Apple pushing anti-virus software now!
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It's an almost as of yet untapped market from which to leech.
Originally Posted By: moribundman
It's an almost as of yet untapped market from which to leech.
exactly.
It's an almost as of yet untapped market from which to leech.
exactly.
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Blackhats and security experts have an interesting relationship, in which only the security expert is the symbiont, while both are parasites.
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I'll let Mystic answer that question.
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CivicFan, no. The archicture of Windows is completely different than that of Mac since is Unix based. Not only is it the biggest target, but it's because of the architectural differences that it bears the most viruses by far. The old Mac OS 9 suffered the same fate as it had no built-in security since it did not follow the Unix-model for security. But in practice, most viruses weren't written to destroy the old Mac OS since the market didn't have that many of them.
Network worm/trojans can hit any O.S., but mainly Windows due to those very same architectural differences.
So, no, we won't. Seems like nothing has changed in one way: I used to get calls by end-users years ago claiming that their computer had a virus. When in reality, the Mac OS 9 machine simply passed the Word macro viruses on to any PC since those Word macro viruses had no effect on Mac boxes at the time. Sounds like the same thing now.
Network worm/trojans can hit any O.S., but mainly Windows due to those very same architectural differences.
So, no, we won't. Seems like nothing has changed in one way: I used to get calls by end-users years ago claiming that their computer had a virus. When in reality, the Mac OS 9 machine simply passed the Word macro viruses on to any PC since those Word macro viruses had no effect on Mac boxes at the time. Sounds like the same thing now.
Okay, I will. As far as I know right now there are still very few viruses, Trojan Horse Programs, spyware, worms, etc., for Mac OS X. So why Apple may be encouraging Mac owners to buy antivirus software is something I can't answer.
I came across some information fairly recently that Mac OS X would have to have 18% of the desktop computer market before the bad guys considered it worth attacking. At this time Mac OS X is probably something like 3% of the desktop market worldwide and 5% to 7.5% in the USA (there are still a lot of people using Classic Mac OSs).
Another thing to take into consideration however is that a Mac can be a CARRIER of viruses and other malware. If you use a Mac and your friends are using Windows your Mac might be able to transmit something to them in email. The Windows malware would not affect the Mac but could affect your friend's Windows computers.
And of course if somebody is running Mac OS X on their computer and also Windows XP (or Vista) they need antivirus software for the Windows.
I ran Apple Computers for a long time and I always had antivirus programs on them. It pays to be careful. Strangely enough the two times I may have been exposed to computer viruses was not when I was running a Windows computer but when I was running Mac Classic OS computers. One virus was accidentally put on a CD from a computer magazine and I received an indication of another virus being detected when I was running a Mac Classic OS. The only time I received an indication of a possible backdoor being detected was when I was running a Windows computer. I had an anti-Trojan program called A Squared and it detected a possible backdoor in the open source Firefox web browser. I have not trusted open source software much since that time.
You can get two free antivirus programs for Mac OS X. One is iAntivirus from PC Tools and the other is ClamXav. I don't know if Norton still makes antivirus software for the Mac. A commercial antivirus program is VirusBarrier from Intego. There are a couple of others you can get if you run a business with five or more Macs. One is made by Sophos and I don't know very much about the other.
I know of only two programs to defend against spyware and adware on the Mac. One is MacScan and the other is Internet Cleanup.
And there are some free and commercial firewall programs to replace the Mac OS X firewall, which (according to a major consumer magazine that I will not name) is inadequate.
There are a lot of other things you can do to protect your Mac. Don't run as the administrator. Use a standard account. Use Disc Copy to encrypt files. Do not run any services you do not need to run. Be sure when you are on the internet that the firewall is up and running. Use good passwords. Just a few things.
I came across some information fairly recently that Mac OS X would have to have 18% of the desktop computer market before the bad guys considered it worth attacking. At this time Mac OS X is probably something like 3% of the desktop market worldwide and 5% to 7.5% in the USA (there are still a lot of people using Classic Mac OSs).
Another thing to take into consideration however is that a Mac can be a CARRIER of viruses and other malware. If you use a Mac and your friends are using Windows your Mac might be able to transmit something to them in email. The Windows malware would not affect the Mac but could affect your friend's Windows computers.
And of course if somebody is running Mac OS X on their computer and also Windows XP (or Vista) they need antivirus software for the Windows.
