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Safe to play CS online with a fresh XP install without protection?

B

BukkY

Member
My roommate's comp has a fresh XP install and I want to play Counter Strike. No hardware fire wall, and I don't think it's even got SP1, no AV. He won't let mess with it other than to play Games and surf. He won't be home to fix it for hours and I'm bored silly. How risky is it?
 
Viruses, worms, spy-ware, all that scary stuff, no?

It's not connected to the cable modem yet? Will it be risky to connect it and play CS as long as I don't surf the web or do email?
 
how are you going to play counterstrike and surf if it's not connected to the internet?

if it is connected to the net... well then your answer is obvious.

-Sid
 
I can connect it but will it be risky to do so? No router, no sp1 or 2 no AV yet?

I'm writing this from another, much slower comp.
 
Of course it would be risky.

Do you think malware is going to make an exception for you because your roomate isn't going to be home for a while?

-Sid

edit: OK, that was too harsh. But you really should not connect until you get some cover. SP2 as a minimum with pop-ups blocked and firewall on (there are more effective firewalls than SP2, but it is MUCH better than nothing)
 
you dont need a browser open to be victim to attacks. you should have sp2 installed with s slipstreamed copy of xp and possibly a router before plugging in ur modem. virus software helps also.
 
Wow being from the Mac side I didn't realize the risk was that bad. Now if only I could run CS on this 400Mhz PowerBook.
 
Yea roommate's off at work. But he won't trust me to protect his PC. I told him the things you guys are saying because I've heard these things before on Anandtech. He's a noob that thinks he knows everything.

Funny thing is when he gets home he will only install SP1 (from the internet), just like the last reinstall he did a week ago. He believes there is no risk unless he goes to porn sites. He believes SP2 is problematic and unnecessary. He believes a firewall and AV is something he can get around to later. He even buys stuff online with credit cars like this! He says it's ok because the newegg site is secure! He almost convinced me he was right.

It was funny once when he told me he was buying a new HD to make his rips from CD faster and to speed up his games!
 
This reminds me of the AOL TV commercial.

I wouldn't touch his machine with a 10' stick. He's going to blame everyone but himself when it gets bogged down and his browser opens to 'sally slurps the neighborhood'.

(Make him read this thread when he comes home)

-Sid
 
My personal advice is, dont do it. As soon as you get online download all the Windows updates, then go to google and type "free EZ Armor". You can download the antivirus and firewall for free if you are a Microsoft customer.

Any time I go online without protection I end up having to reformat, not worth playing cs (although I love it dearly) to me.
 
There are many Windows security patches out there. This is because there are many security vulnerabilities associated with Windows. If you don't have them patched, you are definitely at risk.
With that said, you will most likely be fine. It just depends on whether you are willing to accept the risk.
 
Within 15 sec of your going online with that machine, your ports will be scanned. And without even the latest SP and additional security updates or a software firewall protecting it, the nasties will be on board.
Without all its updates and add-on security software (FW in particular), XP is a Zombie bot magnet.
. Besides which, he would be able to tell you had used the comp, which apparently you aren't allowed to do except under narrow limits. So then you may not get to use it at all, ever...

.bh.
 
I just built a game machine that has no anti-virus on it.
It does have WinXP SP2 with firewall enabled and all MS patches and updates. I don't go to any websites except MS Update so I figure I should be fine. The PC is also behind a router with a FW.
 
If he has no other firewall, and it's WinXP SP0 or SP1, then he should enable the Windows Internet Connection Firewall (see Windows Help for assistance if he doesn't know where to find that). Better than nothing. But yeah, if I were you, I wouldn't put myself in the position of scapegoat here. Play some Windows Pinball maybe 😀
 
You could play for about 3 minutes. Then you'd be infected (IIRC the average time it takes an unpatched computer to get compromised is 4 minutes).
 
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