Linux is technically and theoretically not totally immune, but with intelligent computing it is as close as it gets. One reason is that it is an open source operating system. There are a million nerds out there poring over every line of code and looking for exploits, and though very very few are found and they generally are pretty harmless or can't leverage a reasonably well used linux computer, the same guy or others can write a patch and upload it to the project, and it is included, or modified and included, or dismissed by very smart guys interested in protecting the integrity of the OS. Black hat hackers can't really get away with much because they are quickly found out. The Linux operating system in most flavors by default does not set up a root account, and to really leverage the system, a hacker has to achieve root access. The user does what he has to do with the sudo command which opens things up temporarily to get the job done and then closes. WinDOHs believes in security through obscurity. Mac, too, though Mac's Unix heritage and miserly user privileges actually makes it fairly robust and very secure, for a closed source operating system.
So all in all, if you want security, switch to a respected flavor of Linux. It is free, and most software you would install is also free, and open source. Popular apps are not going to contain any bad payloads if you install from a proper repository or download the source code from a trusted source and compile it yourself.
Don't want to abandon the closed source world? Your loss. But intelligent computing will still make you much less vulnerable, even if you don't switch to a more secure OS. With a WinDOHs system, a good security package is absolutely essential. It is too full of holes that take too long to get patched, and it is a big fat target. You need another layer of protection. Even WinDOHs Defender is better than nothing, and is free, and is fairly effective. A good two way firewall is also important, and the knowledge to properly configure it. For just email and googling stuff and idle web surfing, things aren't quite as critical, but when you are managing your brokerage account on the computer, THAT'S YOUR MONEY you are risking.
Software from unknown or untrustworthy sources should NEVER be installed or even downloaded to your trading computer!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's not worth it! As you have discovered.
I don't know how they are now, but before I totally abandoned WinDOHs, I was using Zone Alarm for a firewall. A PITA to configure but it controlled traffic both in and out. This is important. A hardware firewall is good, too. All that is, is another computer between your internet connection and the rest of your home network.
Consider using your trading computer for ONLY trading. No games, no email, no nothing. Be careful what you click on. One of WinDOH's most glaring faults in recent editions is by default it hides the filename extension of known file types. CHANGE THAT. Disable your paging file, too. As for the file type, often you will be presented with a file that maybe says something like "hot chick and a randy donkey - MUST SEE.avi.com or something like that and you see that it is an avi but it is not an avi at all. The com or bat or exe filename extension is hidden and when you click, you are running a script or program that you don't know about. The paging file is sort of like the swap file in a Linux or Unix system. You can shut something down or delete something and it could still be in your paging file. Don't hard code passwords or keys into scripts. Keep them on a USB thumb drive or manually type them in. Encrypt your hard drive, if you can do that in WinDOHs. Store your actual decryption key elsewhere so you can recover your drive's data if your computer fails or the HD itself fails.
Security is no joke. Honestly I am waiting for the shoe to drop, and suddenly 10k WinDOHs users all cry out a collective "DOH!" when they find that their account has been cleaned out. It is a ticking time bomb. There is a HUGE back door into the system including the kernel. Supposedly it is only open to Microsoft. They are a hyper-user that can change ANYTHING on your computer without asking you or even informing you. It is right there in the EULA. So far I don't think anyone outside the evil empire has managed to exploit that, but you better believe there are plenty of black hats working hard on it. And you will scream and cry and nobody will do anything to help you and basically nobody will care. Totally opposite the sentiment in the Linux community. Just sayin.
