It seems like about every four months, my sister's computer catches a virus. Not just the typical run-of-the-mill stuff that latches onto porn sites, I'm talking really severe stuff. The kind of viruses that, if presented to Geek Squad, would result in an instant diagnosis of "Windows needs to be reinstalled". Maybe I'm unusual, but I'd rather spend the time to clean and repair virus damage than to spend an equal or greater amount of time backing things up and rebuilding a computer, and learning nothing in the process.
( More details about preliminary virus repair )
What I'd really like to know, though, is how she manages to get viruses so often. Normally, I'd blame her browsing habits, but really, her internet usage isn't dramatically different from mine. We have the same OS, on the same IP, with the same AV solution (Symantec Corporate) and firewall (none, just our router), and her system gets automatic updates, so it's actually more up-to-date than mine in terms of patches. She stopped using IE a few infections ago, and while she's not an expert sysadmin, her level of competency is greater than most home users, enough to avoid risky practices. The only real difference in our internet browsing habits is that she uses Facebook more often than I do, she uses Yahoo webmail while I have a POP3 client, and she uses the real AIM client while I use Trillian. So, what's the deal?
I initially blamed random bot activity, but in retrospect, that makes no sense either; her PC is more up-to-date on patches than mine (I do updates on my desktop every month or two), so if she was scanned and exploited remotely, why wasn't my machine affected? For that matter, how come she gets viruses every few months, while I haven't been infected in years? Am I missing something?
...
Just before I posted this, I checked the router out of curiousity. When Fox lived here, his computer was DMZ'd for torrenting, and I still have the same router. Sure enough, DMZ was still enabled, and after looking at the DHCP clients table, I confirmed that her computer now has Fox's old IP address. The phrase "oops" doesn't even begin to cover it.
( More details about preliminary virus repair )
What I'd really like to know, though, is how she manages to get viruses so often. Normally, I'd blame her browsing habits, but really, her internet usage isn't dramatically different from mine. We have the same OS, on the same IP, with the same AV solution (Symantec Corporate) and firewall (none, just our router), and her system gets automatic updates, so it's actually more up-to-date than mine in terms of patches. She stopped using IE a few infections ago, and while she's not an expert sysadmin, her level of competency is greater than most home users, enough to avoid risky practices. The only real difference in our internet browsing habits is that she uses Facebook more often than I do, she uses Yahoo webmail while I have a POP3 client, and she uses the real AIM client while I use Trillian. So, what's the deal?
I initially blamed random bot activity, but in retrospect, that makes no sense either; her PC is more up-to-date on patches than mine (I do updates on my desktop every month or two), so if she was scanned and exploited remotely, why wasn't my machine affected? For that matter, how come she gets viruses every few months, while I haven't been infected in years? Am I missing something?
...
Just before I posted this, I checked the router out of curiousity. When Fox lived here, his computer was DMZ'd for torrenting, and I still have the same router. Sure enough, DMZ was still enabled, and after looking at the DHCP clients table, I confirmed that her computer now has Fox's old IP address. The phrase "oops" doesn't even begin to cover it.