Vulnerabilities: are things getting better?

Stephen Withers
Monday, 18 February 2008 09:36

Your IT - Home IT

But Trojans are a different matter. They are programs that purport to do one (presumably desirable) thing, but actually have functions contrary to the user's interest. One example is a file that purports to be a special codec required to view certain content, but in fact messes with DNS settings so you don't always reach the servers you think you're talking to. This can be very costly if you are directed to a fake bank site.

The point is that you need to take care when downloading software. Think about where it is actually coming from - why would you download what purports to be an official Microsoft utility from someone else's site? Also ask yourself questions such as "do I really need this?" and "do I really need to be one of the first people to try out this new release from a relatively unknown vendor?"