Day: April 26, 2015

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Where Angels Fear to Tread

A recent FarceBook discussion included this comment from an acquaintance:

In the world of Leninist-style Socialism, the “secret police” would abduct or “arrest” anyone who they are even remotely suspicious of being “enemies of the state” & interrogate or torture them in Russian Prisons known as Gulags. Lubyanka Square Building is a very large, imposing structure & was the central Russian/Soviet KGB operating facility for interrogating prisoners.

Many people who entered that building never came out of it alive.

Moved me to ponder the possible fate of “secret police” attempting such things here in America’s Third World County™ where the populace is better-armed, per capita, than the local National Guard unit.

I’d want to run the popcorn and beer concession.

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Computer Security: the Value of Resident Anti-Malware

So, how important is having a resident, up-to-date anti-malware product for Windows users?

Middlin’. No, seriously.

Here’s a wee experiment I recently did:

  • Windows 7 box, mostly updated (I did not accept some problematic M$Office 2010 updates, but then I rarely fire up M$Office).
  • Removed all resident anti-malware products.
  • Surfed normally for a month.
  • Scanned with offline standalone scanners and online scanners from reputable anti-malware companies.

Result? No malware.

A properly-configured modern(ish) browser (Opera 12.17), decent firewalling and simple safe computing practices were all that was needed for me to avoid infections/infestations with malware.