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Security for Home and SOHO Computer Users
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An interesting article about Microsoft's addition to their eula for recent updates/service packs for Media Player, Win XP and Win 2000, can be found at The Register. Our opinion is to not accept it. The new addition reads: "You agree that in order to protect the integrity of content and software protected by digital rights management ('Secure Content'), Microsoft may provide security related updates to the OS Components that will be automatically downloaded onto your computer. These security related updates may disable your ability to copy and/or play Secure Content and use other software on your computer. If we provide such a security update, we will use reasonable efforts to post notices on a web site explaining the update." In other words, you will be giving Microsoft admin rights to your computer. At any time Microsoft could download software to your computer which could modify files and other software, and, upload files - without you knowing it. Is that what you really want? There are a few things you can do. Don't use windows update. Don't install the service packs or updates unless you are absolutely sure there is no clause as mentioned above. Turn off automatic updates and other XP automata. If you don't know how, try this program called XP-Antispy. A possible roll-your-own solution can be found here at the Counterexploition site CEXX. It is a Sample Vendor License Agreement, which you could use to replace any other one. It's your computer, your software, your private files. Why let someone else have them? You have been warned. If you are fed up with MS security concerns perhaps you are ready to
step outside the box and try something different. Here is a site to
start with. Read a review here. |
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Business.com This page was last updated on 11/12/04. |
