July 12, 2002

1:16 AM

Using Internet Explorer, Outlook, or Outlook Express on a PC? There's a new hack in town, ready to exploit cross site scripts like nobody's business. Do yourself a favor and disarm ActiveX on your settings.
posted by mathowie (6 comments total)

Outlook Express 6 runs in the Restricted zone by default, and so ActiveX is already disabled for you.
posted by Mwongozi at 1:42 AM on July 12, 2002

Now let's hear the point that Windows isn't any more insecure than Mac OSX or Linux, it's just the largest target for hackers.

This is definitely in the category of "bad coding practices that make Windows a buggy and insecure operating system". Still haven't seen these types of gaping holes (with the same frequency) on any other OS.
posted by jragon at 8:11 AM on July 12, 2002

Now let's hear the point that Windows isn't any more insecure than Mac OSX or Linux, it's just the largest target for hackers.

Not hackers...script kiddies. Big ol difference. Hackers are the ones who find the vulnerabilities and get them fixed by telling the appropriate vendors before publishing the info.

Script kiddies are the ones who scan security sites looking for exploits that they couldn't have found on their own no matter how much free time they had after their homework was done, and then use them against people who haven't kept patches current.
posted by dejah420 at 9:26 AM on July 12, 2002

I don't usually worry about this stuff, but I made the following changes to my settings:

Internet Explorer: Tools/Options/Security/Custom Level: Disable ActiveX

Outlook: Tools/Options/Security/Settings: Restricted Sites instead of Internet Sites

Please feel free to mock my lack of knowledge about security issues, and then feel free to tell me if I've missed anything.
posted by acridrabbit at 11:08 AM on July 12, 2002

Now let's hear the point that Windows isn't any more insecure than Mac OSX or Linux, it's just the largest target for hackers.

Whether it's inherently insecure or not is not the question. Virus-writers are looking to make an impact. What fun would it be to write a virus that died out in no time because only 5% of the market runs the platform you wrote it for? Windows is the place to make a splash, not OS X or Unix.

That may be reason enough not to use Windows, regardless of how you feel about its overall security.
posted by daveadams at 5:59 AM on July 14, 2002

Until I disabled activeX, I had no idea how many websites I visit used it. Now that I have, I get to click a dialog box every time one is called.

The terrorists have already won.
posted by crunchland at 7:47 AM on July 14, 2002