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The 17 Most Dangerous Places On The Web
#2
TheTess 
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Posted 27 September 2010 - 09:43 AM
Torrent sites DO care about there reputation and a hell of a lot more than PORN sites you mentioned. Porn sites will trash your compouter WORSE than torrents sites. For that matter, Facebook needs to be RED tagged for the worse privacy problems, hackers, trash, and definately NOT safe!
#3
AlanKunz
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Posted 27 September 2010 - 10:58 AM
making a timeline to infection where you purposely go do stupid things to infect yourself doesn't really prove anything.
I have been running my gaming PC at home with no AV software for years on XP SP2, Vista, and 7 and have not been infected once... and I go to torrent sites all the time!
tips: keep the firewall on... do not download known adware/spyware trash like free smileys... do not use adobe reader to open suspicious PDFs (foxit reader is faster anyway)... do not use IE... try Chrome... if you have a program file you are not certain about... use a web based scanner to check it out... there are several that will check your entire PC but Kaspersky has one that you can upload a single suspicious file to and find out if it is safe. It's not that hard to keep a PC clean without AV on it... educate yourself so you aren't being stupid!
I have been running my gaming PC at home with no AV software for years on XP SP2, Vista, and 7 and have not been infected once... and I go to torrent sites all the time!
tips: keep the firewall on... do not download known adware/spyware trash like free smileys... do not use adobe reader to open suspicious PDFs (foxit reader is faster anyway)... do not use IE... try Chrome... if you have a program file you are not certain about... use a web based scanner to check it out... there are several that will check your entire PC but Kaspersky has one that you can upload a single suspicious file to and find out if it is safe. It's not that hard to keep a PC clean without AV on it... educate yourself so you aren't being stupid!
#4
MetalShreader
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Posted 27 September 2010 - 11:48 AM
Geolocation will one day be very unsafe, and we won't know it until it's to late. There's no way that hackers aren't going to try to after a mass market like this.
#5
valentinelex01
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Posted 27 September 2010 - 12:23 PM
Four things:
1.) An easy way to find viruses "in the wild" is on the second page of Google Images, especially unexpected porn. Just in case you want to add that to your list of stupid things to do.
2.) It is inherent in torrents (or rather the torrent shared files), since they are shared before they are finished downloading, that people pass on viruses before they know a file is infected. This is true of both legal and illegal torrents, and since the torrent sites are not actually providing the content I don't think they have any control over that. I hope someday advertiser supported torrent files will add legitimacy to this form of distribution and then people will finally work on improving security.
3.) I would guess that Microsoft, closely followed by Apple, have collected more personal information than any other entities in history, under the category "marketing research", and they do so without my explicit knowledge. In fact, I use a generic podcatcher rather than itunes because I don't trust how many different things this one program tries to do.
4.) I was surprised and disappointed that e-mail sign ups, over-sharing, and facebook (multiple entries), were so far down on the list. We are quickly approaching an era when there are more grand-mothers posting pictures of their kids on facebook than there are classic geeks on the internet. And these grand-mothers are the people clicking on fake anti-virus links, fake pc tune up links, and fake screen savers. In fact articles like this perpetuate the idea that as long as you stay away from porn and don't download music or videos then you are relatively safe. Good article, but a little heavy on outdated stereotypes for my tastes.
1.) An easy way to find viruses "in the wild" is on the second page of Google Images, especially unexpected porn. Just in case you want to add that to your list of stupid things to do.
2.) It is inherent in torrents (or rather the torrent shared files), since they are shared before they are finished downloading, that people pass on viruses before they know a file is infected. This is true of both legal and illegal torrents, and since the torrent sites are not actually providing the content I don't think they have any control over that. I hope someday advertiser supported torrent files will add legitimacy to this form of distribution and then people will finally work on improving security.
3.) I would guess that Microsoft, closely followed by Apple, have collected more personal information than any other entities in history, under the category "marketing research", and they do so without my explicit knowledge. In fact, I use a generic podcatcher rather than itunes because I don't trust how many different things this one program tries to do.
4.) I was surprised and disappointed that e-mail sign ups, over-sharing, and facebook (multiple entries), were so far down on the list. We are quickly approaching an era when there are more grand-mothers posting pictures of their kids on facebook than there are classic geeks on the internet. And these grand-mothers are the people clicking on fake anti-virus links, fake pc tune up links, and fake screen savers. In fact articles like this perpetuate the idea that as long as you stay away from porn and don't download music or videos then you are relatively safe. Good article, but a little heavy on outdated stereotypes for my tastes.
