A while back someone suggusted that to protect oneself they could just reimage their hard drive and thus get rid of any garbage that might have gotten in. The idea was promptly shot down as a dumb one. It was pointed out all your updates would also disappear in the process. I assume he kept all his data files in a separate location.
Now with computers dedicating a larger & larger portion of their computing power and hard drive space to handling the problem of malware I wonder if reimaging should have a second look. Does your kids computer really need Norton 360 or McAfee? How many times my kids call me to say their computer isn't responding when in fact it was just a virus scan going on in the background. I could reimage the drive in half the time it took to perform a scan. What are your thoughts on this.
In article <OvKdnZKLmZjm9W3XnZ2dnUVZ_hqdn...@giganews.com>, gh...@sbcglobalDeathToSpam.net says...
> A while back someone suggusted that to protect oneself they could just > reimage their hard drive and thus get rid of any garbage that might have > gotten in. The idea was promptly shot down as a dumb one. It was pointed out > all your updates would also disappear in the process. I assume he kept all > his data files in a separate location.
> Now with computers dedicating a larger & larger portion of their computing > power and hard drive space to handling the problem of malware I wonder if > reimaging should have a second look. Does your kids computer really need > Norton 360 or McAfee? How many times my kids call me to say their computer > isn't responding when in fact it was just a virus scan going on in the > background. I could reimage the drive in half the time it took to perform a > scan. What are your thoughts on this.
If the image is clean, if you restore it each time you boot, if you always shutdown when done with the computer, then you can be reasonably safe right after you boot up with the restored image, but once you go online or fetch email, or check IM, there is no real hope.
If you install software after you boot up, how do you know that the system is clean when you make a new image for later restore?
If you're not going to run AV/Anti-Malware then don't buy a computer.
-- You can't trust your best friends, your five senses, only the little voice inside you that most civilians don't even hear -- Listen to that. Trust yourself. spam999f...@rrohio.com (remove 999 for proper email address)
In article <pan.2009.11.03.20.39...@cdc.gov>, staring@my_hd.tv says...
> On Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:33:31 -0500, > Leythos trembling with fear and piss running down his leg wrote:
> > but once you go > >online or fetch email, or check IM, there is no real hope.
> What a pathetic doomsday attitude
No, just realistic from thousands of experiences across business and residential platforms.
> >If you install software after you boot up, how do you know that the > >system is clean when you make a new image for later restore?
> You don't, so just toss the confusing thing, > it's only part of the devil's plan to confound the masses anyway.
What's the point of having a computer if you can't install anything on it? If you're going to install things on it, how do you know if they contain malware unless you also run malware.
> >If you're not going to run AV/Anti-Malware then don't buy a computer.
> But, but, I've already got one, runs great, > no "AV/Anti-Malware" clogging up the system.
And I have dozens of computers, all running anti-virus/malware products, and I see no performance difference in normal use between installed and not installed.
> ...and other than wry amusement, there's no need to read this forum of > nymshit losers as they whine and snivel in childish ways.
Why do you contribute as a nymshit losers as you whine and snivel in your childish ways.
-- You can't trust your best friends, your five senses, only the little voice inside you that most civilians don't even hear -- Listen to that. Trust yourself. spam999f...@rrohio.com (remove 999 for proper email address)
"Leythos" <spam999f...@rrohio.com> wrote: > In article <pan.2009.11.03.20.39...@cdc.gov>, staring@my_hd.tv says...
>> ...and other than wry amusement, there's no need to read this forum of >> nymshit losers as they whine and snivel in childish ways.
> Why do you contribute as a nymshit losers as you whine and snivel in > your childish ways.
Because he's an unimportant whining sniveling nymshit loser trying to pretend he's an important whining sniveling nymshit loser. Big Head Syndrome to the max. (It plays well alongside his Small Dick Syndrome.)
>A while back someone suggusted that to protect oneself they could just >reimage their hard drive and thus get rid of any garbage that might >have gotten in.
That's true, but it isn't "protection" as much as it is "recovery" after the fact.
> The idea was promptly shot down as a dumb one. It was pointed out all > your updates would also disappear in the process. I assume he kept all > his data files in a separate location.
The idea is to keep a series of *recent* image backups so that updates will also be backed up in the process. This lets you recover from disk disasters as well as just to recover from malware infestations. It should *not* be interpreted as a license to not otherwise "protect" your system from malware.
> Now with computers dedicating a larger & larger portion of their > computing power and hard drive space to handling the problem of > malware I wonder if reimaging should have a second look.
Most of this computing power is used to alleviate the user from having to use good practice. Most malware is easily avoided by using Brain1.0 and a good database. :o)
> Does your kids computer really need Norton 360 or McAfee?
No, adequate AV can be had for free. Much depends on the value you put on the data that is being "protected".
> How many times my kids call me to say their computer isn't responding > when in fact it was just a virus scan going on in the background. I > could reimage the drive in half the time it took to perform a scan. > What are your thoughts on this.
Allowing the computer to run connected to the internet with active malware, would be irresponsible.
Sure, you would have an easy recovery - but what has transpired *during* the session?
Your computer could have participated in a distributed denial of service attack against an internet backbone.
Your computer could have sent keylogger logs to an attacker.
The bottom line is that all malware has one commonality - they "steal" computing power. Concentrating solely on recovery doesn't address this issue at all - other than keeping them from persisting between sessions.
> On Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:33:31 -0500, > Leythos trembling with fear and piss running down his leg wrote:
>> but once you go >>online or fetch email, or check IM, there is no real hope.
> What a pathetic doomsday attitude
But correct.
Computers have become communications devices - all those scenarios result in your computer consuming data from without.
>>If you install software after you boot up, how do you know that the >>system is clean when you make a new image for later restore?
> You don't, so just toss the confusing thing, > it's only part of the devil's plan to confound the masses anyway.
Not at all, this is why a series of images is better.
...of course there *is* the chance that malware could lay low long enough to get deep into the series, so some known clean ones are good to keep 'un-updated' as well.
> On Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:33:31 -0500, > Leythos trembling with fear and piss running down his leg wrote:
>> but once you go >>online or fetch email, or check IM, there is no real hope.
> What a pathetic doomsday attitude
But as others have said, it is the correct one. What is your problem??
>>If you install software after you boot up, how do you know that the >>system is clean when you make a new image for later restore?
> You don't, so just toss the confusing thing, > it's only part of the devil's plan to confound the masses anyway.
Could be!
>>If you're not going to run AV/Anti-Malware then don't buy a computer.
> But, but, I've already got one, runs great, > no "AV/Anti-Malware" clogging up the system. > ...and other than wry amusement, there's no need to read this forum of > nymshit losers as they whine and snivel in childish ways.
OK awesome. I expect to never read another post from you. Cool.
> Say, it's already a new month and short of some logic bomb going off, > I'm wondering what the mail2news gang (you know, hebe and the dweebs) > has in store for entertainment.
> bring it, bitches
No problem at all. Your attempts at any retort were pretty lame.
"This is the CENTRAL SCRUTINIZER...it is my responsibility to enforce all the laws that haven't been passed yet. It is also my responsibility to alert each and every one of you to the potential consequences of various ordinary everyday activities you might be performing which could eventually lead to *The Death Penalty* (or affect your parents' credit rating). Our criminal institutions are full of little creeps like you who do wrong things...and many of them were driven to these crimes by a horrible force called MUSIC!"
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