP. Wasn't even on the market yet and already exploits and 'proofs of concept' went public. Despite SP1, SP2 and a huge vendor with a huge R&D budget it's not getting better.

No, the message now is that for real security you need to have Longhorn, Digital Rights Management and Bio Authentication. Oh, and purchase new licenses, buy new hardware and upgrade your third party products. Then see if everything still works and if you can figure out how things work this time around.

Basicly the same thing as what happened in the case of DOS, Windows 3, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT and Windows 2000. See a trend?

All your dreams fulfilled. Not just yet. Wait a bit longer. Just a bit longer. No, we won't fix your current stuff. We had to drop a few promised things in order to meet the deadline. Almost there. GIVE ME THE MONEY! We'll fix that soon. Not just yet. It's your own fault. It's the fault of the third-party. It's the fault of the developers. The one maintaining your computer doesn't have a clue. Our upcoming product will solve that. What that product can do? Well.... (repeat from start)

There's only one thing that'll attract attacks from wannabees to pros and that's not a big target. It's an easy target.

And there's only one thing that allows for unsecure stuff to be put on the market time and time again. And that's massive amounts of consumers buying unsecure stuff time and time again.

Question is why consumers keep buying unsecure stuff. My guess is that each and every time they're wrongly and incompletely informed by ignorent people claiming to have a clue but not a hidden, personal, agenda. Like certain "consultants' for example.

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