Rise of zombie PCs ‘threatens UK’

Some time ago, I posted a http://jonathanmurray.com/greymatter/archives/00000368.htm little missive to the world on the topic of zombie PCs. Now the BBC reports that a large portion of these hijacked computers are resident in the UK – but somehow concludes that they’re a threat to the UK, blithely ignoring the fact that the internet is worldwide, and an army of zombies can do their evil anywhere they can reach, not just in the country they’re physically located.

The bottom line remains: You are responsible for your own PC. If you can’t figure out how to install a firewall, run a virus scanner, and take the most basic of security precautions, then you have no business owning or operating a PC on the public internet.

The UK leads the world in home computers that have been hijacked by malicious hackers, warns a report.

Research by security firm Symantec shows that 25% of the world’s remotely controlled PCs are found in Britain.

The compromised computers are being used to send spam, launch attacks on websites and steal identities.