Brian Krebs is a well-known computer security expert who often writes about security issues in his excellent online column. He recently wrote about a CD-ROM being sent to various U.S. state and local government agencies. The CD reportedly contains several very vicious viruses and other malware (malevolent software) products. The CDs aere sent by old-fashioned snail mail from a return address in China.
If you ever receive a CD-ROM disk from China, read Krebs’ article at http://bit.ly/2Oo36fC before inserting the disk into your computer!
Krebs’ article brings two thoughts to mind:
- Who uses CD-ROM disks these days to send things? This is the day of quick, easy, and low-cost online email with attachments as well as file transfers handled in any number of methods. CDs are so 1990s! If I ever receive a CD in the mail, I will be very, very suspicious. I don’t think I would ever insert it into one of my computers, even if I did have a CD-ROM drive.
- Who still has a computer with a CD-ROM drive? The desktop system I am using at this moment, my two laptop computers, and my tablet computer all do not have CD-ROM disk drives. If anyone sends me a CD, I cannot read it simply because i don’t have the hardware!
Full disclosure:
OK, I admit I do have an older computer in the basement that has a CD-ROM drive but it hasn’t been connected and powered on for 2 or 3 years. I am not sure if it still works. I simply haven’t had a need for it in a long time.
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Categories: Viruses & Malware
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I use CDs all the time. My husband uses them daily as part of a language course. I play music on them often. A lot of my favourite and most used software is on CDs. I just bought a new laptop and will get an external CD drive for it.
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I’m with you, Ducklady. I use my external CD ROM drive to digitize music from CDs I buy at thrift stores. It’s the least expensive way I have found to buy music!
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