“Engineers at Hewlett-Packard are working on ‘virus-throttling’ software that they say could slow the spread of Internet-borne viruses and worms. Researchers for the Palo Alto, Calif.-based computer giant said Tuesday that the new software wouldn’t destroy threats such as the ‘Blaster’ worm, which crippled more than a million computers last summer,” Rachel Konrad reports for The Associated Press.
“But the software – tentatively named Virus Throttler – would blunt the sting of viruses by identifying and alerting technicians to suspicious behavior, HP says. If the patented software suspects that a computer has become infected with a so-called ‘self-propagating’ worm, it severely limits some of the computer’s functions,” Konrad reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: What a waste of time being shackled to Windows must be! HP would be better off working to convince Steve Jobs to allow them to sell the “Apple Mac by HP,” then they could stop wasting their time vainly trying to make Windows suck less and start making personal computers that help people be more productive worldwide.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Is Mac OS X really inherently more secure than Windows? – August 26, 2003
BusinessWeek’s Haddad gets it wrong; thinks low market share spares Macs from viruses – August 28, 2003
Shattering the Mac OS X ‘security through obscurity’ myth – August 28, 2003
Fortune columnist: ‘get a Mac’ to thwart viruses; right answer for the wrong reasons – September 02, 2003
Wall Street Journal’s Mossberg on making the switch from Windows to Mac – September 18, 2003
New York Times: Mac OS X ‘much more secure than Windows XP’ – September 18, 2003
Columnist tries the ‘security through obscurity’ myth to defend Windows vs. Macs on virus front – October 1, 2003
Gates: Windows ‘by far the most secure’ system; tries to use ‘Mac OS X secure through obscurity’ myth – January 27, 2004
Mac OS X has no viruses; what’s wrong with Windows? – February 11, 2004
SmartMoney: Long-suffering Windows users can only dare to dream of Mac’s ease-of-use – February 12, 2004
Spyware, adware plague Windows users online; Mac OS X users surf freely – April 19, 2004
Gartner: Worms jack up the total cost of Microsoft Windows – May 07, 2004
Windows ‘Scob’ virus designed to steal financial data, passwords; Macintosh unaffected – June 26, 2004
Tired of patching patches to patch Windows patches? Writer suggests getting a Mac – August 03, 2004
Mossberg: Dump your Windows machine and get an Apple Macintosh to free yourself of spyware – August 25, 2004
Millions of Windows PC’s hijacked by hackers, turned into zombies; Macintosh unaffected – September 08, 2004
Security is top priority in Apple’s Mac OS X – September 12, 2004
Windows XP worm speaks to users as it deletes their files; Macintosh unaffected – September 13, 2004
University of Chicago recommends all students patch Windows at least once a day – September 14, 2004
USA Today columinst angry about Windows viruses, adware, spyware – September 15, 2004
Windows besieged by hackers; number of Windows viruses soars by more than 400% – September 20, 2004
USA Today: people are switching from Windows to Mac because of security issues – September 21, 2004
Mossberg: Apple iMac G5 ‘powerful, affordable, virus-free with better, more modern OS than Windows XP’ – September 23, 2004
Information Security Investigator says switch from Windows to Mac OS X for security – September 24, 2004
Cyber-security adviser uses Apple Macintosh to avoid Windows’ security woes – September 27, 2004
Even Bill Gates can’t avoid Windows malware; Mac users surf the Web freely – October 03, 2004
Windows desktop monopoly threatened by secure, safe Apple Mac OS X – October 04, 2004
Windows users’ security woes spark interest in Apple’s secure Mac OS X – October 06, 2004
Microsoft: The safest way to run Windows is on your Mac – October 08, 2004
Windows users line up to pay for spyware removal; Mac users surf Web with impunity – October 18, 2004
Ballmer blames Windows users for not upgrading systems as Microsoft’s biggest security problem – October 22, 2004
Spyware plagues Windows users while Mac users surf Net with impunity – November 01, 2004
Sick of spyware, adware infecting your PC? Don’t fret, just get a Mac – November 01, 2004
Security test: Windows XP system easily compromised while Apple’s Mac OS X stands safe and secure – November 30, 2004
I love the smell of MDN Takes in the morning.
lol…. kinda cynical, huh ??
But, writing this kind of software seems to be a waste of time… because the virus-writers will eventually find a way around it, too !!
“If the patented software suspects that a computer has become infected with a so-called ‘self-propagating’ worm, it severely limits some of the computer’s functions,” Konrad reports.
