Is the Tor browser dangerous? The Best Internet Browsers That Nobody Uses
Good afternoon, dear players!
Recently, in our game there have been more and more cases of players losing characters due to the use of TOR browser. The game's appeal commission presents to your attention a small educational program on the topic of online security, in particular, information about the pitfalls of using this browser.
What is this TOR anyway?
It is quite difficult for an uninitiated user to understand all the abstruse terms that can be read, for example, in Wikipedia. We will try to explain in a simple way.
TOR is an anonymous Internet structure that includes proxies, anonymizers, and mechanisms for multi-stage encryption of Internet traffic - components of the so-called onion routing (that’s why the browser logo shows an onion, and not Thor’s hammer, as someone thought). For not very advanced users, as well as for visual ease of use, the developers have invented TOR Browser, which is easy to install on your computer and you can start using immediately after installation, with a minimum of settings.
What does this mean anyway? How can you use it?
The need to use TOR technologies arises among users seeking to ensure their anonymity on the network, that is, to hide their real IP address when posting messages on sites, sending email, communication in IM clients and so on. Although the TOR network is rightfully considered a “black market” and a “sink” for shadowy structures (more on this later), masking one’s IP address is sometimes necessary for completely peaceful purposes. Let's consider in what cases TOR can help us:
Using TOR Browser allows you to access websites blocked by your country's government. These can be pirated p2p resources (torrent trackers, for example), and other sources prohibited by government censorship. If we leave aside the moral and ethical issues of “if it’s blocked, then that’s how it should be” and “piracy is bad,” then this property of TOR is perhaps the most useful.
Using TOR Browser allows you to hide your real IP address. This property will help server owners keep information about themselves secret, and will also allow users to bypass an IP ban on any resource (it often happens that harsh moderators are forced to ban entire subnets because of one not very pleasant user, especially since thereby cutting off access to law-abiding citizens of the same subnet).
You may be surprised, but this is where the positive aspects for the average user, who did not set out to clearly violate the current legislation of their country, end. But negative aspects begin, which together pose a great danger to the user. We will dwell on them in more detail.
1) The TOR network has long been heavily favored by representatives of “shadow” and criminal structures. Taking advantage of the anonymity of the Internet with impunity, criminals reproduce child pornography, carry out drug deals, coordinate the activities of terrorist groups, collect and illegally use personal data from the accounts of unlucky citizens - simply put, they rob citizens online, remaining inaccessible to law enforcement agencies.
2) The TOR network only provides anonymity, but it not equipped antivirus protection! Sniffing, hacking, phishing, viruses, and so on thrive in it. You risk being exposed to a virus attack just by visiting a couple of sites using the TOR Browser.
3) Speaking about anonymity, it is also worth noting that the statements of the creators of the TOR network that the structure guarantees network anonymity are not entirely true. Yes, it is true that for the average user, without proper tools and knowledge of the system, determining the source address of another user becomes an impossible task. However, we should not forget that TOR is used not only by children of high school age, but also by worthy professionals, including those working for various intelligence agencies. It has been proven many times that given certain data can be determined the user's original IP address and eventually knock on his door front door– people using the TOR browser for criminal purposes were found and convicted according to the law.
Please think about this the next time you want to launch this browser. If the ordinary student Anatoly, who left a devastating anonymous review on the state portal, is unlikely to be actively searched for, then people involved in fraud through TOR have recently attracted more and more attention from law enforcement agencies.
It may seem that all these dangers are mythical, invented, and it is not entirely clear what the GVD has to do with it. Let us explain:
According to the observations of the organizers of the Game Appeal Commission, cases of players being blocked due to the use of TOR Browser have become more frequent. Most often, the reason lies in an uncharacteristic and rather radical change in the IP address in the player’s log. The blocking is carried out because there is a suspicion that the character has been hacked, which the player himself might not have time to track down and take action on. necessary measures upon regaining control of the account. In addition, TOR users constantly find themselves sharing the same IP address with scammers and attackers already known to AKI.
This is where players should think about was it really necessary use such an anonymizer if there was no need to use it? The fact is that as of today, not a single state whose range of players is represented in the GVD has banned the website http://www.heroeswm.ru by government censorship. Therefore, the players no direct need use TOR. As a rule, this browser is downloaded by inexperienced players because “that’s what they advised,” “it’s so fashionable and cool,” and so on. Then, as described above, the player’s IP changes radically, an immediate suspicion of hacking arises, the account is blocked, and the player has to waste time and nerves to get the character back.