#6
DTNick
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Posted 27 September 2010 - 02:08 PM
valentinelex01, on 27 September 2010 - 12:23 PM, said:
4.) I was surprised and disappointed that e-mail sign ups, over-sharing, and facebook (multiple entries), were so far down on the list. We are quickly approaching an era when there are more grand-mothers posting pictures of their kids on facebook than there are classic geeks on the internet. And these grand-mothers are the people clicking on fake anti-virus links, fake pc tune up links, and fake screen savers. In fact articles like this perpetuate the idea that as long as you stay away from porn and don't download music or videos then you are relatively safe. Good article, but a little heavy on outdated stereotypes for my tastes.
Thanks for your comments. FWIW, this wasn't intended as a ranked list.
--Nick
PCW Assistant Editor
#7
jerushy
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Posted 27 September 2010 - 02:21 PM
valentinelex01, on 27 September 2010 - 12:23 PM, said:
We are quickly approaching an era when there are more grand-mothers posting pictures of their kids on facebook than there are classic geeks on the internet. And these grand-mothers are the people clicking on fake anti-virus links, fake pc tune up links, and fake screen savers. In fact articles like this perpetuate the idea that as long as you stay away from porn and don't download music or videos then you are relatively safe. Good article, but a little heavy on outdated stereotypes for my tastes.
Hey, watch it! I'm a grandmother! You are grouping all grandmothers into an addled clutch of females who don't know anything about technology. That's as bad as being racist. Not all of us are computer-challenged.
#8
rythemboy
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Posted 27 September 2010 - 02:39 PM
Its a challenge to surf the net, given that even technology giants such as twitter get hacked. Just pray, hope for the best, and surf away.
My computer is so freaking slow for running so much security software that I wonder how fun it is anymore. Got to thank microsoft for making windows so bulletproof *rolls eyes*
My computer is so freaking slow for running so much security software that I wonder how fun it is anymore. Got to thank microsoft for making windows so bulletproof *rolls eyes*
#9
datavirtue
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Posted 27 September 2010 - 05:52 PM
I'm really sick of seeing this piece of "advice": "Use antivirus software, and keep it updated."
That is like having an untrained watchdog that will abandon its post if you throw a steak at it. Anti-virus is notoriously behind (its like the cops, they get there after the crime is committed). The "hackers" have this anti-virus software and they verify that their new "virus" will not be caught before deploying it.
If you want a secure system you must use your operating system's built-in security mechanism. Unfortunately, on Windows this can be difficult or cumbersome to do. But, fortunately, you can get software like SuRun that will make it easier for you. When you setup "limited user accounts" and use them it almost impossible to get infected unless you explicitly permit it.
Firewalls and diligence are 100 times better than even the most expensive "anti-virus" hype-ware garbage.
That is like having an untrained watchdog that will abandon its post if you throw a steak at it. Anti-virus is notoriously behind (its like the cops, they get there after the crime is committed). The "hackers" have this anti-virus software and they verify that their new "virus" will not be caught before deploying it.
If you want a secure system you must use your operating system's built-in security mechanism. Unfortunately, on Windows this can be difficult or cumbersome to do. But, fortunately, you can get software like SuRun that will make it easier for you. When you setup "limited user accounts" and use them it almost impossible to get infected unless you explicitly permit it.
Firewalls and diligence are 100 times better than even the most expensive "anti-virus" hype-ware garbage.
#10
Pred
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Posted 28 September 2010 - 07:08 AM
AlanKunz, on 27 September 2010 - 10:58 AM, said:
making a timeline to infection where you purposely go do stupid things to infect yourself doesn't really prove anything.
I have been running my gaming PC at home with no AV software for years on XP SP2, Vista, and 7 and have not been infected once... and I go to torrent sites all the time!
tips: keep the firewall on... do not download known adware/spyware trash like free smileys... do not use adobe reader to open suspicious PDFs (foxit reader is faster anyway)... do not use IE... try Chrome... if you have a program file you are not certain about... use a web based scanner to check it out... there are several that will check your entire PC but Kaspersky has one that you can upload a single suspicious file to and find out if it is safe. It's not that hard to keep a PC clean without AV on it... educate yourself so you aren't being stupid!
I have been running my gaming PC at home with no AV software for years on XP SP2, Vista, and 7 and have not been infected once... and I go to torrent sites all the time!
tips: keep the firewall on... do not download known adware/spyware trash like free smileys... do not use adobe reader to open suspicious PDFs (foxit reader is faster anyway)... do not use IE... try Chrome... if you have a program file you are not certain about... use a web based scanner to check it out... there are several that will check your entire PC but Kaspersky has one that you can upload a single suspicious file to and find out if it is safe. It's not that hard to keep a PC clean without AV on it... educate yourself so you aren't being stupid!