Great … so if the virus doesn’t severly limit the computer’s functions then the software will for you!! Fantastic … Just get a Mac
“severely limits the computer’s functions”
Oh, so it installs the latest version of Windows on itself?!?!?!
HMMMMMM Mac by hp………..headless, dual monitor capable, g5, under $1000, ……….naw you couldn’t sell those………………..
no way.. pffft.. this really bugs me.. apple refuses to license its software, especially with the DRM thing and definitely with it’s operating system..
so why on earth would you even say that!? Jobs cut the clones program and he’s not gonna start licensing Mac OS anytime soon..
If you want to sell to PC users you gotta think like a PC user, right Joe?
C’mon, Joe, we all know they’d sell one.
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Seems to me HP is struggling to find solutions to the Windows problems. They should consider reselling Macs for the consumer channel and just keep PCs for their business desktops.
HP couldn’t program their way out of a cardboard box.
Sure I like them for supporting iTunes and iPod’s, but really they do suck in this area.
HP is doing this because viruses have hurt their sales. Dell is doing the same thing.
It’s to scare Microsoft into fixing their stuff or they might just develop their own OS.
But the problem is like closing the doors after the horses already left the barn.
Isn’t it Microsoft’s job to be doing this?
I love it�mutiple OS for the PC. May they multiply and spread (like virii
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Well, back to work�with my Mac, of course!
“HMMMMMM Mac by hp………..headless, dual monitor capable, g5, under $1000, ……….”
You left out…ugly blue and gray plastic box, lousy integrated graphics with shared memory, etc. Nah, only a cheap skate would want that ugly assed thing. I’ll take a real Apple Power Mac G5 any day…
“HP is doing this because viruses have hurt their sales. Dell is doing the same thing.”
When a windows computer becomes infected with viruses and spy bots it becomes slow and unresponsive. Time to go out and buy a new, faster windows computer.
This happens more often that you think. The number probably exceeds the number of Mac’s sold. This is not hurting sales, they are making a fortune off this!
The all new L’Oreal iMac G5! Because you’re worth it!
HP and Dell are doing it because Microsoft won’t, or more probably can’t.
Hmm…
i smell an apple + hp merger…someday.
Yesterday at out work here the new DellNo server w/raid went KAPUT! The emac that I am currently typing on and connected to the LAN for DSL and printer sharing worked perfectly. After much tech support with Dell’s 24/7 India dumpoff and since the email and internet wasn’t working on the WinSin machines, the Dell support guy finally told our IT person that he would email the url for the software patch to the emac, because it was the only computer working(gloat, gloat). So I downloaded the email and clicked the url and downloaded the patch from Safari(gloat, gloat) and dumped the .exe file to his little USB flash drive. Turns out, after mucho timeo spento, that it was not a software issue like the Dell India guy said, but it was a hardware raid controller that had to be replaced.
Anyhow, it was funny that the Dell India tech support guy suggested using “the little eMac that could” to help with the situation(more gloating).
DaddySteve.. You’re damn right it’s MS’s job…
How is this a threat to MS.. pffft.. doing work FOR them?
By the way.. someone send me info on Dell’s software efforts.. I need a good laugh..
Why waste time scooping up Microsofts droppings?
Carly Florina should go talk to the guy whos CEO of Apple…whats his name?…runs that little film company on the side…..
Actually, “NoCrackForYou”, unless HP is barely a wisp of a mere shadow of their former selves this statement is incorrect:
“HP couldn’t program their way out of a cardboard box.”
Despite the dopey female CEO, I believe they still have some great programming minds, only what is lacking is management with vision!
I suppose you couldn’t have a more friendly username than NoCrackForYou? Reality is the real drug!
“suck less” i love it!
“severely limits the computer’s functions”
Yeah, kind of like the connect to server applet in OS X. Id say that while its Open it severely deminishes the functionality of my Mac…
HP couldn’t program their way out of a cardboard box.
Sure I like them for supporting iTunes and iPod’s, but really they do suck in this area.
HP is doing this because viruses have hurt their sales. Dell is doing the same thing.
It’s to scare Microsoft into fixing their stuff or they might just develop their own OS.
But the problem is like closing the doors after the horses already left the barn.
First of all the only thing that HP / Compaq do well is servers and Unix. HP’s PC’s Suck balls, Thats why their sales are in the tank, not viruses…
Secondly, knowone is going to “Scare” MS into “Fixing” anything. The fact is they will be building VP into Longhorn. By Design, it will be a hell of alot more secure than anything other Windows OS released.
Think yourself out of your paper bag dude…