Now that MyDoom, Novarg and others have begun to attack servers and break into Windows computers worldwide, « serious » newspapers are full of advice for business users and companies who want to protect their valuable assets…

Since I always find interesting to see what PC users are told to do, I read them carefully and, instead of the basic-but-correct advice I was expecting, I found that many publications had turned their computing pages into annoyingly long advertisements for anti-virus software and third-party firewalls. But apparently, they are not at fault — and are merely following the latest trend.

You think I am exaggerating ? Well, read on !

No operating system is perfect, that’s for sure, and they all have their security issues — even the best, most bullet-proof ones. Therefore, I always advise users, on any platform, to indeed install anti-virus software and to purchase a good firewall. Knowing how to protect oneself is important and using the appropriate tools is the first step…

By the way, if you’re a Mac user, this is what I usually recommend.

However, it seems that the Windows world is now going one step further and is expecting security companies to do most of the work that the OS and applications authors should have done.

Just have a look here : these posters are supposed to give users advice about how to protect themselves against viruses and hackers… The idea is good and they look quite nice…

But could someone tell me what McAfee and Symantec are doing here ? And why on earth are Dell and HP advertising next to them ? If these posters were designed with the user’s security in mind, I would have expected to see the name of some industry-wide alliance or the address of the sites that, every day, list all the issues that are discovered ( on any platform ) and publish security advisories…

But to me, this means « if you want your PC to be safe, install an application from a third-party company ».

I have nothing against Symantec and McAfee — I have used or am using products from both of them. However, the latest events have showed that, even with extensive resources, they cannot repair a faulty operating system and faulty applications. What they can do, however, is add a layer of security, in case the security systems put in place by the original vendor didn’t work as expected.

In the real world, could a doctor tell a patient to keep on swallowing antibiotics to avoid catching something ? If a patient has a serious illness that would require him to do this in the short term, then, he is offered a better, long-term treatment that will actually help solve the issue.

As a Mac user, I am glad to see that Apple provides us with security updates ( when needed ) and information but doesn’t ask security companies to do what it should do. I just hope that more companies could follow the same policy and provide their users with accurate information that would really help them avoid issues.

Until next time, dear Mac users, please enjoy thinking different !