This is a "harmless" case. However, in AKI practice, quite often there are players whose characters were hacked using the TOR Browser. This is often to blame for a breeding ground for viruses downloaded while surfing the web onto a user’s machine using TOR, as well as other vulnerabilities of the TOR system, which we discussed a little earlier.
What additional danger can the player expect here?
When considering such character blocking in AKI, it turns out that the hacked player character has multiple intersections with characters sold on the black market, as well as with the characters of scammers. Yes, specifically on the IP addresses of the TOR structure. You see, although the TOR network is supposed to be anonymous and hidden, it still cannot hide the fact that it is being used, since some of its external nodes are still publicly accessible and can be identified. Thus, the fact of using TOR cannot be hidden from the organizers of AKI, even if the players for some reason try to claim the opposite (or, on the contrary, try to hide behind the use of TOR in cases where it was not actually used).
Now that, because of this damned TOR, the player has been compromised by sharing IP addresses with scammers, it is no longer so easy for him to clear his good name. We would even say that it is almost impossible to justify yourself in this case. But, it would seem, I went into the GVD code a couple of times through the TOR Browser.
Moreover, such intersections with scammers can occur completely randomly if a “singed” IP is encountered in the current user session. Even without being hacked, getting blocked for interfering with a character trafficker is fraught with life imprisonment. All this will be provided to you with almost 100% probability by TOR Browser, sooner or later.
It is also worth noting that individuals who use TOR to disguise their illegal actions in the GVD, on the contrary, first of all draw attention to themselves, like a person who wears a mask in broad daylight.
Based on all of the above, the Game Appeal Commission, together with the Sheriff, strongly recommends All players should refrain from using the TOR browser unless absolutely necessary. If the use of TOR is due to network restrictions, then try to protect your computer from viruses as much as possible, do not visit unfamiliar sites using the links you receive, and always carefully monitor where you are asked to enter your username and password.
About a year ago, I wrote in one of my articles that it is necessary to check the layout in older browsers, namely IE6 And IE7. The reason was simple: 3-5% - this is not a quantity that should not be paid attention to. Yes, the layout designers (including myself) suffered, but, alas, it was necessary. But today I will talk about the latest news and answer the question, Is it necessary to make layout for older browsers?.
According to the most recent statistics, only 0.3% use IE6. And it seems to me that a very large proportion of these “users” are layout designers who check their own sites. IE7 about 1.3%, but even here this is too small a share, which is decreasing quite quickly. Therefore, I already recommend not to worry about adapting to old browsers; no one will appreciate it.
Here is a list of browsers that you should definitely check:
- Google Chrome , and he is the undisputed leader at the moment. Therefore, sites should look perfect in it.
- Latest version of Firefox, in second place, everything under it should also be excellent.
- Latest version of Opera.
- IE8 which is used 3.7% . A little, but it's the same story as with IE6 a year ago, so it needs to be adapted for this browser. Fortunately, this browser has practically no problems compared to previous versions. Therefore, if you did the layout well, then, most likely, you won’t have to change anything at all, or literally add 2-3 properties additionally.
There are more Safari, I recommend checking it on it too. But it is worth noting that if Chrome, Opera And Firefox Everything is fine, I have never had any problems with this browser. Therefore, checking it is optional.
As for the future, I really hope that it will soon be possible to use CSS3. Unfortunately, today 30-40% users have browsers that support only a small portion of the features CSS3. And absolutely no browser supports all properties. When there is support for at least the main new properties in all browsers used, then the task of a good layout designer will immediately become simpler. And the bad one has been using it for so long CSS3 to the fullest.
The feeling of security makes a person careless.
Alexandre Dumas (father)
On the Internet you can often find a recommendation not to use Internet Explorer, which experienced “gurus” give to beginners or users who have already suffered from viruses. I don't think she's literate, and recent trends in browsers and threats on the Internet only strengthen me in this opinion. If you use another browser because it is more convenient (faster, prettier, etc.), I congratulate you - you have made an informed choice. But if you prefer a different browser purely for security reasons, I can't agree - on Windows 7, browsing sites in Internet Explorer 8 with latest updates and with standard security settings it is hardly riskier than in other browsers.
