If your computer is connected to a NAT router there is no "backdoor pass" because no services are exposed to the outside.
Therefore any exploits must be done from the inside, i.e. ARP poisoning (re-routing network traffic to another local machine), infected USB drive, bad web sites, infected email attachments or installing cracked software.
Even if Microsoft plugged all the security exploits to the operating system it won't stop malware or virus infections by other means if the user gets careless.
That is why my personal view on Microsoft dropping XP support won't change a single thing and I certainly won't be panic buying Windows 7 because even they get infected.
Richard S.
I tend to agree with you, somewhat, Red.
I have had a Windows 7 64 bit laptop AND desktop I had to repair all in the same day. Both of them were severely infected, & had toolbars/startup items/BHO/malware/viruses/& system hosts file hijackers.
Even though they were using the most up-to-date updates from MS, this does nothing to stop users from running rogue applications. At the end of the day, the most effective forms of prevention still are to alert the people to the dangers of installing toolbars/smileyface applications/clicking facebook scamware ads (you have been infected. please click here to fix the problem, etc)
It takes a combination of firewalls/antivirus/security apps, but they can all still be subverted if the end user doesn't watch what they do.
*Edit -> Most people NOT buying 7, probably are in no rush to do so because of the following reasons:
- 7 Activation problems (annoying to have to keep re-activating stuff you own, as well as being questioned if you do it too many times)
- XP is cheaper & runs just as good as 7, for the most part (why buy newer os, when the old still works great?)
- Some programs do not work well in 7 (yes, some tax/business programs cough in 7, & virtual machining it isn't ideal)
- XP image viewer works with animated GIFS + smooths images when blown up
- XP includes webcam viewer with capability to snap pics from it
- 7 license fees can be steep (why pay again for something that XP does well with?)
Although Windows 7 DOES include many nice features, is faster in some cases, includes 64 bit (XP does too, but 7 64 bit is gonna be supported long after drivers for xp 64 bit are gone), etc...
Also, the fact that Microsoft includes so many versions of each OS, that are trivially different from each other, such as:
- Home (32 + 64 bit editions)
- Business (32 + 64)
- Enterprise (32 + 64)
- Ultimate (32 + 64)
- Etc, etc, etc
Is bound to be very confusion. Coupled with the fact that each of them have very different end user license agreements, which are probably long enough to waste all the ink in your printer if you decide to print out several hundred pages of legalese to review, understand, obey...
It really is no wonder why this situation is. LOL!