Dec 12

Written by: Renegade
Saturday, December 12, 2009 6:58 AM

VINDICATED!

Check out this article, "Bruce Schneier Recommends Security Chill Pill". That's a reaction to this article, "Virus and protocol scares happen every day – but don't let them worry you" where Bruce says:

The answer for this particular vulnerability, as for pretty much any other vulnerability you read about, is the same: do nothing. That's right, nothing. Don't panic. Don't change your behaviour. Ignore the problem, and let the vendors figure it out.

EXACTLY! The press over-hypes everything, and computer security is no exception. Some web browser has an exploit? Oh! They sky is falling and Satan walks the Earth! Bah! It's NOT that bad.

Bruce is right-on the money. He outlines 4 reasons why you shouldn't panic:

1. One, it's hard to figure out which vulnerabilities are serious and which are not.
2. Two, it's hard to figure out if there's anything you can do... The only sure fix would be to avoid using your computer.
3. Three, the odds of a particular vulnerability affecting you are small.
4. Four, often you can't do anything.

There's no reason to get upset if there's nothing you can do. For those responsible for computer security, well, that's their job, so they have to pay attention to things. For everyone else? Relax. It's business as usual.

The insanity surrounding computer security is one of those things that really just sets me off into a rant. It's good to have a modicum of temperance out there though! I've been waiting to hear that for a long time!

But I sure don't expect the security vendors to inject a tidbit of reality into their marketing campaigns. They're not in the computer security business... They're in the scareware business, where the more they can scare you, the more money they make. (Kind of sounds like some governments if you think about it!)

Cheers,

Ryan

 

Copyright ©2009 Ryan Smyth

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