On this page:
All browsers are vulnerable
Yes, Internet Explorer is more popular among malware authors, mainly due to its [so far] high prevalence, so the vulnerabilities of the Microsoft browser are more often exploited. But the larger the share of, say, Firefox, the more attractive it will be to attackers, and yet this browser has held the top spot in terms of the number of vulnerabilities for two years now.
Figure 1 - Number of documented browser vulnerabilities over the past two years (Symantec data)
It should also be noted that not all vulnerabilities are fixed - at the time of the release of the Symantec report, 14% of browser vulnerabilities for 2009 and 18% of vulnerabilities for 2008 remained unpatched. But if they decide to close the “hole,” they do it very quickly. According to Symantec, developers of all browsers (except Safari) throughout 2009, on average, closed vulnerabilities within a day after they were publicly disclosed. Let's assume that you won't fall victim to the browser vulnerability if you have the latest version installed (in any case, the most you can do with it is update it).
However, another equally wide channel for the delivery of viruses, Trojans and spyware are malicious programs that use the human factor (socially engineered malware), i.e. entering a computer by deception. By the way, my colleagues who are involved in treating systems from malware put in the first place the problem of naivety and gullibility of people who do not have basic knowledge of Internet security rules. Since you can't put your finger on everyone, the ability of browsers to actively prevent people from visiting fraudulent sites and downloading malware is starting to come to the fore, and Internet Explorer 8 looks very good in this area.
Security and privacy features in Internet Explorer 8
Information panel
In my opinion, Internet Explorer 8 asks for your permission more often than other browsers to continue working, and the information panel often plays the first fiddle here. It can't protect you from threats, but it can alert you to potentially dangerous activities. It is mostly used for security-related notifications and alerts. For example, when a pop-up window is blocked (and it is enabled by default), a corresponding message appears in the panel. In addition, the panel must be used to allow the browser to do something, and if it is potentially dangerous, then permission will have to be given twice.
Figure 2 - Two permissions are required to run dangerous scripts - in the information panel and in the dialog box
The information bar is a typical example of a "Yes" button, where the final decision is yours. Additional information you will find on the Internet Explorer 8 Information Panel: Questions and Answers page, and I will return to the question about ActiveX technology, the request for installing an element of which is shown in Figure 2.
Address bar
Starting with Internet Explorer 8, the browser's address bar, in addition to its direct purpose, is used to search the history of visited pages, bookmarks and the Internet. In addition, its information content has noticeably improved, and to a large extent these changes were dictated by security considerations.
Figure 3 - The Internet Explorer 8 address bar tells you that this site can be trusted
In the context of security, three points are noteworthy:
- Domain name allocation. Domain name are highlighted in bold, and the rest of the address is dimmed - this helps to clearly identify which site you are on. When visiting sites that use certificates with additional confirmation (EV SSL), the protocol used to make the connection is also highlighted. Figure 3 clearly shows that the HTTPS protocol is used.
- Address bar color. When visiting sites that use a secure connection (SSL), the color of the address bar changes depending on the site's certificate:
- white - the certificate has passed the usual verification;
- yellow - the certificate could not be verified;
- green - the certificate has passed extended verification, and the certification authority confirms the authenticity and reliability of the site;
- red - the certificate is invalid or contains an error, or its validity period has expired, i.e. using the site is unsafe, let alone paying by bank card You definitely need to abstain.
- Site identification information. Along with the padlock, the address bar displays the name of the organization that owns the site and its geographic location. This information is also extracted from the certificate and details can be found by clicking on the padlock.
The address bar provides you with information about the reliability of the site, thereby passively counteracting fraud. However, Internet Explorer 8 also has a very active means of combating this threat - the SmartScreen filter.
SmartScreen Filter
Internet Explorer 8's SmartScreen Filter is designed to protect you from malware and phishing scams. This English word, apparently, will enter the Russian language, since the Russian equivalent (fishing) sounds a little strange. But it quite accurately reflects the essence of a phishing attack - to extract personal or financial information from you. It's very simple - you receive a letter from your bank (for example, asking you to change your password or read an important message), follow the link and enter your credentials. If you do not use Internet banking, imagine that a friend on ICQ offers to download useful program, the essence does not change. Everything is formatted in such a way that the sender of the letter or link does not arouse suspicion, i.e. You may not even realize that the site is fake, thereby transferring the data to the attackers yourself, or simply by launching a malicious program.
