A few weeks ago PC security company McAfee released an update to its anti-virus soft- ware. For some customers, the update mistakenly destroyed a legitimate and crucial file in the Windows operating system. Hundreds of thousands of personal computers, perhaps millions, were rendered unusable. One university lost the use of 8,000 of its 25,000 PCs, and some affected hospitals turned away non-trauma patients from their emergency rooms. This debacle is an example of a structural failing in security that echoes across the entire internet.
幾周前,個人電腦安全公司McAfee發布了其殺毒軟件的更新,誤殺了某些客戶Windows操作系統中一個至關重要的合法文件,致使數十萬、或許是數百萬臺個人電腦陷入癱瘓。某大學2.5萬臺個人電腦中有8000臺癱瘓。部分受影響醫院的急診室甚至暫停接治非創傷患者。這一重大事故,是電腦安保的結構性缺陷在整個互聯網蔓延的一個例子。