If you take a look at Windows 7 and play around with some of the settings then you will probably notice that Microsoft has spent a lot of time making sure that the different parts are secure. They want to help you make sure that your firewall is up, the antivirus is installed and everything else that you need to be secure is ready to go. They have even improved their browser. Internet Explorer is now on its eight version and people agree that it is the safest browser that Microsoft has ever put out. But there is also some software that is not so secure on Windows. Some of the software is provided by Microsoft and others are third party software that people like to install. So let’s take a look at some of the software that can do damage to your system even though it is supposed to be OK to use.
Instant Messaging software
Microsoft provides built in IM service but a lot of people download it from a third parties as well. Instant messenger software can introduce big holes into your system especially if you have someone using the computer that is not considered computer savvy. Hackers will target the software because they can easily send a person links through it. These links will lead to all kind of things. From phising attacks to sites with exploits ready to jump on your computer. This is why you need to stress to people who use your computer that if they are going to use IM then they should not click on links. If they do, they can find themselves and your computer having a nasty surprise.
PDf’s from unknown people
Another piece of software that is known to introduce bugs into the system is called PDf. This is software from Adobe that comes with your computer. The purpose of the software is to imitate on a computer what a magazine of that same file would look like. The web is supposed to look like one thing and a magazine is supposed to look like another. PDF’s are supposed to bridge the gap. But it is not just for magazines, any kind of document can be enhanced by using a PDF file. But the PDF software has many bugs that are out there that people use to exploit systems the software is installed on. If you are not careful then it could be your computer that is getting exploited. Even though you are used to scanning .exe files you might not scan PDF files. You should start to do that now.
There is plenty of software out there that can be used for evil purposes. Most of the software out there is written with millions of lines of code and sometimes in those lines of code, mistakes are made. And when those mistakes are made, hackers take advantage. Make sure that they do not get you by scanning all your files with antivirus.
The one great thing about the Windows 7 operating system that you do not hear about often is how it handles your media files. Sure there are a lot of great things that have been added to Windows 7 such as extra security features and a better UI but media handling has been one of the biggest improvements to the system. Some of these features include the ability to stream media to all points of your house and even the ability to stream to remote places. The one sad thing about these features is that a lot of people do not know about all of them. There are a lot of great things that you can do with some of the new media features that are available. As good as these new features are, you have to ask yourself a question, do they leave your computer vulnerable to attack? In this article we will take a look at this question and see whether it is true or not. But before we do that, let’s take some time and describe to you in detail some of the new media features that are available to you.
How do these new features work?
There are many media features that we can talk about in the Windows 7 operating system. First of all, you now have the ability to stream your music to another computer, no matter where it is at. Microsoft has set up a feature that will allow you to do this easily with the click of a few buttons. Also you now have the power of the full Windows media server at your finger tip. In the past if you wanted this power, you had to buy the Windows Media Server based computer. Now it comes with the operating system. It allows you to record and manipulate TV shows just like you would with the TiVo. But instead of having to pay for an outside service, it is connected directly to your computer. All you have to do is to set up a few wires and you are ready to go. These are a few of the several media tools that people have found useful in the new Windows 7 operating system. Let’s now talk about how it can affect your safety as far as the computer goes. The fact that it opens up a server on your computer can be a concerned at anytime.
Is your security affected?
For the most part, your security will be fine with services such as these on your Windows 7 computer. Microsoft has put in a level of security in the services so you do not leave yourself completely open. But you do have to worry about what files you click on when using the media features. People get media from all different types of sources, some of it illegal and some of it legal. If you are running these services on your computer and you click on the wrong file then you can find yourself in real trouble. When you use these programs, make sure that you follow the same protocols that you would when using other programs on the computer. Make sure that you scan all files.
Just because you are playing a media file does not mean it is automatically safe. Check the file and you should be fine.
For years, the first thing that you thought about when it came to Microsoft computers is how unsafe they were. The more Windows computers became popular, the more they seemed to be attacked when the users surf the internet. People who sold and used other operating systems would try to get their friends and customers to switch over by telling them how unsafe a Windows computer was compared to the one that they were using. And they were not lying. They had the numbers to back them up. So for years, even though Microsoft got better and better when it came to the security of their operating system, they still had the old wounds against them. People still looked at the operating system as if it was unsafe. So we are here to answer that question right now. Do Windows computers still have a problem when it comes to the security of the operating system?
How much safer is Windows?
Starting with Windows Vista, Microsoft took a turn in their strategy when it came to the safety of their operating system. They figured out that the internet was not going away and that people wanted to be secure when they used it. The strategy became even more solidified when Window 7 was released to the world. For the first time in a long time, most security professionals said that the Windows 7 operating system was just as secure as the Mac OS X and just a little less secure than the Linux operating system. This was definitely a victory in Microsoft’s book because the security community is not a bunch of people who are considered to be Microsoft fans. But they had to be honest; the computers were a lot safer than they were before.
Why are Windows computers safer?
There are several reasons why Windows 7 is considered a safer operating system these days. The first reason why it is safer is because they have closed a lot of security holes in it that had been there for years. These security holes were known points of attacks by hackers but for the sake of backwards compatibility they left them open. Also some of the software that Microsoft makes that comes free for Windows 7 are high powered security products. From their Windows essential to the new and improved Firewall, these are software that will definitely help keep your computer safe. They either come on the operating system when you install it or they are available from the Microsoft web site.
When you use a Windows based computer these days, you do not have to worry about the security vulnerabilities that you once did. It is true that the system is not one hundred percent safe and you will still have to install software to help protect it but it is just as good as all of the other operating systems out there. It has been proven that security by obscurity did exist and all of the other operating systems are being attacked now as the more popular they become.