(malware) Bruce Schneier on IE

Most people in the security industry (and even many not involved in IT security) have heard of Bruce Schneier.

Schneier on Security: Schneier: Microsoft still has work to do

Schneier: I think it's foolish to use Internet Explorer. It's filled with security holes, and it's too hard to configure it to have decent security. Basically, it seems to be written in the best interests of Microsoft and not in the best interests of the customer. I have used the Opera browser for years, and I am very happy with it. It's much better designed, and I never have to worry about Explorer-based attacks.

(life) A rare kind of freedom

Picture this.

A 1993 Yamaha RX-100. Bright and sunny Sunday morning. Wife and kids out of town for a week. No cell phone. Virtually no traffic on the roads at this time.

For a 42-year old guy with 2 kids and a sedate job, this is as much freedom as I'll ever get. Even if it won't last :-)

---

My "dog leash" (a.k.a cell phone) died this morning. And I'm certainly not about to shell out on a new one right now -- I've got my heart set on a Motorola A780, which isnt available yet.

So at least one of my new-found freedeoms will last a while :-)

Update 2005-07-24 16:23

I got my new phone, but haven't had much time to blog about it! :-(

(FOSS,malware,security) Does open source software enhance security?

The article is a little old, but it's a good read nevertheless. Explains nicely why Unix is more secure than Windows. Not as funny as usual articles from The Register, although the author clearly tried to redeem that by the time he came to the last para:

Does open source software enhance security?

"So, while openness provides a couple of security advantages in itself, the chief reason why Linux and BSD offer superior security is not so much because they're open source, but because they're not Windows."

(malware) Windows XP SP2 falls far, far, short...

This is an article from The Register, one of my favourite IT news sites. Their comments are usually acerbic, often hilariously funny, and always on the dot. [ For another example see this article! ]

WinXP SP2 = security placebo?

"Microsoft declined many opportunities to harden Windows XP in a meaningful way"

[....]

"The home user is the one most in need of good security configurations and tools, yet the one least served by SP2"