Some "security" software tries to hijack the Hosts file in a benign way; and users can do it on their own as well: You use the Hosts file to associate a known-safe, numeric address with the names of sites you want to block. When the user or any process on the PC then tries to access a blocked site, it is instead directed to the safe location.
This works, but runs into the same problem as mentioned previously: A Hosts file is static, and the Web is extremely dynamic. It's almost impossible to update a Hosts file frequently enough to guard against all threats; and even if you did, you'd probably also run into problems in accidentally blocking good sites that happened to move to new numeric addresses.
There's lots more information on Hosts file abuse here, but I don't recommend its use for anything other than the original, and now archaic, purpose for which it was intended. Anything else is a misuse of the Hosts files, and runs a high risk of causing unnecessary service calls in the future when the user can't connect to some valid site they want to get to.
Instead, use the free and low-cost tools mentioned earlier, even if it means fighting a guerilla war with the bean counters or other licensing authorities in your workplace. There are many forms of licensing, all completely valid. Any organization that's cutting itself off from GPL and other totally legitimate forms of licensed freeware is seriously hurting its own business!
What's your take on freeware? Do you use it on your own PCs? On your business machines? Is it explicitly allowed or disallowed by your business? Have you run into closed minds and corporate biases against GPL, open-source, and other forms of freeware? How have you made the case for the use of software with nonstandard licensing? Join in the discussion!
To realize the benefits of cloud-native software, an application must actually be cloud-native—designed to run in the cloud, interacting with disaggregated cloud services, fully manageable as code—to deliver the expected benefits.
By combining resources and expertise, the AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium will offer a blueprint for how industries can adapt to an AI-dominated future.
IT leaders should heed the guidance of cybersecurity insurance providers who think businesses should prioritize security education, incident preparedness, regular internal audits, and ongoing vulnerability scanning and patching.
