A strange debate

[elysia]

I don't think speed has much to do with getting viruses or spyware. I think it's a worry for everyone on a windows system. All you can do is get good anti-virus and anti-spyware programs, use them regularly and hope for the best.

[Mishka]

Well, just closing the browser window doesn't stop a download. So you could see some strange line of characters and close the window, but the download would continue. You'd have to see that strange line of characters, disconnect from the net, likely by pulling the phone cord out of the wall, lol. Speed is hardly the only consideration for viruses and such.

[encoder]

No matter what kind of speed you have, we are equally susceptible to attacks from viruses and spywares. Even a system that has a good setup of security can still have some viruses leaked into the system unknowingly.

Viruses are not only found on websites, they can be attached on files that we know are safe like notepad, compressed files(rar or zip) or MS Office files(word, excel, or powerpoint). Once you have open the file, the viruses that is attached it will separate and run independently and you will not notice a thing. The best thing to do is to scan the files before even opening them.

[iSurfer]

There are other ways a virus or a spyware can enter your computer. The naughty pop-ups usually accompanied by a virus or a spyware and the moment the pop-up was opened then those virus and spyware passengers will be unloaded in your computer as well.

So either you have a fast or slow connection, these bad programs will have ways in entering your computer.

[alexis]

Originally Posted by encoder

No matter what kind of speed you have, we are equally susceptible to attacks from viruses and spywares. Even a system that has a good setup of security can still have some viruses leaked into the system unknowingly.

I dont think it could have been stated any better. So many people think its speed, when in fact its a ton of other things rolled into one that show higher attack ratings. I wish people would be more aware of the things they are doing when online, might end up saving some of us headaches (when they call up and go "Fix my computer").