[LINK] Consumer computer security

[Kim Holburn]

How about this:

http://www.sophos.com/pressoffice/news/articles/2006/07/ 
securityreportmid2006.html
> 5 July 2006
> Sophos Security Report reveals Trojan domination in first half of 2006
> Malware statistics suggest it is time for home users to switch to Macs
> Sophos Security Threat Management Report Update
>
> Sophos, a world leader in protecting businesses against computer  
> threats, has published new research into the past six months of  
> cyber crime.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5150508.stm

> Threats prompt Mac switch advice
> Trojans now outnumber viruses and worms four to one
> Security threats to PCs with Microsoft Windows have increased so  
> much that computer users should consider using a Mac, says a  
> leading security firm.
>
> Sophos security said that the 10 most commonly found pieces of  
> malicious software all targeted Windows machines.
>
> In contrast, it said, none of the "malware" were capable of  
> infecting the Mac OS X operating system.
>


> Top threats
>
> The advice from Sophos was given as it released a report, detailing  
> the security threats posed to computers so far in 2006.
>
> The report says that there has been a vast drop in malicious  
> software like viruses and worms.
> However, the company warns that there has been a sharp increase in  
> the number of Trojans. It said that 82% of new security threats  
> this year were from these programs.
> It seems likely that Macs will continue to be the safer place for  
> computer users for some time to come
> Graham Cluley, Sophos



>  At its peak, the worm accounted for one in every 13 e-mails being  
> sent.
>
> The worm infected computers running the Windows operating system,  
> but was not designed to infect Apple Macs.
>
> "It seems likely that Macs will continue to be the safer place for  
> computer users for some time to come," said Mr Cluley.
>
> "[That is] something that home users may wish to consider if  
> they're deliberating about the next computer they should purchase,"  
> he added.
>
> But Brian Gammage, an analyst at Gartner research does not believe  
> the advice is well founded.
>
> The number of people using Macs is far less than those using  
> Window's based PCs, he said.



On 2007/Jan/14, at 3:29 AM, Alan L Tyree wrote:

>
> I agree with that. The thing about the EFT situation is that the Banks
> and other providers are perfectly happy to let her hook up with Win98
> or anything else. They won't make the investment to provide any secure
> access, but now want to throw the losses on users. A fairly clear case
> of externalities.
>
> I would love to suggest that some of these losses be thrown onto
> Microsoft, but I doubt that such a recommendation would meet with much
> approval at ASIC!
>

--
Kim Holburn
IT Network & Security Consultant
Ph: +39 06 855 4294  M: +39 3342707610
mailto:kim at holburn.net  aim://kimholburn
skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request

Democracy imposed from without is the severest form of tyranny.
                           -- Lloyd Biggle, Jr. Analog, Apr 1961