Saturday, April 28, 2007

Concerned About Your PC Security? Switch to Linux

by Guillermo Garron
If you are concerned about security, at your home or office PC you may choose Linux as your operating system, after that you will be secure.

These days, security is a new concern we have in cyber space, we have worms, pishing, virus, scam email, we have lots of people out there, trying to get our info, such us, credit card numbers, passwords, etc.

We need to be protected about all that new types of criminals, who can make you a lot of economic damage, one of the ways they use to get your info, is turning your PC into a zombie. And what is that? Ok, suppose you got an email (that could even come from people you know) saying that attached you will find the last video of Paris Hilton, so you open it, but it is not a video is a software that install some software in you PC.

Ok, this software is going to run each time you turn your computer on, and it can make lots of things.


It will get your email addresses and copy itself to people you know with the same message you got when it arrives to you.
Enable a keylogger so it can start getting all you type on the keyboard
Send all that info to the guy who wrote the software
So, this way this trojano infects your friends and relatives PCs, and also send your private info to people you do not want to have that info, which can include credit card numbers and passwords.

What can you do to avoid part of this risk, if your company lets you, and off course at home, you can switch to Linux, this operating system is almost impossible to infect with trojanos or virus, specially for two reasons:


More people uses windows, so there are more chances to find info secret info, if the trojano is written for windows
The security at Linux is stronger, it is really difficult to execute a software, if it does not get the permission first.
Now if you decide to switch to linux first you will need to choose which Linux you are going to use, for that you can read this article (which Linux distribution to choose?), which according your needs will help you choose a Linux distribution.

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