Sickening

I remember the first time I heard about a computer virus. I thought it was cool. Thinking about how awesome messing with someone else's computer would be. Then watching Independence Day where a computer virus saved the world. Cool.

But when reality sinks in and you begin to realise how essential computers are, you have to admit that virueses are pretty messed up. Sure, it's cool to irritate someone for a minute or two, but what if it happens to you? What if some malicious, file-eating worm digs its way through your firewalls and embeds itself deep in the bowels of your system, emerging to feast on a random 27 page document or critical system file? Or just simply decides to go "del *.*" on Friday the 13th?

So yeah, viruses are sick, making computers unwell. But what is worse is the fact that there are so many people who seem proud to propogate such acts. Trojans and hackers seem to be glorified in the movies...






... but no one is really truly happy about the existence of these people other than their known associates, are they?

So what do we do?

"Update your system!" "Use an anti-virus" "Be careful" are the often-repeated cries from those around us. But in truth, there is very little we can do, is there? Even the best fall down sometimes, and you only really know you're in trouble when it's too late. Just because Norton or MacAfee gives you a green light, is your system clean? I doubt.

A cycical view? Maybe. But a realistic one, no?