Malware Myths and Misinformation, Part One: Windows, Mac, Exchange, and IIS

Much Internet culture is founded on misinformation: computer security in general and the virus/malware arena in particular constitute prime examples. Most IT professionals and many people on the periphery (power users, hobbyists, computer journalists) see themselves as de facto security experts, and every security expert is a self-perceived virus expert. Virus writers, malware distributors, and their admirers add an extra spoonful of horsefeather sauce to the mix. Anti-virus and other industry security researchers are generally a knowledgeable and well-intentioned bunch, but the public voices of the industry are usually drawn not from the research community, but from the marketing department. Their pronouncements are often neither technically well founded nor free from commercial considerations. The army of researchers outside the industry who dominate some open source, security and vulnerabilities discussion lists are often well meaning, but not always as competent or well informed as they think, or would like you to think, and some are far more interested in personal glory than the common good. As a result, virus/anti-virus/security lore bulges with received wisdom that lacks both wisdom and factual basis. Full Story