[clue-tech] Protected by Linux

[Angelo Bertolli]

Bruce Ediger wrote:
>
>> On Sunday 20 July 2008 12:46, Collins Richey wrote:
>>> window with a "click here to view video". Aha, the link points to a
>>> <garbage>.exe file!
>
> On Sun, 20 Jul 2008, Roy J. Tellason wrote:
>> The fun ones are where the link contains a whole mess of space 
>> characters and
>> that .exe part of the name ends up offscreen.
>
> This shows at least two problems that linux doesn't have:
>
> 1. Treating "documents" (a.k.a. data) as something that should
> more-or-less automatically execute.
>
> 2. Treating part of the name of the file (".exe") as the
> mark that indicates "execute this file".
>
> It seems to me that both of these factors contribute to Window's 
> ongoing security problems, but I could be wrong. 

Yes, #2 is a problem and has always been an OS "hack" that started 
because of the legacy of DOS and the FAT filesystem that Windows has 
been maintaining compatibility with for so long.  #1 really has nothing 
to do with Windows, but has everything to do with the application you're 
using.  The problem with Windows in this regard is just that just about 
everyone runs as "root" (with the exception of Vista).

Angelo