CAPTCHA Cracked

Huffington Post: Coders Say They Taught A Computer To Crack CAPTCHA

"CAPTCHAs serve that function: in order to sign up for free email, post comments, buy tickets or other online activities, more than 100,000 websites require users to prove they are human by deciphering the squiggly letters, which are often blurred, smeared and cluttered with dots and lines."

These guys say they aren't going to sell it nor provide the code to spammers. The thing is, if they can do it. So can someone else given the right kind of financial incentive by spammers who would love nothing more then to get a hold of it. When it comes down to computer software and security it is not a matter of 'if' but 'when' the latest software can be broken into.

Speaking About Computer Security..
I can think of no way better to protect yourself then to buy the best virus protection program you can. It may not eliminate all the threats, but one thing is for sure. Anyone who isn't using one is going to get whacked.

Spam is an annoyance, but viral malware is a entire beast altogether. It can not only cripple a computer, but also steal passwords for every account someone owns. Accounts that many now use online for their 401k, insurances, IRS filings, car renewals, social networking, purchasing, credit card payments, Social Security, unemployment, disability and 100's of others that most people rarely think about.

I myself recommend Symantec's Norton Antivirus Products. I've used this for over 15 years and can honestly state that I've never, ever once became infected. Not ever!

I know, there's been ongoing arguments over which is the fastest. Which uses the least memory. Which is the most effective, etc.

The arguments, for and against in a number of cases, are posted by the very software companies themselves trying to push their own products.



There are strong arguments against this, but I don't do updates from Microsoft. Nor individual apps if it's possible to avoid them. So far it has worked out for me.

Prior to re-installing Windows 7 two years ago I would do all the updates and patches. I noticed programs started to slow down and opening them took longer and longer. My memory usage was increasing. Since I've reinstalled Windows 7 all my apps, memory usage and operating system works like the day I did a clean install of them. Whether this is the right thing to do or not is a matter of one using their own judgment. I'm just telling you what has worked for me.

I'm also of the opinion many of these software manufacturers are using your permission to update for gathering information rather then providing an improved design. In a couple of instances after I updated the 'freeware' became 'feeware' that could no longer be used for free.

Whatever you decide is your call, but above all else... INSTALL VIRUS PROTECTION.. no matter what!

Anything short of that and someone might as well leave their wallet laying out in the street and the doors unlocked.