Heather Madrone has an interesting question.
My 13-year-old daughter downloaded some software this week. I asked her to check with me next time, so I could show her how to scan it for viruses before she installs it. Then I thought, “Now wait a minute. Can you still get viruses from downloading software?”
Back in the bad old days, viruses infected programs, and were handed around on diskettes or via download. When they infected your system, they might hitch a ride on another piece of software. I haven’t heard of a virus propagating itself that way in years.
So what’s the scoop? Does it still happen? Or is email such a superior tool for virus propagation that virus creators have given up on slipping viruses into software? Are download sites too well-protected for a virus to slip by their defenses?
What an odd bit of synchronicity. The two posts for today on your blog pair up F/friends: Heather and I are both members of the Santa Cruz Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and also friends.