On Fri, 13 Jun 2003 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > The last time this topic came up, it was suggested by others that either > trojan or virus software was installing/creating open proxies. I wrote > that off as people being overly paranoid. I'm sorry to say that I now > know this to be true and have seen many installations of at least one > strain of such proxy software.
According to a study by America Online, 89% of the computers with broadband connections are not safely configured. 91% of the computers had what AOL categorized as spyware installed. In reality, the connection method isn't the determining factor. http://www.staysafeonline.info/press/060403.pdf Although firewalls and anti-virus helps, it doesn't prevent a determined user from infecting his own system. Honeypots and passive detection systems aren't picking up the whole story. The user is an important part of evaluating the security equation.
