how long before an unprotected pc gets infected?

well i just went on Goggle.com all i got was a survey (on mac osx lol dont try it on windows...)

macgig said:

lynda.com had a security video, the guy in the video said that by the time you go get a cup of coffee and get back, your pc will be infected. so far i'm not seeing it. the guy mentions the SANS institute, they did this and perhaps still do? see how long it takes to infect an unprotected pc. seems to be harder to infect than what he said in the video.

That is the dumbest thing I`ve ever heard of, a pc will only get infected if you let it get infected, practice safe techniques and you`ll never get a virus.

A pc can`t get a virus if it`s not doing anything.

That is Avast reporting a fasle positive, it`s very annoying and why I don`t use Avast.

I have quite a many Windows systems up and running, a few of them 24/7. The PC that has become my "main" system, this laptop, I am online about 12 to 15 hours a day (work and private usage combined).

I can remember having a "mini" infection last time a few months back when a visiting teenager got to my PC while it was on, I was logged in and my Facebook page open. He clicked some of these fake "please share" links which tried to install a search toolbar but luckily the AV found it it.

Before that, I cannot even remember when I've had an infection, any kind of malware.

The article you linked to is from August 2004, almost 10 years ago. It is a very long time in computing in general and the life and evolution of Windows in particular. Today's AV solutions are far better, generally users also know more what is OK and what's not.

If you do not open dodgy email attachments, don't download questionable torrents and such, do not browse adult and gambling sites, it's quite difficult to get your Windows infected.

Using said article or a video based on it to describe today's situation is utterly nonsense.

Kari

AddRAM said:

macgig said:

lynda.com had a security video, the guy in the video said that by the time you go get a cup of coffee and get back, your pc will be infected. so far i'm not seeing it. the guy mentions the SANS institute, they did this and perhaps still do? see how long it takes to infect an unprotected pc. seems to be harder to infect than what he said in the video.

That is the dumbest thing I`ve ever heard of, a pc will only get infected if you let it get infected, practice safe techniques and you`ll never get a virus.

A pc can`t get a virus if it`s not doing anything.

That is Avast reporting a fasle positive, it`s very annoying and why I don`t use Avast.

See this POST Being careful is a fallacy, nowadays there are so-called drive-by attacks, web bots and crawlers, and all sorts of things to catch. The criminals who write them are one step ahead usually. I was doing nothing when I got the virus, I also got that Spy Sherriff infection once from a pop-up while visiting a site I had went to many time, my email. someone had made a malicious .js injection or something like that.

Kari said:

I have quite a many Windows systems up and running, a few of them 24/7. The PC that has become my "main" system, this laptop, I am online about 12 to 15 hours a day (work and private usage combined).

I can remember having a "mini" infection last time a few months back when a visiting teenager got to my PC while it was on, I was logged in and my Facebook page open. He clicked some of these fake "please share" links which tried to install a search toolbar but luckily the AV found it it.

Before that, I cannot even remember when I've had an infection, any kind of malware.

The article you linked to is from August 2004, almost 10 years ago. It is a very long time in computing in general and the life and evolution of Windows in particular. Today's AV solutions are far better, generally users also know more what is OK and what's not.

If you do not open dodgy email attachments, don't download questionable torrents and such, do not browse adult and gambling sites, it's quite difficult to get your Windows infected.

Using said article or a video based on it to describe today's situation is utterly nonsense.

Kari

10-4 to that, we must be up to date. One type of new malware can infect the BIOS/UEFI and makes a mess of things.

Not using any AV program at all is a bit like running across a busy road. You could be lucky & get across a few times without being hit, but eventually you will get hit & possibly very badly.

Ranger4 said:

Not using any AV program at all is a bit like running across a busy road. You could be lucky & get across a few times without being hit, but eventually you will get hit & possibly very badly.

Very true, but sometime people think they are smarter than the criminals, not the OP here, he's experimenting.