Arsenal
SmartScreen Filter counters scammers and malware in two ways. Firstly, it uses a list of phishing sites and compares the addresses you visit with it. On its server, Microsoft maintains a constantly updated list of unreliable sites. When you follow a link, SmartScreen checks for its presence in the database and, if it detects a danger, notifies you about it. Since phishing sites breed like rabbits, it is simply impossible to blacklist them in a timely manner. However, many of them use similar methods, so SmartScreen has its own system for analyzing sites for phishing. The filter does not necessarily block the entire site; a section, a separate page, or a specific file may be considered unsafe.
Figure 4 - Having seen a SmartScreen filter warning about a dangerous site, people refuse to visit it in 98 cases out of 100
The second feature of the SmartScreen filter is blocking malware downloads using the human factor (socially engineered malware). In addition to analyzing the addresses of the sites you visit, the filter tracks the programs you download. By according to Microsoft, on average, for every 250 file downloads on the Internet, one is a malware masquerading as something else. Moreover, they are often distributed through completely respectable sites, for example, social networks. When your friend sends you a link to a funny video, you have no reason not to trust him. But it is possible that he himself has already become a victim of scammers, and the message was sent without his knowledge.
If the downloaded file is in the “black list” of the SmartScreen filter, its download will be suspended, and such files will be filtered Internet browser Explorer 8 discovers 3 million per day!
Figure 5 - SmartScreen filter warns that it is unsafe to download a file
Surprisingly, 18% of the time, people ignore SmartScreen's warning about a risky file download. Commenting on their response in a security report for the second half of 2009, Microsoft experts suggest that the reason for such different reactions to filter warnings may be the different difficulty of overcoming it. When you go to a site, you first need to view its details and make two clicks, and to continue downloading a file, you only need one. I think there is also a psychological factor here, because... When a person deliberately downloads a file, a person believes that he needs it, and warning dialog boxes have become so commonplace that they are brushed aside like flies. But it’s unknown what awaits on the site, so it’s better not to go, especially since the warning is very impressive.
Efficiency
Fraudsters very actively use the human factor to push Trojans and spyware onto the computers of unprepared users, so additional protection won't hurt. Microsoft's efforts to protect itself from malware are paying off, putting the company ahead of the browser arms race. Independent research shows that Internet Explorer 8 is better than other browsers at preventing downloads of malware that exploit human weaknesses. Thus, according to tests by NSS Labs (an independent laboratory specializing in computer security), Internet Explorer 8 on average blocks a higher percentage of malware than other browsers.
Figure 6 - The SmartScreen filter in IE8 effectively prevents the downloading of malicious programs that are spread fraudulently
In addition to the strong lead of Internet Explorer 8, the lag of Google Chrome is striking. It is surprising because Firefox, Safari and Chrome use a common approach to combat scammers - Safe Browsing API developed by Google. NSS Labs analysts explain this by the fact that Chrome updates its “blacklist” more slowly than its competitors.
Settings
Because all visited addresses must be sent to a Microsoft server, to protect your privacy, the filter is not enabled by default. It is suggested to activate it when you first start Internet Explorer 8, and subsequently you can always enable it from the “Security” menu in the browser panel.
Figure 7 - You can enable the SmartScreen filter on a permanent basis, or check individual sites
Of course, the filter is not a replacement for an antivirus, but it perfectly complements it, since it is the first line of defense against malware when you go online.
For more information, please visit this page: SmartScreen Filter Questions and Answers.
Protected Mode
Starting with Internet Explorer 7, the Microsoft browser introduced Protected Mode, which is available in Windows Vista and subsequent operating systems and is very important for ensuring security while surfing the web. You only need to take one look at the browser window to see what mode Internet Explorer is running in (and in Windows Vista and Windows 7, you can also determine whether User Account Control is enabled).
Figure 8 - The browser status bar informs you about the status of protected mode
The essence of the protection comes down to the fact that Internet Explorer works with significantly limited rights. In this case, browsing occurs as usual, but the ability to change system data and hidden installation programs. Protected Mode doesn't prevent viruses and spyware from entering your browser, but it does greatly reduce the damage they can cause.
