AOL = SOL
AOL users are facing more problems - first the former AOL employee sold all their email addresses to a spammer, and now this…From Andrew Brandt of PCWorld.com: AOL users love telling the world about themselves, judging by the personal profiles many publish in that service’s online directory. But some AOL users have discovered recently that their profiles are saying things they would never repeat in polite company. I was alerted to the unsettling phenomenon by reader Steve Wilson, who wrote: “The past few weeks, I’ve noticed links to porn sites and spyware installers in the ‘personal quote’ field [of some friends'] AOL profiles. They appear there without the member’s permission.” A spokesperson for the ISP says that online criminals may be stealing AOL users’ account passwords and using the profiles to advertise their sleazy wares. These people need to be stopped! You can’t expect every soccer mom and kid to know enough about a computer to stay safe these days. It’s time for a computer that is safe right out of the box. Linux, perhaps? But one thing you have to realize about Linux is that it, too, would become a target of the virus-writers if it was the dominant OS in use. Right now, it’s just not worth it to them - no glory. And with 50% of the country now on broadband it’s going to be worse than ever. However, I heard from a friend who bought Verizon DSL with MSN that it now includes a router and a software firewall with her installation. That’s a step in the right direction, at least.
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AOL will always be SOL. As long as people still subscribe to AOL they will always be subjected to the script kiddies.
AOL is the playground for internet neophytes. After most of those subscribers get their screennames hijacked, deleted for massive spamming (from script kiddie hijackers), and discover their is more to the internet than chat rooms, they’ll all become one with broadband and never worry about the woes of AOL again. Well, until they are able to get AOL to stop billing them after cancellation.
I agree, Verizon seems to be heading in the right direction. Ooh! and it’s a wireless router at that!
A wireless router is just what the average user doesn’t need. Most can’t stop spyware etc. How are they going to deal with an added security risk that come with wireless?
As for Verizon, they are slow and well lets say not too bright. I used them once.
http://flrant.com/comments.php?id=75_0_1_0_C
Having had my Linux server hacked once by a virus writer (who had to compile it on my machine) I agree that in widespread desktop use, Linux might show some more holes. It is largely more secure by design, thanks in part to the fanatical separation of superuser from normal users.
A computer that’s easy to use and reasonably more secure than nuclear weapons launch codes? (http://www.thenation.com/outrage/index.mhtml?pid=1466)
Well, Mac OSX is based on BSD, and I think we’ve been through presidential administrations without a BSD virus.
Though I doubt that any OS could make AOL secure