Definitely don't take this person's advice. There are many other ways to get infected than just downloading, and any browser can be vulnerable. Also, this person obviously can't be sure that he/she has never been infected if there's not an antivirus to prove that, and the web based scanners are nowhere near as effective as an installed one. I think this person should heed his/her own advice with the "educate yourself so you aren't being stupid" comment.
#11
spiritflare
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Posted 28 September 2010 - 07:37 AM
very poorly risk categorized - smartphones are the big security risk for storage of credentials, data at rest, and in transit (i.e. encrypted SMS etc).
#13
RayBilcliff
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Posted 30 September 2010 - 05:46 AM
I think it is the aliens that are the problem. They have stopped abducting people since they found out how dumb they are. So now they go after the computer instead, because it is getting smarter.
#14
atgrasby
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Posted 30 September 2010 - 07:20 AM
datavirtue, on 27 September 2010 - 05:52 PM, said:
I'm really sick of seeing this piece of "advice": "Use antivirus software, and keep it updated."
That is like having an untrained watchdog that will abandon its post if you throw a steak at it. Anti-virus is notoriously behind (its like the cops, they get there after the crime is committed). The "hackers" have this anti-virus software and they verify that their new "virus" will not be caught before deploying it.
If you want a secure system you must use your operating system's built-in security mechanism. Unfortunately, on Windows this can be difficult or cumbersome to do. But, fortunately, you can get software like SuRun that will make it easier for you. When you setup "limited user accounts" and use them it almost impossible to get infected unless you explicitly permit it.
Firewalls and diligence are 100 times better than even the most expensive "anti-virus" hype-ware garbage.
That is like having an untrained watchdog that will abandon its post if you throw a steak at it. Anti-virus is notoriously behind (its like the cops, they get there after the crime is committed). The "hackers" have this anti-virus software and they verify that their new "virus" will not be caught before deploying it.
If you want a secure system you must use your operating system's built-in security mechanism. Unfortunately, on Windows this can be difficult or cumbersome to do. But, fortunately, you can get software like SuRun that will make it easier for you. When you setup "limited user accounts" and use them it almost impossible to get infected unless you explicitly permit it.
Firewalls and diligence are 100 times better than even the most expensive "anti-virus" hype-ware garbage.
Most of what you post makes sense,except the remark,in brackets,in regards to cops. NO ONE CAN SEE INTO THE FUTURE,therefore cops can never arrive before a crime is committed.
#15
KennethPont
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Posted 30 September 2010 - 12:02 PM
There are some pieces of protection software, I rely on and swear by.
Spybot Search & Destroy - Sure it scans for spyware, but it contains a (not installed by default) tool called TeaTimer, this resident utility will warn you of something trying to alter sensitive portions of your Windows system configuration, such as the autostart portions of the Registry.
WinPatrol also checks for system configuration changes, but searches in more (other) locations.
SpywareBlaster - This utility adds a list of ActiveX (for IE), cookies (for FireFox) and blocked sites (for any browser). It will not keep you out of every danger, but it does remove the teeth of the most notorious out there.
NOTE: This adds to your HOSTS file, so if something warns that an attempt is being made to that file while running the update of SpywareBlaster, you know what's up.
I also run ProcessGuard (software company no longer in business, but you can find installs out there through Google. I DON'T RECOMMEND THIS to those who get frustrated about technical stuff easily or unwilling to be bothered by something constantly popping up asking permission to run something. If you have the patience and prefer near complete control of everything that runs on your system, you can either run everything you have or will ever run once you've installed it (not in learning mode - take the time, permit each program and gain control of your system). You will likely still permit something you forgot about for the first month or so, after which, the only time it interrupts you is during installs, updates or when running something recently installed or updated.
NOTE: I've only used this in XP and Vista has its own limited process control feature.
And Finally...
Secuina PSI - (Free for home use)
While Microsoft does well in keeping you updated with THEIR updates, this does nothing for third-party add-ons and applications (such as Flash, Shockwave, and hundreds of other software, plugins and utilities) Secuina PSI will inform you when these items have released updates to them. Keeping you software up-to-date helps eliminate attack vectors.
For Mac, I at least recommend keeping your software up-to-date, for that I use AppFresh.
Spybot Search & Destroy - Sure it scans for spyware, but it contains a (not installed by default) tool called TeaTimer, this resident utility will warn you of something trying to alter sensitive portions of your Windows system configuration, such as the autostart portions of the Registry.
WinPatrol also checks for system configuration changes, but searches in more (other) locations.
SpywareBlaster - This utility adds a list of ActiveX (for IE), cookies (for FireFox) and blocked sites (for any browser). It will not keep you out of every danger, but it does remove the teeth of the most notorious out there.
NOTE: This adds to your HOSTS file, so if something warns that an attempt is being made to that file while running the update of SpywareBlaster, you know what's up.