Windows Vista and Windows 7 have an integrity level mechanism for files and registry keys, and by default they are all set to a medium level. In Protected Mode, Internet Explorer runs with a low integrity level, so the browser and processes running from it are unable to modify existing registry settings and files. If it is necessary to make such changes, redirection occurs to specially designated registry sections and folders. For example, temporary files are written to the %userprofile%\appdata\LocalLow folder. This way, the malware cannot penetrate system folders or change your profile settings in the registry, thereby losing its destructive functions.
In addition to integrity levels, User Account Control is also used to ensure protected mode. If your protected mode is turned off, and trying to turn it on by double-clicking in the status bar was unsuccessful, there may be three reasons:
- User Account Control (UAC) disabled. Without User Account Control, some features of Protected Mode do not work, so you cannot use it. This mode is not available in IE7 or IE8 installed on Windows XP, which does not have User Account Control.
- Internet Explorer is running with administrator rights. Even with UAC enabled, you can run the browser as an administrator, for example, from context menu programs - in this case, Internet Explorer runs with full rights, which does not allow for protected mode.
- Local web page opened. A page saved to disk is considered safe, but if it is loaded from the Internet zone, protected mode will be enabled.
As you can see, protected mode is inextricably linked with full administrator rights and user account control, which we will talk about in more detail in one of the following articles. A detailed analysis of the technically complex concept of protected mode is beyond the scope of the article, but if you wish, you can familiarize yourself with it:
- MSDN - Understanding and working in Internet Explorer protected mode (English)
- IE Developers Blog - Protected Mode in Vista IE7 (English)
InPrivate mode
InPrivate is another Internet Explorer 8 mode, but unlike Protected Mode, you have to switch to it yourself when needed. If this is not your first day on the Internet, then you probably have quite a few accounts on social networks, forums, postal services and other useful web services. By accessing the Internet from a computer other than your own, you most likely do not give up using them. At the same time, there is a possibility of leaving your username and password on someone else’s computer, which, of course, is not part of your plans. Even friends or family members don't need to read your email, let alone an employer or a complete stranger. This problem can be avoided if you use InPrivate mode in Internet Explorer 8, which does not save:
- passwords and new cookies;
- data entered into the address bar and search field
- history of visits to pages in the magazine
- data entered into web page forms.
Thus, if in InPrivate mode you logged into a forum or went to check your email, then when you finish work, you can simply close the browser window, and the next time you visit these sites you will need to enter your passwords again.
Figure 9 - InPrivate mode works in a separate Internet Explorer browser window
There are several ways to switch to InPrivate mode:
- On the browser panel, click the “Security” button and click on the “InPrivate Browsing” menu;
- open new tab and click “View in InPrivate mode”;
- In Windows 7, right-click on the IE icon in the taskbar and select a mode from the jump list.
Finally, you can enter about:inprivate to the address bar, as shown in Figure 9. Surprisingly, with such a variety of ways to launch InPrivate mode, it is neglected not only by home users, but also by professionals. So, at the Platform 2010 conference, where computers were installed for public use, my colleague sat down at the computer and saw that the previous user had not logged out of the web service, thereby opening access to his personal data to everyone. If he had used InPrivate mode, this problem simply would not have arisen.
For more information, visit this page: InPrivate Viewer Frequently Asked Questions.
“Yes, I still use a different browser...”
...many will say after scrolling through the article to this point. I'm not at all going to take on the tasks of Microsoft marketers and encourage you to switch to Internet Explorer (one of the pictures below makes it easy to guess which browser I use by default). I just want to convey to you that using a different browser alone does not make surfing the Internet safer. To do this, you need to be able to use the security capabilities of your browser and keep not only it, but also all add-ons up to date.
All browsers and add-ons need to be updated
Figure 11 - Vulnerabilities in browser add-ons for 2008 and 2009 (Symantec data)
With ActiveX, everything is so sad that three vulnerabilities were discovered in the iDefense COMRaider program, which is used by specialists to... identify ActiveX vulnerabilities! Therefore, I recommend that you avoid installing add-ons that use this technology if possible. As for the rest of the regulars on the list of problematic add-ons, you need to not only know them, but also update them on demand. This is Adobe Reader and Flash Player, Java Platform and Apple QuickTime.
However, let's return to browsers - after all, developers are constantly improving the protective functions of their brainchildren, which at the same time become similar to each other.
