Nice of Apple to post up some comic relief by suggesting that to avoid the horrifying spectre of malware, Mac users should install what is essentially the only malware OS X users have ever been impacted by in any notable number. However, it's irresponsible for them to put comic relief in a knowledge base article.
Dan Dilger wrote an article back in April explaining why the market share argument concerning Mac malware doesn't hold up, titled The Unavoidable Malware Myth. I've heard it said that Dilger is a "troll" or something along those lines (though that was said on one of the *chans, so it may have just been because he has the gall to use common sense), so obviously not everyone agrees with his standpoints, but I think he's got some good points.
The fact remains that the only malware that is capable of affecting Mac OS X has to be given permission to do so (and in some cases, even has to be bought first!). A user that hasn't been educated enough to know they shouldn't install third-party software they didn't ask for will not be safe on any computer platform. Sure, running Windows in particular more or less guarantees that they won't be safe regardless, but it's still true. Honestly, I'd like to see education get dramatically ramped up. Have ISPs not only provide anti-malware products to their customers, but tell those customers why, and reveal that they only need it because they run Windows. Have governments educate their citizens so they know that malware is not an inherent part of Using A Computer, not just provide community programs on how to use Microsoft Word® to type a letter to your grandchildren.
You know how decades-long wars end? Parents stop teaching their children to hate each other. How does a crippling, worldwide, billions-of-dollars-a-year malware pandemic end? People stop being told to accept it as a fact of life.
If they took an official position that you *DON'T* need AV and something happened - they'd be dragged into court. Which is why the commercials and ads are carefully worded as well.
Bullsh*it! and stop spreading FUD! There are NO keyloggers for OSX, none! If you have any evidence to the contrary then post it here and now or STFU! And by evidence I don't mean inane threads posted by WOW idiots who've installed Windows on their mac and then bitch about having their account information stolen. I've seen these threads and all they are evidence of is what happen to a human brain when exposed to the peverted mediocrity of Winblows for years!
Mac being safe from viruses was the biggest reason that I switched to Mac from Windows. This news is certainly not good for me \Apple guys do something and make the OS X secure as it was before. I don't want to run these crazy AVs on my MacBook.
Viruses in a windows environment are not hard to avoid. Most people are just uneducated and paranoid.
Regardless of of how educated or uneducated the user, the fact is, that a Windows computer with javascript turned on can be infected with trojans simply by visiting a hacked web page - sometimes even if it has up-to-date AV software installed.
Even Macs can be redirected to an unwanted website by the same means. And since the initial attack might be by SQL injection, it is not a matter of avoiding suspicious sites. Any unsecured database driven server can be the source. Maybe a school or church etc.
AV or not, any computer which is connected to a network or is lacking in physical security can be hacked.
The only thing that worries me is that the stupid ones will actually go out and install multiple AV packages on their Macs and then rant and rave about how slow and unstable their systems are... and blame Apple for it!
There are no shortages of bottom feeding trial lawyers looking for a meal at Apple's treasury.
Think of the liability, if Apple wasn't cautioning users about security and the steps they should consider, when someone finally cracks OSX, and OSX malware finally breaks into the wild.
This is just smart business.
Yep, this is MORE than obvious. In fact, Apple has put the support note for 3 main reasons:
1 - LEGAL - To ensure that no crackpot sues the company because of invulnerability allegations or misleading advertisement;
2 - MARKET-DRIVEN - millions of Macs interact or even use Windows as a second (crappy) OS; so Apple is more than wise to recommend AV software, even though its need for OS X-viruses is nil. And don't forget that Mac antivirus is MAINLY aimed at disabling PC viruses that you might receive by email;
3 - POSSIBLY MARKET-DRIVEN (2) - the leading AV companies have paid for Apple to put such note in there...you can see that there is no mention of free alternatives.
I think you need to be careful with that! Recent Parallels and Fusion allow shared folders, maybe even by default. This exposes your mac home folder to Windows and its viruses. If Windows got a virus that tried to delete all files, the mac files in those folders would go too. OSX would be safe, and the mac unaffected. But, as I understand it, your files are not.
Ah, you are right! I don't use shared folders in Parallels, but I just checked and my OS X home folder is shared. I'm turning that off now and I'll set up a share to a dedicated subfolder if I ever need to use that feature. (Typically I just drag and drop between desktops when I need to share files.) Thanks for the tip!
(And on a side note, I just discovered that Parallels 4 lets me edit my virtual machine configuration while it is running. That's a great improvement from version 3.)