I also run ProcessGuard (software company no longer in business, but you can find installs out there through Google. I DON'T RECOMMEND THIS to those who get frustrated about technical stuff easily or unwilling to be bothered by something constantly popping up asking permission to run something. If you have the patience and prefer near complete control of everything that runs on your system, you can either run everything you have or will ever run once you've installed it (not in learning mode - take the time, permit each program and gain control of your system). You will likely still permit something you forgot about for the first month or so, after which, the only time it interrupts you is during installs, updates or when running something recently installed or updated.
NOTE: I've only used this in XP and Vista has its own limited process control feature.
And Finally...
Secuina PSI - (Free for home use)
While Microsoft does well in keeping you updated with THEIR updates, this does nothing for third-party add-ons and applications (such as Flash, Shockwave, and hundreds of other software, plugins and utilities) Secuina PSI will inform you when these items have released updates to them. Keeping you software up-to-date helps eliminate attack vectors.
For Mac, I at least recommend keeping your software up-to-date, for that I use AppFresh.
#17
DamirV
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Posted 01 October 2010 - 05:38 AM
TheTess, on 27 September 2010 - 09:43 AM, said:
Torrent sites DO care about there reputation and a hell of a lot more than PORN sites you mentioned. Porn sites will trash your compouter WORSE than torrents sites. For that matter, Facebook needs to be RED tagged for the worse privacy problems, hackers, trash, and definately NOT safe!
I've yet to see a video or mp3 file that has an embedded malware on it! It's just not possible. This Ben Edelman person's quote sounds more like a sponsored pitch from RIAA or movie industry. The usual scare tactics!
#18
JordanMcGuigan
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Posted 01 October 2010 - 12:26 PM
"Threat 15 >> Sites that lure you in, get you to sign up, then sell your e-mail address for spam"
While it most likely won't harm you're computer with an ad-blocker enabled, logging into sites that sell your personal information is the express lane to identity theft, among other things.
While it most likely won't harm you're computer with an ad-blocker enabled, logging into sites that sell your personal information is the express lane to identity theft, among other things.
#19
GraysonPeddie
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Posted 03 October 2010 - 01:24 PM
gsmiley, on 30 September 2010 - 12:46 PM, said:
Get a Mac.
Sure! I can buy a Mac OS X 10.6 and install it in my Home Theater PC so I can dual-boot between Windows, Mac, and Linux...NOT!
Hmm... I wonder if I could go from Mac Mini <-> DC to DC <-> HTPC by connecting a Mac Mini to my HTPC's PSU's molex connector. It'd be perfect for saving extra wall outlet for something else.
#20
Dufus1
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Posted 04 October 2010 - 10:34 PM
AlanKunz, on 27 September 2010 - 10:58 AM, said:
making a timeline to infection where you purposely go do stupid things to infect yourself doesn't really prove anything.
I have been running my gaming PC at home with no AV software for years on XP SP2, Vista, and 7 and have not been infected once... and I go to torrent sites all the time!
tips: keep the firewall on... do not download known adware/spyware trash like free smileys... do not use adobe reader to open suspicious PDFs (foxit reader is faster anyway)... do not use IE... try Chrome... if you have a program file you are not certain about... use a web based scanner to check it out... there are several that will check your entire PC but Kaspersky has one that you can upload a single suspicious file to and find out if it is safe. It's not that hard to keep a PC clean without AV on it... educate yourself so you aren't being stupid!
I have been running my gaming PC at home with no AV software for years on XP SP2, Vista, and 7 and have not been infected once... and I go to torrent sites all the time!
tips: keep the firewall on... do not download known adware/spyware trash like free smileys... do not use adobe reader to open suspicious PDFs (foxit reader is faster anyway)... do not use IE... try Chrome... if you have a program file you are not certain about... use a web based scanner to check it out... there are several that will check your entire PC but Kaspersky has one that you can upload a single suspicious file to and find out if it is safe. It's not that hard to keep a PC clean without AV on it... educate yourself so you aren't being stupid!
NO AV on your PC ? You TRUST these WEB based sites ? You got to be kidding me.. and you know for certain you are not infected or ever have been ? Well all I have got to say to you is good luck. I used to use Chrome also and it is just as susceptible. Most people are in fact not knowledgeable enough to do some of the things you do and need at least some help. I don't surf carelessly either, but I don't take everything into my own hands either, I prefer a little help with a decent AV program and security software customized to my use. For most people like us this article is not that informative but we can pass it on to people we might know who aren't. I tell you one thing I NEVER TRUST. I NEVER let ANY WEB Based site scan my PC for anything. NEVER EVER EVER LET anybody in my PC on purpose even my own home network. I NEVER USE Windows Firewall. I use a commercial program.
This post has been edited by Dufus1: 04 October 2010 - 10:49 PM
