The Laws Are
Law 1: If a bad guy can persuade you to run his program on your computer, it’s not your computer anymore
Law 2: If a bad guy can alter the operating system on your computer, it’s not your computer anymore
Law 3: If a bad guy has unrestricted physical access to your computer, it’s not your computer anymore
Law 4: If you allow a bad guy to upload programs to your website, it’s not your website any more
Law 5: Weak passwords trump strong security
Law 6: A computer is only as secure as the administrator is trustworthy
Law 7: Encrypted data is only as secure as the decryption key
Law 8: An out of date virus scanner is only marginally better than no virus scanner at all
Law 9: Absolute anonymity isn’t practical, in real life or on the Web
Law 10: Technology is not a panacea ( The Greek goddess of Healing)
Don’t hold your breath waiting for a patch that will protect you from the issues discussed above. It isn’t possible for Microsoft—or any software vendor—to “fix” them, because they result from the way computers work. But don’t abandon all hope yet—sound judgment is the key to protecting yourself against these issues, and if you keep them in mind, you can significantly improve the security of your systems.
