I had to clean my grandmothers computer once. I thought it had the most viruses I had ever seen. It had around 250 viruses and somewhere over 30k spyware bits.
That's a webpage that's meant to look like a Windows "OMG YOUR COMPUTER IS SO FUXXORED" window, to trick you into clicking on links to install and approve their malware.
The web page is faking a Windows desktop, and hasn't noticed that the device *looking* at the web page is actually an iPhone.
This post will seem charming when phone malware really does hit the big-time. Google's decision to let the Android platform get fragmented all to hell means that it will probably end up as the biggest target. (Unless, of course, MS lets Windows7PhoneForMobileXPDeluxeWithFries get equally as fragmented.)
Ah, but I have. Mom called in a rumpus because a window popped up saying "Windows detected a virus and you need to download a fix NOW!!!", then got panicked when the downloaded .exe file wouldn't run.
PS: Android, being the biggest market, will be the biggest target pretty much by definition. Although the "get one, get them all" factor of the iPhone, combined with the relative technical cluelessness of the users, might provide competition for a bit.
Android isn't the problem-- Motorola, Samsung, Verizon and its ilk are.
I love my Droid, but I can't update it without rooting it and using a custom bootloader. Most people can't do that, so the platform is going to be a lot more vulnerable than the Iphone that gets, you know, regular security updates. Iphone's security has considerable problems, but at least there's a clear channel to patch them. How many rampant malware outbreaks will be necessary to get Samsung, Motorola and Verizon on board with patching their handsets up even to Android 2.3, much less 3.0?
Google should have been less concerned with how many bezel buttons they force on their partners and moreso with keeping the software corpus coherent.
MS might be in the same boat, considering they can't even get a patch to allow copy/pasting out the door...
the whole Android version control / upgrade doodah puzzles me greatly.
[I'm on an old and clunky iOS cos I can't upgrade. I have it tethered with MyWi, and no proper internet. Apple checks online to see if the OS is legit, which it can't cos the phone - being in upgrade mode - isn't online. CRASH!!!]
That is totally not funny. My mother bought into that on my sons laptop. We had to get a new windows install when it was all said and done because it deleted important programming... Like nescessary DLLs. Like... the file you need in order to install replacement files to repair windows when it breaks...
I borrowed a T-Mobile 3G stick for my Mac Pro. Installed the software and got online. The Mac immediately started barfing. I uninstalled the 3G drivers and tried to restart.
One dead Mac Pro.
discovered later that the driver over-writes one of the core 64bit .lib files with a 32 bit .. something. Result is instant death for Snow Leopard. T-Mobile have known about this for years, but made no effort at all to fix.
the repair involves either an OS re-install, or hacking away at the disc in Terminal to replace the appropriate file. Method 2 took me over an hour. [I could probably do it again in a few minutes, never want to have to try]
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(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-07 09:27 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-07 09:29 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-07 09:37 pm (UTC)I had to clean my grandmothers computer once. I thought it had the most viruses I had ever seen. It had around 250 viruses and somewhere over 30k spyware bits.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-07 09:41 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-07 09:45 pm (UTC)That's a webpage that's meant to look like a Windows "OMG YOUR COMPUTER IS SO FUXXORED" window, to trick you into clicking on links to install and approve their malware.
The web page is faking a Windows desktop, and hasn't noticed that the device *looking* at the web page is actually an iPhone.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-07 10:19 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-07 10:27 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-08 12:53 am (UTC)"Mom," I said, "you have a Mac."
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-08 01:02 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-08 01:07 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-08 01:27 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-07 10:29 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-07 10:51 pm (UTC)I love my Droid, but I can't update it without rooting it and using a custom bootloader. Most people can't do that, so the platform is going to be a lot more vulnerable than the Iphone that gets, you know, regular security updates. Iphone's security has considerable problems, but at least there's a clear channel to patch them. How many rampant malware outbreaks will be necessary to get Samsung, Motorola and Verizon on board with patching their handsets up even to Android 2.3, much less 3.0?
Google should have been less concerned with how many bezel buttons they force on their partners and moreso with keeping the software corpus coherent.
MS might be in the same boat, considering they can't even get a patch to allow copy/pasting out the door...
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-08 09:44 pm (UTC)[I'm on an old and clunky iOS cos I can't upgrade. I have it tethered with MyWi, and no proper internet. Apple checks online to see if the OS is legit, which it can't cos the phone - being in upgrade mode - isn't online. CRASH!!!]
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-07 09:44 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-08 01:08 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-08 01:13 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-08 01:46 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-08 09:51 pm (UTC)I borrowed a T-Mobile 3G stick for my Mac Pro. Installed the software and got online. The Mac immediately started barfing. I uninstalled the 3G drivers and tried to restart.
One dead Mac Pro.
discovered later that the driver over-writes one of the core 64bit .lib files with a 32 bit .. something. Result is instant death for Snow Leopard. T-Mobile have known about this for years, but made no effort at all to fix.
the repair involves either an OS re-install, or hacking away at the disc in Terminal to replace the appropriate file. Method 2 took me over an hour. [I could probably do it again in a few minutes, never want to have to try]