How to completely wipe a hard drive?

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Okay, I give up, how do porn sites make money if they infect your computer? Wouldn't that drive away customers? Aren't they in the business to make money? It sounds to me like you have an issue with porn and may be getting moral issues confused with computer security. Hackers may lure you in with porn but there are porn sites that want to make money and are perfectly safe from a security standpoint.

Now we are getting somewhere, we progressed to a simple "known fact" to holes that were patched.

You left out the single most prevalent method by which viruses are installed - email attachments. I'd modify your rules to

1. Never open an attachment that you weren't expecting - even if from a friend. Write or call them back to ask about it because they could be infected and it could be a brand new virus not in your database.

2. When you get a popup or question while browsing. Never click on "yes" and always close a window by clicking on the "X" - let windows close it. If you need a plugin, go directly to the source.

3. Use windows update.

4. Install anti-virus software and work behind a router.

5. P2P with caution. Use your virus scanner and move that pirated material out of your download folder and encrypt it if necessary. (I'm talking about security - not morality.)
 
gsbtech said:
Okay, I give up, how do porn sites make money if they infect your computer? Wouldn't that drive away customers? Aren't they in the business to make money? It sounds to me like you have an issue with porn and may be getting moral issues confused with computer security. Hackers may lure you in with porn but there are porn sites that want to make money and are perfectly safe from a security standpoint.

Now we are getting somewhere, we progressed to a simple "known fact" to holes that were patched.

You left out the single most prevalent method by which viruses are installed - email attachments. I'd modify your rules to

1. Never open an attachment that you weren't expecting - even if from a friend. Write or call them back to ask about it because they could be infected and it could be a brand new virus not in your database.

2. When you get a popup or question while browsing. Never click on "yes" and always close a window by clicking on the "X" - let windows close it. If you need a plugin, go directly to the source.

3. Use windows update.

4. Install anti-virus software and work behind a router.

5. P2P with caution. Use your virus scanner and move that pirated material out of your download folder and encrypt it if necessary. (I'm talking about security - not morality.)

1.Last time I checked most porn sites are free. of course this doesn't happen at paid sites

2. that's what I was talking when I said email filtering

3.working behind a router won't save you. you should have a hardware and software firewall. I reformatted my wife computer last night. It got a virus. I installing my AV the morning and it picked up. the only thing I did last night was play my music while I was sleeping with real one player. I have a router. If i was thinking, I would have install musicmatch and not real one.

4.you obviously didn't encounter SASSER. clicking no or X still infected you.
 
Yeah, I read that SASSER was nasty but no, I have never been infected. I've been using the internet since the mid 80's before most people even heard of it. I browsed with the first release of Netscape on SunOS before MS was even in the game. I browse porn and hacking sites, use P2P, download and use free software, written activeX controls and Java Applets. Heck, given cause, the person who hacks your computer just might be me but I have never - not once - been infected by a virus. Perhaps it's just luck mixed in with a little experience.

I agree with you that the Internet presents a dangerous environment to the unweary. Yes there will be exploits. Yes people can still hack your firewall. But, your best protection is anonymity. You probably have a better chance of winning the lottery than someone hacking through your router's firewall to install a virus. If you were infected, somehow you, software that you ran, or a file that you opened, invited the virus in. I'm argueing this point because the assumption that it was an external attack or browser hack is probably wrong and you will not be addressing the real reason you were infected.

IMHO, Real Player IS a virus - or at least a nasty piece of malware. It was cool when it was first released as one of the first on the scene for streaming audio but then something went horribly wrong. I use Java or Windows Media and just don't access a real player format.
 
I have to correct my last message. I was hit by the "I Love You" virus once and it was a funny story in retrospect. I opened an attachment from a colleague from work. It was a macro virus that mailed itself to the people on my contact list. The problem here, is that I was going through a bitter divorce and had a restraining order not to contact my wife. The virus sent her an email with the subject "I Love You". I had my attorney on the phone as soon as realized what happend. My attorney had to contact her attorney who had to worn her about the virus.
 
gsbtech said:
IMHO, Real Player IS a virus - or at least a nasty piece of malware. It was cool when it was first released as one of the first on the scene for streaming audio but then something went horribly wrong. I use Java or Windows Media and just don't access a real player format.

you are right about that one. I just like the way it organize my music and make my playlist. I Usually disable the active x controls and run spyware blaster for it, but I was in a hurry to got to bed last night and I just wasn't thinking
 
I'm curious about the infection itself. Id did you identify the infection and its mode of entry? Are you convinced it was through real player?
 
I forgot what it said. it was something that went to System 32 pid or pif or something like that. I had only installed realone and my visoneer scanner software(cd). it deleted the virus, but I reformatted again anyway

on weekends I let realone play all night while I sleep. I sleep better that way
 
Many virus are spread through pif files - including the famous IRC backdoor and the the rampant Netsky varients (email worm). PID (Process Identification), PIF (Program Interface File), and SYSTEM32 could be relevant keywords for any number of nasties.
 
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