ARE YOU NUTS?

Since you have arrived at this page, I must conclude that one of the following is true: Assuming that it's one of the first two, let's have a discussion about security (or the lack thereof) for the world wide web.

The truth of the matter is that all of the attacks that were described on the previous page are possible to carry out, and will succeed with varying probabilities depending on the configuration of the machine. In order to put your mind at ease, there are no viruses or attacks carried out from web pages on this machine (that I know of!). All of the links on the previous page lead here.

The world wide web carries quite a bit of risk with it for both servers and clients. The reasons for this are too complex to discuss in detail here, but can be summarized as follows:

It's a dangerous world that we live in, and you should be careful about what you do. Practice safe computing and communicating.

Here are some guidelines about how to safely use a browser:

If you are configuring a server, there are some additional cautions: This may serve to scare you into not using the internet at all. If it does, then you can always go back to using paper (but check your mail to make sure it is not ticking before you open it). I'll be out there using the Internet because I think there are overwhelming benefits from widespread dissemination of information. Remember the following quote:
Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. -- Hellen Keller

It has been brought to my attention that there are many similarities between this page and the one of Cheswick. Return to the previous page.
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