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Apart from the invididual victims, ransomware seems like it should have a good effect on computer security overall since it actually harms the people who get in
by averagewall 9y ago
Apart from the invididual victims, ransomware seems like it should have a good effect on computer security overall since it actually harms the people who get infected and motivates them to do security better. Most viruses keep quiet so people don't know or care if they're infected and contributing to DDOSs or spreading to others. I sometimes use computers that have obvious viruses on them, and it the people running them just let it happen because it doesn't stop their work.
- voltagex_ 9y agoIt seems like very few viruses are "obvious" these days - aside from ransomware. How do you know what you're doing on these computers isn't affected or compromised in that case?
- averagewall 9y agoUsually just printing. I find the viruses on my USB drive after printing from it on other people's computers. I keep that drive for one-way use and never get files back off it because they're all potentially infected.
- qb45 9y agoNote that that the pendrive itself is potentially "infected" too, sometimes there are OS and file manager bugs resulting in code execution without the user clicking anything.
- averagewall 9y agoThose bugs would be zero-days and patched before viruses using them are widespread.
- DanBC 9y agoYou put files onto the stick. You put the stick in someone else's machine and print the files. The stick might be infected after this use. You don't put the stick back in your machine, because it might be infected. Do you continue to put it in other people's machines to keep printing?
- snaily 9y agoUnlike biological contagions, digital ones typically aren't transferred just by physical touch. Don't run or open anything off the stick on your machine and you'll be fine.
- DanBC 9y agoWindows has had exploits where preview features (eg Explorer thumbnails) were running malicious code.
- averagewall 9y agoOf course. Windows has also had RCE vulnerabilities just by being connected to the internet. Hence the need to keep it updated.
- dogma1138 9y agoThe stick itself is the virus aka Bad USB or any other similar vector.
- averagewall 9y agoI don't do step 3. Viruses hardly ever work that way. An infected computer can infect a USB drive, but not the other way around for an up-to-date OS and if you're careful not to run mystery programs you find on it.
- bostand 9y agoNot true...
- averagewall 9y agoCan you cite any examples or describe the mechanism it would do that?
- 9y ago
- mtgx 9y agoYes. I can't wait until self-driving car ransomware appears. The amount of rage the customers will feel towards the makers of whatever non-secure self-driving or "connected" cars receive the ransomware should give those car makers a nice kick in the behind to get their act together. Then we'll see how quick the car makers will be about implementing features such as "unlocking your car remotely from the beach."
- wungsten 9y agoI wouldn't say I "can't wait" for car viruses, but I do worry about all the stupid remote/automated features being advertised these days. You just know it's going to be exploited, and cars are at the top of my list of things that should be as safe and secure as possible.
- problems 9y agoThat mostly boils down to lowering the attack surface. Individual cars doing their own thing, no problem. Cars talking to cloud, big privacy problem, potential security problem. Cars talking to each other locally, smaller privacy problem, but bigger security problem.
- louithethrid 9y agoI think ransomware is a very negative thing. It creates a mafia - protection money for continud functionality relationship - in the long run.
- rando444 9y agoOr encourages people to figure out how to backup their files properly.. something they should be doing anyway.
- merb 9y agothat's definitly not the case. I know of two incidents, where they basically didn't invest into more security, "since it won't happen again".