Gemini brothers
Indeed, the capabilities that I described above using Internet Explorer as an example are also available in other browsers. For example, the address bar, in addition to its direct purpose, serves not only to search the history of visited pages, bookmarks and the Internet, but also to provide information about the reliability of the site and the security of the connection with it.
Figure 12 - Information about the site you are visiting in the address bar of the Firefox browser
Compare this picture with Figure 3, which shows Internet Explorer 8 - it looks similar, doesn't it? And this is not the only similarity between browsers in terms of security and privacy.
Firefox, Chrome, Opera and Safari have analogues of the InPrivate mode (in the latter, by the way, this mode appeared first of all). Privacy browsing capabilities in browsers may be called by different names and differ from each other, but they always strive for a common denominator. Thus, in the “Incognito” mode of Chrome 5 Beta, it became possible, as in IE8, to enable add-ons that were completely blocked in previous versions.
Figure 13 - Privacy mode in Opera browser can be opened with a keyboard shortcut
The Opera browser also has anti-phishing protection that checks the addresses of sites you visit with lists of fraudulent and malicious resources from three sources. Keyboard shortcut
As stated above, Safari browsers, Chrome and Firefox use a common approach (Safe Browsing API) to combat phishing and malware that exploit human error. However, judging by the tests, uniformity of approach does not mean equal effectiveness.
Figure 14 - This message Firefox browser warns about a fraudulent site
You can also draw a parallel between Chrome's sandbox and secure Internet mode Explorer 8. To make browser tabs independent of each other, Chrome developers are not reinventing the wheel, but using the model Windows security, delimiting the rights of processes. Due to this, Chrome also improves stability, since a freeze or error in one tab does not affect the others. However, the same can be said about Internet Explorer 8, only it is implemented differently and is called differently - LCIE.
Browser developers work hard to ensure that users always have the latest version of the program. Internet Explorer, of course, uses Windows Update, and with the recommended settings, the system simply notifies you that updates have already been installed. Everyone else modern browsers also have the opportunity automatic update, i.e. they no longer just report a new version, but immediately download it and offer to install it.
Figure 15 - The Opera 10 update has already been downloaded, all that remains is to install it
Of course, each browser also has “proprietary” security features. Moreover, much attention is paid to additions from third-party developers, the vulnerabilities of which I have already mentioned above. For example, Google and Adobe have agreed to integrate Flash Player into Chrome browser. Now, when users download a new version of the browser, they immediately get the latest version of Flash Player. And for Firefox, there is a list of problematic add-ons that are suggested to be disabled after updating the browser. Here they kill two birds with one stone - job instability and insufficient security.
Google and Microsoft are not limited to browsers in the fight against fraudulent sites, but also use the power of their search engines, which, by the way, benefits other browsers. Search services Google and Bing mark unreliable sites in the results, and when you go to them, they display a warning.
Figure 17 - Google and Bing prevent referrals to fraudulent sites from search results
To do this, Google uses the services of the StopBadware.org service, and Microsoft uses its own methods. According to the company, 0.3% of pages in the Bing index are compromised, while the site owner may not be aware that attackers are using a vulnerability in its engine as a platform for fraud. Imagine that the engine of a website, blog or forum has not been updated for a long time, and someone has used a known vulnerability to secretly redirect visitors to another site or execute malicious code. Blocking a site in the search engine sharply reduces the flow of visitors, which serves as a signal of a problem for the webmaster (if it has occurred with your site, see or).
The topic of Internet security is so vast that, without even going into technical details, I was able to touch on only a small part of the issues related to Internet Explorer and other browsers in this article. In conclusion, I will try to answer the question posed in the title of the article.
Conclusion
So is it safe to use Internet Explorer? I believe that surfing the Internet with it is no worse than with another browser. But you need to follow simple Microsoft recommendations:
It doesn't take any effort on your part to follow these simple tips that the developers of Internet Explorer and Windows included. standard settings browser and operating system. Internet Explorer 8 ships with Windows 7, which has fully automated update installation and UAC enabled. All described above Internet capabilities Explorer 8 works by default, and you only have to enable the SmartScreen filter yourself.
(English)
The average lifespan of a computer is 3-5 years. Sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on how often it was used.
Taking into account the speed at which new versions of operating systems appear and basic programs, a computer becomes “morally” obsolete in two to three years. At the same time, hardware becomes obsolete - hard drive, motherboard, video cards and other things.
