Re: Looking for some website which installs spyware on Linux

From: NeoSadist (neosad1st_at_charter.net)
Date: 12/08/03 

Date: Mon, 08 Dec 2003 07:41:23 -0700

SPAM SPAM wrote:

> Hi world,
>
> I very often read from frustrated users that some spyware was installed,
> I read that the startpage of their browser got changed, I read about
> viri, worms and and and. And I read about the problems to get rid of
> those.
>
> Of course most, if not all, of these questions target either IE or
> Microsoft products.
>
> Now I wonder if there is *any* software or *any* website which is able
> to do the same on Linux machines?
>
> If you know any site, if you know any dicussions which help to answer
> this question, please.
>
> Thanks for your answers.
> W.F
> wfor at arcor dot de

I surf the basic same websites as my wife does. I will not say that it's
impossible for someone to poison some java stuff on a website, but I'd say
that it's harder, as security specialists have already said thousands of
times that java is more secure than microsoft's activeX. The problem lies
in microsoft's tendency to take something good (java/flash) and try to make
their own version (activeX), which is worse than the original. It's all
part of their "open standards".
Anyways, it's not impossible to poison websites to target linux machines,
but I'd say it's a lot harder due to the way Linux is. First off it's not
popular yet (obscurity). Secondly its file system is a LOT more secure
(usually is secure right out of the box).
But I will say a couple of things in abstract about this. First off, it is
the admin's job to keep the computer(s) safe (or, the owner, or whatever).
Most people don't care about HOW things work, they just want them TO work
(which is why people get fleeced a lot). Ignorance and laziness is the #1
reason why people's computers "crash" or get infected with
virii/adware/spyware, #1 reason why people's cars break down sooner than
normal, etc. etc. 

-- 
If God had intended Man to Watch TV, He would have given him Rabbit
Ears.