I ran Apple Computers for a long time and I always had antivirus programs on them. It pays to be careful. Strangely enough the two times I may have been exposed to computer viruses was not when I was running a Windows computer but when I was running Mac Classic OS computers. One virus was accidentally put on a CD from a computer magazine and I received an indication of another virus being detected when I was running a Mac Classic OS. The only time I received an indication of a possible backdoor being detected was when I was running a Windows computer. I had an anti-Trojan program called A Squared and it detected a possible backdoor in the open source Firefox web browser. I have not trusted open source software much since that time.
You can get two free antivirus programs for Mac OS X. One is iAntivirus from PC Tools and the other is ClamXav. I don't know if Norton still makes antivirus software for the Mac. A commercial antivirus program is VirusBarrier from Intego. There are a couple of others you can get if you run a business with five or more Macs. One is made by Sophos and I don't know very much about the other.
I know of only two programs to defend against spyware and adware on the Mac. One is MacScan and the other is Internet Cleanup.
And there are some free and commercial firewall programs to replace the Mac OS X firewall, which (according to a major consumer magazine that I will not name) is inadequate.
There are a lot of other things you can do to protect your Mac. Don't run as the administrator. Use a standard account. Use Disc Copy to encrypt files. Do not run any services you do not need to run. Be sure when you are on the internet that the firewall is up and running. Use good passwords. Just a few things.
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Originally Posted By: Mystic
Okay, I will.
I knew you would.
Okay, I will.
I knew you would.
Although some malware was developed for various Classic Mac OSs many people considered the Classic Mac OSs extremely hard to attack. There were actually contests where if somebody could figure out how to attack a Mac Classic OS he would win something like $10,000.00.
Things changed when Apple came out with Mac OS X. It is based to some extent on FreeBSD and is considered a type of Unix OS. Unix was always a multi-user OS designed for communication. The Classic Mac OSs were basically single user designed systems.
It is possible to attack Unix. Unix systems are patched just like Windows on a regular basis. The OS that is considered to be the most secure is OpenBSD which is often used as a firewall for very secure websites. Mac OS X is also often patched by Apple with free updates. There have already been a considerable number of updates for Mac OS X Leopard including some pretty large updates. One of those updates was something like 480 mbs if I remember coorectly.
Things changed when Apple came out with Mac OS X. It is based to some extent on FreeBSD and is considered a type of Unix OS. Unix was always a multi-user OS designed for communication. The Classic Mac OSs were basically single user designed systems.
It is possible to attack Unix. Unix systems are patched just like Windows on a regular basis. The OS that is considered to be the most secure is OpenBSD which is often used as a firewall for very secure websites. Mac OS X is also often patched by Apple with free updates. There have already been a considerable number of updates for Mac OS X Leopard including some pretty large updates. One of those updates was something like 480 mbs if I remember coorectly.
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Originally Posted By: Mystic
if I remember coorectly.
Not quite.
if I remember coorectly.
Not quite.
Run OpenVMS then you are untouchable!
maybe the recommendation to run anti-virus software now because if macs are a carrier for viruses and they infect their friends pcs. it may discourage people from buying macs in the future. or the layman may think macs are bunk because they carry viruses.
Does OpenVMS play Doom3 or Lara Croft Tomb Raider?
Apple removes antivirus-related KB page
by Robert Palmer on Dec 3rd, 2008
According to Macworld, Apple removed a Knowledge Base article about antivirus software compatible with Mac OS X.
The article received "a lot of attention" because it seemingly contradicted Apple's marketing messages about malware for Mac. Our own Michael Rose tried to take the kettle off the stove, noting that the article had been around for years before the Washington Post noticed it this week.
Macworld's Jim Dalrymple spoke with Apple spokesman Bill Evans, who said "We have removed the Knowledge Base article because it was old and inaccurate. The Mac is designed with built-in technologies that provide protection against malicious software and security threats right out of the box."
Even so, Evans admitted, "Since no system can be 100% immune from every threat, running anti-virus software may offer additional protection."
by Robert Palmer on Dec 3rd, 2008
According to Macworld, Apple removed a Knowledge Base article about antivirus software compatible with Mac OS X.
The article received "a lot of attention" because it seemingly contradicted Apple's marketing messages about malware for Mac. Our own Michael Rose tried to take the kettle off the stove, noting that the article had been around for years before the Washington Post noticed it this week.
Macworld's Jim Dalrymple spoke with Apple spokesman Bill Evans, who said "We have removed the Knowledge Base article because it was old and inaccurate. The Mac is designed with built-in technologies that provide protection against malicious software and security threats right out of the box."
Even so, Evans admitted, "Since no system can be 100% immune from every threat, running anti-virus software may offer additional protection."
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Mr. T was right. See the link I posted.
The OS isn't the reason they recommend a AV at this point.
It's the apps.
Safari is a great example.
It's the apps.
Safari is a great example.
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