7.3. Secure Your Networked PC

Some people spend their whole lives working to improve security for individuals and corporations alike, and they spend much of that time patching holes in Windows. Windows is the main conduit for malware that creates zombies (bots), explained in Chapter 6, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. To be fair, the overwhelming popularity of Windows is largely to blame, but there are enough holes in Windows 7 to make you wonder whether anyone in Redmond, WA, is taking this seriously.

There are three basic categories of security threats. First, there’s the deliberate, targeted attack by a human being trying to break into your computer over a network connection. Then there’s the targeted attack by a human sitting at your keyboard. And finally, there’s the automated attack perpetrated by a worm or other kind of malware.