said by TamaraB :

The Internet is NOT your private home, it's a VERY public and open area.

said by TheWickerMan :

By your logic, if your house is on a public street, I have every right to walk right in...

said by TheWickerMan :

And even if I have to pick your locks to get in, it's your fault because you didn't secure it well enough.

said by TamaraB :


No, this is different! This is a break-in not a public invite. No one picks any locks in a drive-by infection, or in a virus infection, those are "invitations" not "break-ins"; no passwords have been hacked, the site or email only makes use of the available PUBLIC services which you, your browser, or mail client allows and advertises.

No one picks your lock if you share your files via netbios to the world, or if you automatically execute an install program... you have invited them in they did not break in!

Perhaps your angst is mis-directed? It's not the scammers, spammers, phishers, or hackers who are the problem (these folks have been around for thousands of years); perhaps it's the fault of the defective toys you have chosen to use? Perhaps you use them without reading or heading the warnings? Whatever the case, it's no-body's fault but your own 99% of the time!

What I see and read here is way too much anger and frustration directed towards those who use publicly available services offered up freely by users; and NO anger directed towards those manufacturers who build-in these "features" in the first place. The manufacturer, who sells a product, which invites and allows un-attended installations is the one who should bear the brunt of the anger and blame.

I have NEVER had a trojan, worm, virus, spyware, or any form of maleware on ANY of my computers, and I have been on the net since 1985!

said by TheWickerMan :

So, if you unknowingly install a defective lock on your house, and I know how to exploit its vulnerability, then it's OK for me to walk in, right?