"Dustin Cook" <bughunter.dustin@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9B43EB2F13D5DHHI2948AJD832@69.16.185.250.. .
> "AMUN" <antispam@sparmmstop.net> wrote in news:ge39i2$gi4$1@aioe.org:
>
>> "Leythos" <spam999free@rrohio.com> wrote in message
>> news:MPG.236eb2b6a5d69c6e98968f@us.news.astraweb.c om...
>>> In article <ge2p1e$p04$1@aioe.org>, antispam@sparmmstop.net says...
>>>> "Safer" maybe, but if a rootkit has your name on it, it's only a
>>>> matter of
>>>> time before it gets you.
>>>>
>>>
>>> In my 30 years of using computers I've never personally had a virus
>>> or "root-kit" on any of them. In all my years of designing secure
>>> networks I've never had a compromised system on any managed network.
>>>
>>> It's all about knowing the vectors and how to control exposure.
>>>
>>
>>
>> I truly am happy for all those posting they NEVER have had infections.
>> But at the same time, you probably lock yourself out of the majority
>> of the internet to do so, or have simply been lucky.
>
> Strange, I'm not locked out of anything, routinely use Administrator
> accounts (hehehe), and I've never been infected by anything from the
> web... except during testing and analysis, and that's quiet deliberate on
> my part.
>
>> However while I can't say I've never been infected, I usually catch
>> things that are not supposed to be there quickly and before they can
>> do much damage.
>
> I don't know what it is you do, or what applications you use, nor do I
> know how many others have access to your computer, so I can't say what's
> actually the problem. I can pretty much say tho, somebody who has access
> isn't practicing safe hex.


Welllllll, with 5 people in the house, (3 kids), and several systems
networked, there is no way to keep everything out.
The kids aren't supposed to use my system (they have their own), but as it's
in my office, they often do for homework, and I won't stop them from doing
that.
But they have been taught what to normally avoid, and if they think a system
might be infected, it's immediately shut down until I can check it.

But I'm sure many others in my position, have systems so loaded with garbage
they won't even run, so I think I'm doing a fairly good job.<g>


>
>> However, nothing will ever replace regular backup's as the best
>> anti-malware step you can take.
>
> Backups aren't for malware, alone. Hardware failure can take your data
> too. You have a higher chance of a hard disk failure than you do of
> catching a virus if and only if you practice safe hex. One you can
> prevent, the other isn't much upto you.


Absolutely agree.
The backup was a habit I got into years ago, (when drives were far less
reliable) and often serves little use.
But when its needed......if a drive starts acting up, or somebody erases the
wrong files, or a terminal virus brings all the systems down.
It sure is nice to have, and lets me sleep well every night knowing it's
there.