A question on Yahoo Answers got me thinking about this the other day. Why does Windows have so many viruses at work? Who is behind them and who benefits from them? I have to tell you that I have a theory about this, and like everything else it is driven by money... so it does make quite a bit of sense. If you can follow along for a moment I will try to explain my theory to you... think about it and see if you can fathom my thoughts.
To start out, why does Windows OS have so many viruses at work? Well the answer to this one is actually quite straight forward. Windows is the OS that has a majority of installed systems on PC's that are sold. There are more PC's out there running Windows than any other OS. That is one answer and perhaps the most widely accepted one, another answer that also fits is that Windows was designed for as interactive and immersible an experience as possible over the Internet... it is loaded with vulnerabilities by design making it a very easy target.
NOTE: Microsoft “sells” the OS to the consumer once, when the PC is sold to them. Unless it is a PC destined for use in a corporate setting they more than likely have made all the money they ever will on the sale of that OS, most home users will never pay for added support.
Now we ask “Who is behind the viruses and who benefits from them?” Let me answer this one backwards in relation to the above. …:who benefits from them?” Well, people may jump right in and say hackers that are out to steal from others... true, Hackers can benefit, but I see that only as a secondary attack. My theory puts the benefit to Microsoft itself, the maker of the OS itself. Look back at my “NOTE” above again. For the majority of the vast number of PC's sold MS(Microsoft) only makes a profit ONCE!
Now I weave in the first half of the question, “Who is behind them?”...MS has to find a way to continue to bring money in from the sale of their OS. They all ready know the vulnerabilities of the system and know that to keep it secure they need a program to monitor these shortfalls... (is there a light turned on yet?) So, now MS invests in or starts subsidiary companies aimed at securing their flawed system that sells Anti-Virus software with a monthly or yearly subscription rate. These companies (perhaps backed by MS) now start to gain revenue by the sale of Anti-Virus software AND continue to do so by subscription on a monthly / yearly basis... now there is a continuous income from / on that OS! Ooops, but wait a minute, once there is a “fix” for one virus the Anti-Virus becomes not so important... well, time for a new one to maintain the threat, and thinking, that it is important to maintain the subscription to the Anti-Virus software! Viola... continued income!
Now, as I stated... this is all theory and my personal opinion (or rather my personal take) on the whole Anti-Virus rat-race. Personally I don't buy into it and years ago came to realize that there were other ways... other OS's that offered safe and secure ways to enjoy the many uses of a home pc with no worry about viruses at all. I broke the bonds with the corporate strife of MS years ago and migrated to Linux in its infancy and have enjoyed the freedom it has offered ever since.
Reflect for a while on my theory and see if you can follow my thinking... I feel it makes perfect sense and is a viable explanation to the questions.
'The Setup Artist'
March 2013
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