A Dummy migrating to Linux.

Good points Gary R.

 

And even more safety because "hidden extensions" do not exist in the Linux world.

blablabla.pdf.deb can not be mistaken for a pdf-file...

And the"executable bit" that has to be set before a file can execute, even on user level...

And so many more things!

 

But the most important is that no two Linux distributions are the same. 

 

Greets!

I have no idea what hidden extensions are, nor do I want to know, but I would like to relate one interesting experience.

On my Win 7 machine, I got (and occasionally do get) a suspect email, with a link, that would no doubt, infect my laptop. I've learnt to recognise these and avoid them, because, I'm sure we all know what would happen if I clicked the link.

I decided to forward one such to my Linux machine, ans see what happens.

When it got there and I clicked to open it, it showed a big red warning banner on top, and wouldn't open, but gave me options. I selected the option to open it. It then opened. I clicked on the link, which was obviously malicious.

Nope - nothing happened, other that more warning signs and immediate deletion by my email program / Linux.

So how's THAT ???

Had I done this in Windows, it would now be infected.

My main goal at the moment is to get my brother-in-law to install Linux, because I'm sick of clearing his current machine of infection every time he lets his kids use it.

 

I have a sister-in-law (& her husband) with whom Elaine and I stay some nights when we visit our state capital, Brisbane. Lovely couple.

He built his own computer, big wide screen, and continues to run his beloved XP on it. Prior to the cessation of support of XP, I took to travelling with a 16GB USB stick, on which I had Lives of Mint, Porteus, LXLE, Puppy and the like, to show him alternatives - he thought they were very "interesting", but stuck with the XP.

Barry is a nationally-ranked pedal steel guitarist and dobre player, has a youtube presence, a Facebook presence, and lays down a new track/video every other week in his garage.

Mid-last year, he got struck with the Australian Federal Police ukash virus/malware - you can read about it here -

http://www.mailguard.com.au/blog/the-australian-federal-police-are-the-latest-target-in-another-cryptolocker-scam/

... it's been around in one form or another since 2012, I believe. It trashed his computer, but not to be deterred, he used a TWO-YEAR OLD Acronis image, to put his XP back - I am not even sure how that would have gone with updates?

I just imagine him in his study saying "Oh, I wonder where THAT file went to? I was sure I had it there." - and shake my head. I still carry the stick, just in case.

   Wizard

Edited typos

Edited by wizardfromoz, 08 January 2016 - 03:46 AM.

@shadow-warrior:

Hi Warrior, my comments following yours -

The downside of making Linux too popular is that i twould soon stop being Free...as Developers would want money for software,,,and the OS developers would soon want versions soley for their distro, ....Ubuntu always wanted to challenge windows, If they changed to commercial use only and did away with Free, how would all the other Ubuntu based distros survive  maybe having to pay for a licence to use the OS...

 

Mark Shuttleworth (Ubuntu/Canonical) had already made his money with the sale of Thawte Consulting to Verisign in 1999 for US$ 575 million. Whilst I am sure he has a business model in place for Ubuntu, it is likely to be small change in comparison with his previous efforts. His reputation as a philanthropist nowadays would take a beating if he started charging the Home User for Ubuntu.

 

The money to be found in Linux is not through selling USB sticks with your Distro on it, it is through Server technology. TurboLinux and RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) are two cases as example. Businesses want Servers that are robust, scalable, stable, and secure - Linux checks all those boxes.

 

 

and if Libre Office got paid to develop for Ubuntu soley...then the rest of us would not have Office software ..... as any developers would want to get paid to build an alternative..

 

Google up "alternative to LibreOffice" and at alternativeto.net you will find eg:

 

Apache OpenOffice, WPS Office, Softmaker Office and Calligra, to name a few available under Linux. I used OpenOffice under Windows from not long after its inception in 2002 (2003 for me) until early 2015 (by then on Linux) when I switched to LibreOffice - only because I had to remove all traces of LibreOffice to install OpenOffice. I found it to perform in an exemplary fashion and it served all my needs at the time.

 

Most recently, at http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/597631/enlarge-grub-boot-text/?p=3886913

 

'.. MalwareMutilator was installing WPS Office by Kingston, because he found it better retained the formatting of his MS Office formatting, formulae, tables &c. So there are always alternatives, and many of those will remain free.

 

The overpopularity of Linux could also be the end of it..

 

Not on my watch.

Wizard

 

 ... but not to be deterred, he used a TWO-YEAR OLD Acronix image, to put his XP back - I am not even sure how that would have gone with updates?

 

I just imagine him in his study saying "Oh, I wonder where THAT file went to? I was sure I had it there." - and shake my head. I still carry the stick, just in case.

 

:wizardball:Wizard

At MWR/MRU we've stopped helping people clean XP machines now, because there's so many unpatched exploits for it now that it's tantamount to trying to bail out a sinking ship. If they have an infection we tell them to nuke'n'pave, and recommend they move to a supported OS.

I understand that for a number of reasons forums like BC adopt a different stance, and of course I respect that choice.

Of course the simplest solution to a Ransomware attack (either of the lock screen type or the file encryption variety) is a good set of  "air gapped" backups, yet its depressing how many people still don't regularly backup their files, and who have no recovery plan in place for when disaster happens.

One of the many good things about Linux is just how quickly you can repave your system if it ever does, and with a set of backups and a USB with your distro of choice, your bricked machine can be back up and running in no time at all.

i remember having  an XP that i used to infect with as much crap as i could just to see if i could clean it without losing Files.. poor old thing ..it still runs and it hasn't been infected for a long time.. all fairness it don't do much surfing anymore.. and we have a good firewall on the router..

Hours of fun manually deleting Brontock.exe from every folder on the machine...had to do it for other people after... made me a lot of money.

..XP + Vista was wonderful  for making money...paid for me and my wife to stay in large flash Hotels Travel around the states in hired cars etc..Even met Bill Clinton in a Hotel in Vegas. on a trip