So, you think you're safe?

barbarossa2241 said:

Maybe I am naive but need to ask...........why are ppl creating and spreading viruses ?

Idle hands mate and those who are paid to do it or to profit - simple as that!

barbarossa2241 said:

Maybe I am naive but need to ask...........why are ppl creating and spreading viruses ?

It's mostly for financial purposes nowadays. Stealing logins and passwords, credit card numbers, names, addresses etc. just any information that could earn them some money. You get the occasional one which was written solely to cause an inconvenience, or proof of concept, but the majority are financially motivated. There are a few more uncommon reasons, for example industrial espionage (as seen in Duqu and Stuxnet).

tom982 said:

barbarossa2241 said:

Maybe I am naive but need to ask...........why are ppl creating and spreading viruses ?

It's mostly for financial purposes nowadays. Stealing logins and passwords, credit card numbers, names, addresses etc. just any information that could earn them some money. You get the occasional one which was written solely to cause an inconvenience, or proof of concept, but the majority are financially motivated. There are a few more uncommon reasons, for example industrial espionage (as seen in Duqu and Stuxnet).

Thanks. But what this has to do with me or someone else getting a virus ?

barbarossa2241 said:

tom982 said:

barbarossa2241 said:

Maybe I am naive but need to ask...........why are ppl creating and spreading viruses ?

It's mostly for financial purposes nowadays. Stealing logins and passwords, credit card numbers, names, addresses etc. just any information that could earn them some money. You get the occasional one which was written solely to cause an inconvenience, or proof of concept, but the majority are financially motivated. There are a few more uncommon reasons, for example industrial espionage (as seen in Duqu and Stuxnet).

Thanks. But what this has to do with me or someone else getting a virus ?

If you got a virus then potentially, someone else has control over your computer. They could monitor keystrokes, intercept internet traffic and do all sorts to harvest your information

tom982 said:

barbarossa2241 said:

tom982 said:

It's mostly for financial purposes nowadays. Stealing logins and passwords, credit card numbers, names, addresses etc. just any information that could earn them some money. You get the occasional one which was written solely to cause an inconvenience, or proof of concept, but the majority are financially motivated. There are a few more uncommon reasons, for example industrial espionage (as seen in Duqu and Stuxnet).

Thanks. But what this has to do with me or someone else getting a virus ?

If you got a virus then potentially, someone else has control over your computer. They could monitor keystrokes, intercept internet traffic and do all sorts to harvest your information

Got it. Thanks.

barbarossa2241 said:

tom982 said:

barbarossa2241 said:

Thanks. But what this has to do with me or someone else getting a virus ?

If you got a virus then potentially, someone else has control over your computer. They could monitor keystrokes, intercept internet traffic and do all sorts to harvest your information

Got it. Thanks.

No worries :) Any time.

noobvious said:

Noob,
I am going to the drug store and get one of those virus protectors for my desktop.
What should I get for my wi-fi laptop a transparent Glad Garbage bag?
THW

The Howling Wolves said:

noobvious said:

Noob,
I am going to the drug store and get one of those virus protectors for my desktop.
What should I get for my wi-fi laptop a transparent Glad Garbage bag?
THW

Maybe something like this....

barbarossa2241 said:

tom982 said:

barbarossa2241 said:

Maybe I am naive but need to ask...........why are ppl creating and spreading viruses ?

It's mostly for financial purposes nowadays. Stealing logins and passwords, credit card numbers, names, addresses etc. just any information that could earn them some money. You get the occasional one which was written solely to cause an inconvenience, or proof of concept, but the majority are financially motivated. There are a few more uncommon reasons, for example industrial espionage (as seen in Duqu and Stuxnet).

Thanks. But what this has to do with me or someone else getting a virus ?

Don't quite understand your query Babarossa hum mate perhaps some light reading on what viruses or rather malware as a whole might be the go. See there are people out there who are out to rob you blind if you are not careful. They blanket the net every day with something in the order of 50,000 new malwares of differing types and in most cases they target every one as there is always some who don't know about these crims and idiots and are just innocent users of the net.

I work with a lot of nursing staff who think Facebook and Twitter and any old email that comes along are innocuous and blithely download anything that takes their fancy.
I cleaned a colleagues laptop of 131 malware just the other night (with MBAM) , and the machine is only 8 months old and her main security suite had only intercepted 5!

Such things as free gifts if you click on the site, offers that are too good to miss that in reality are just a way of finding their way into your machine and your life and will make it a misery when you find out too late that your hard earned cash or assets have been plundered.

By the by what security are you running -if any at all?