If desired and financially possible, a computer - a desktop or a laptop - can be updated until the new parts no longer fit into the case or new programs are beyond the capabilities of the old hardware. Typically, few users reach this stage of their relationship with an old computer.
Therefore, if a computer was purchased in 2014-2015, then it is already outdated. You may have already noticed signs of obsolescence: slow work, overheating, problems with the latest versions of programs.
When a computer becomes obsolete, a twofold situation arises: on the one hand, it becomes vulnerable to one type of virus, but at the same time less vulnerable to another type of virus. How does this happen?
The problem is that viruses, even those belonging to the same class, work with different elements of the operating system. Or they are written to work according to algorithms: this is how thieving viruses work, stealing data or money. Keyloggers and fake websites work using the same scheme.
An ordinary virus, when it gets onto a computer, first of all collects data about all its components. What OS version, what technical specifications at the computer. Based on this, the virus finds in file system the type of information it was created to destroy. Any change in the OS architecture may mean that viruses will not find the necessary files where they should be.
This can save your computer from infection. But it may happen that the virus has several behavior models: “if there is no file A1 at point A, then go to point B and look for file B1 there” or a cascade search the desired file. In this case, the risk of infection remains the same. Due to the slow performance of the computer after several years of use, symptoms such as overload RAM or CPU, long page loading times, program launches, or unexpected crashes " blue screen death" may go unnoticed.
There is another security issue: the Internet. If the old PC is used only for work without an Internet connection, then the risks will be faced malware minimal. We remember that an old computer is a device released in 2014-2015. Many of this generation of PCs are now actively used for all types of activities: work, study, leisure, entertainment. Of course, with Internet access.
Several types of viruses operate through the browser. These are the already mentioned keyloggers, fake sites, fraudulent extensions, scripts that illegally use computer power, ordinary viruses, decryptors, and phishing programs. Browsers have built-in protection against malware, however, it is not updated as often as full-fledged antiviruses. Therefore, the browser does not identify some types and types of viruses as dangerous for the computer.
There is also no guarantee that the new version of the browser will work on older operating systems and hardware without vulnerabilities. In this case, hackers and scammers will not need any effort to gain access to the device and all the information stored on it.
There are often cases when a virus, having entered a computer, cannot start due to limited system resources. After cleaning the system from unnecessary files or updating the hardware, this situation may change, although not in favor of the PC owner.
The main problem when a very old computer is infected with a virus is that the destruction of the system will occur much faster and the consequences will be more difficult to eliminate, if at all possible. This is due to the fact that older operating systems are made simpler and have much fewer support files. Such systems cannot function even if a small number are affected. important files. In outdated computers, viruses may not have time to cause irreparable harm in a short time, but such a risk exists and it is higher than for the latest generation systems.
What should owners of “old” computers do? The easiest and most enjoyable way is to buy a new computer. And repeat this financially stressful purchase every two years. Unfortunately, latest versions OSes are often released with vulnerabilities and bugs that do not make computers more secure.
You can try to give up the Internet as an experiment or if your life has nothing to do with it. Just start using mobile devices: smartphones or tablets - they become outdated even faster and will have to be replaced more often.
Another way to protect yourself is to update software computer - operating system, drivers, BIOS. This will eliminate old vulnerabilities, but may create new ones that even the developers themselves may not be aware of.
Modern antiviruses are rarely written from scratch - it’s easier to take the old architecture and rewrite or expand it. But running an antivirus on old computers will require more resources than on a new one.
Therefore, searching for viruses and neutralizing them will take more time. Some users disable or remove antiviruses from old computers, arguing that viruses cannot harm Windows XP and other operating systems.
If you bought a computer in 2014-2015, then most likely you have Windows 8.1 or Windows 10. For these systems the best antivirus According to Roskachestvo, it is Bitdefender. The program will allow you to customize the antivirus to your own preferences and requirements, after which you can safely work on your old favorite computer without fear of being defenseless against malware. This antivirus also works with Windows 7 and 8.
Unfortunately, the antivirus does not work with earlier versions of the OS. If possible, it is recommended to update operating system or reinstall it - this will allow you to install latest versions programs and remove the risk of unpatched vulnerabilities in the system. If updating is not possible, you can install an antivirus that can run on old version OS.
