Two fun facts about IT

[JurseyRider734]

the computers at my school are still on xp lol. i think it bothers me more that it looks like the keyboards and mice havent been disinfected since those computers started being used, though.

[Ohaider]

damn now i'm excited to see what happens to xp

[Charu]

Originally Posted by dAnceguy117

oh dear I just found something.
http://www.npr.org/2014/04/08/300462...ouble-for-some

...................................

Wow, someone tell that guy he's noobersaurus and just install Windows 7 or something.1133,dd..

[choof]

Originally Posted by arcnmx

For most people the bug goes like this: you login to your email on yahoo (lol), use it normally, etc. Then someone random performs the attack on yahoo: the server might randomly send them your password or the contents of your emails or anything, really.

All you can do to protect yourself is to not use a vulnerable service until they fix it, and change your password once they do. It's easily fixed by updating a system, but that's something someone running a server has to do - not something general users have to worry about.

For server administrators it's also worse than just compromising your user's information, as it could leak private encryption keys as well. Anyone who gets a copy of that suddenly can decrypt and sniff all past and future communications as if the connection were never encrypted at all.

To expand a bit on this, before the bug gets fixed, another great way to protect yourself is to use passwords with high bit count. I log into Facebook on a secure (lmao) connection, my password is also 212 bits long.

Although if it's 64kb of sequential data, gg no re.

[arcnmx]

Originally Posted by choof

Although if it's 64kb of sequential data, gg no re.

It is sequential. Changing your passwords after the issue is fixed on a given server is a good idea, especially since it's possible all your previous passwords/communication/etc. could potentially be decrypted. Nothing much besides avoiding a service altogether helps in the meantime.

[reuben_tate]

Originally Posted by igotrhythm

Yeah, and since when have managers of cubicle dwellers worried at all about the problems their workers face? Any Dilbert comic will tell you that the answer is "never."

I'm sure it's in the company's best interest (not the employee's) to make sure the company's computers are not vulnerable to attack though?

[iCeCuBEz v2]

i thought this was a thread about the word it

meh

[noname219]

Originally Posted by iCeCuBEz v2

i thought this was a thread about the word it

meh

"In earlier Middle English, arising from Old English, the pronoun was hit (similar to Dutch "het" and West Frisian "hit" with the same meaning), with the unaspirated it being an unaccented form. The genitive was his, with the new form its only arising by analogy in later Middle English."

"It" means dog in some languages. (azeri, turkish, turkmen, uzbek)

[Izzy]

Originally Posted by JurseyRider734

the computers at my school are still on xp lol. i think it bothers me more that it looks like the keyboards and mice havent been disinfected since those computers started being used, though.

I love those off white computer cases, mice and keyboards that are basically yellow now.

[m0de]

as a long time XP user, I am sad

[DigitalS3r4ph]

I received an e-mail about this OpenSSL vulnerability earlier today at work. Fortunately enough, none of our applications use it, so we are good to go.

[choof]

Originally Posted by reuben_tate

I'm sure it's in the company's best interest (not the employee's) to make sure the company's computers are not vulnerable to attack though?

this is some serious wishful thinking
a lot of companies will gladly use archaic technologies, never upgrading because upgrades cost loads of money, especially if it's a specialized program that everyone uses

during that contract job, some PCs i had to image with 32bit win7 just so they could use a 16bit terminal emulator from 1995 lmao

[Pseudo Enigma]

still using XP a whole week after it died
iliketolivedangerously.jpg

[Litodude]

you'll be fine for another 6 mo the last -security- update was 8th dummy

[choof]

xp will continue to have relevant virus definitions until late 2014/early 2015

[dAnceguy117]

the odds of staying safe over time with XP should be considerably worse than odds for anything modern, but as a home user and particularly a "savvy" one you could be just fine if you're lucky. relatively high could still mean kind of low overall.

why risk it at all, though? there are several alternatives.

[dragon890x]

My face when Windows XP was ever considered a 'safe' OS.
That's like saying Facebook is a 'safe' social network.

Also, Microsoft supporting the OS? This is news to me.

inb4 already compromised systems, old exploits, and currently circulating viruses are blamed for Microsoft's lack of intervention.

[dAnceguy117]

haha. key word always being "relatively" I guess. most users run a Windows OS, so within that range, newer probably means safer.

if you run a different OS which is less common on the internet then it's less likely to be targeted. and of course, many would consider not purchasing/using Microsoft products to be a plus.

[dragon890x]

What I said previously was probably a little too ambiguous.

My point was:
Popularity does not determine security.

Facebook is a good example because we all know how safe and secure our personal data is. We can rest peacefully without ever worrying that our information will be leaked out to those who might wish to harm us.

Windows XP is an even better example. It's users are definitely not blinded by nostalgia or chained down by their wallets. It would be alright to trust an OS that was built for a time when the internet was a much more primitive place. You probably don't like my sarcasm.

Please, just take a little time and think about this for a second.

Compare the viruses you and those around you dealt with back during the golden days of Windows XP to the horrible nasties that invade computers on more modern versions of Windows. Do you see a difference?

Was Windows XP ever secure, even 'relatively'?

[dAnceguy117]

I would argue that popularity has an inverse correlation to security. if a product is popular, then it's a more lucrative opportunity for people who engage in malicious shenanigans. those people are incentivized to spend more time finding ways to break the system.

nasty stuff is out there to exploit holes in Windows, and I agree that Microsoft hasn't done an amazing job to prevent it or help its customers. personally I'm not so convinced Apple would fare better if they had to deal with the issue on such a grand scale, but that's speculation on my part.