Mac being safe from viruses was the biggest reason that I switched to Mac from Windows. This news is certainly not good for me \Apple guys do something and make the OS X secure as it was before. I don't want to run these crazy AVs on my MacBook.
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING has changed from before...OS X has ZERO viruses on the wild, and is BY FAR the safest OS on Earth. I have never used an AV before, and won't start now. So rest assured, Apple's note is not new and constitutes simply responsible business, especially for wannabe switchers and corporate clients, as said above.
Not that I disagree with that definition, but can we all stop using wikipedia as a source? I mean, there's absolutely no way to verify that the content was written by someone with any knowledge!
The last systematic study I saw concluded that Wikipedia had a lower rate of factual errors than either Encarta or Britannica. And WikiP now has multiples of the number of topics covered.
There are recurring problems around particular issues and personalities, esp. e.g., around politicians during campaigns and controversial social issues, but like open source software corrected by the overlapping banging on it by many contributors, WP is open source knowledge with built-in methods for self-correction over time. Articles also cite when references are missing or incomplete and when content is in dispute.
There are also layers of oversight within the dedicated Wikipedia community and ways of holding page vandalism down to a dull roar. None of these processes are perfect, but neither are they at for profit "professionally assembled" knowledge bases. Ever been at an event covered by various forms of media, and then read/watched/listened to the news reports?? I find the reporters and I have apparently not only been to rather different events, but also at times we must have attended in alternate realities.
In terms of human "knowledge" and "statements of fact" (whether scientific, historical, biographical, or otherwise), remember always Will Roger's (you can look him up on Wikipedia!) famous dictum:
"There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."
I thought he was also the source of the rule of thumb to to believe "half of what [you] see and none of what [you] read (or hear)." However I wasn't able to verify this.
Anyway, when I really want to dig into something I know little about, WP is not my only source, but it is almost always my first. And this approach does not make one a "Wikipediot."
I'm also enjoying correcting and augmenting articles myself. I felt, e.g., a minor amount of pride in changing one bio to reflect that one person referred to as someone's estranged brother was actually their estranged step-brother, illustrating the self-corrective process at work.
And this is an Apple forum -- and all of Apple (except classic and classic-derived iPods) runs on an open source kernel!
is a new commercial GUI front end to clamav that is excellent from my experience with the demo. It has been bashed on macupdate and versiontracker for reasons I don't understand (charging for making a GUI to open source software, I think, but honestly, it's a good GUI, and the underlying product is well tested).
I will probably purchase this, as you get it on 3 macs for about $15 a piece. Not bad. But check out the free alternatives too.
I sincerely hope so. OS X is great and it would be terrible if it also becomes a victim of viruses. Apple should try to fix loopholes, if there are any, in OS X itself so that one could be safe from virus threats. I just can digest the idea of using AV on Mac. Mac and AV must not go together.
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING has changed from before...OS X has ZERO viruses on the wild, and is BY FAR the safest OS on Earth. I have never used an AV before, and won't start now. So rest assured, Apple's note is not new and constitutes simply responsible business, especially for wannabe switchers and corporate clients, as said above.
I sincerely hope so. OS X is great and it would be terrible if it also becomes a victim of viruses. Apple should try to fix loopholes, if there are any, in OS X itself so that one could be safe from virus threats. I just can digest the idea of using AV on Mac. Mac and AV must not go together.
I use a Windows PC, and the only AV I've ever used is ZoneAlarm. Works perfectly, is easy to use, and never bogs down my system. Despite using an AV though, the only virus I've ever had was the Autorun virus, which (for those who have ever had it) is a pesky and particularly malicous Windows virus. Had to end up nuking both my 500GB hard drives and reinstall XP (thank GOD I had everthing backed up). But for those who think jumping back to "system snapshots" will get rid of viruses, think again. Many cunning viruses these days bury themselves in your boot sector, meaning things can get hairy pretty quickly. Make no mistake, viruses will soon start creeping into Mac territory, its not a question of if, but when.
I use a Windows PC, and the only AV I've ever used is ZoneAlarm. Works perfectly, is easy to use, and never bogs down my system. Despite using an AV though, the only virus I've ever had was the Autorun virus, which (for those who have ever had it) is a pesky and particularly malicous Windows virus. Had to end up nuking both my 500GB hard drives and reinstall XP (thank GOD I had everthing backed up). But for those who think jumping back to "system snapshots" will get rid of viruses, think again. Many cunning viruses these days bury themselves in your boot sector, meaning things can get hairy pretty quickly. Make no mistake, viruses will soon start creeping into Mac territory, its not a question of if, but when.
Utter bullshit coming from a Windows user. The "security through obscurity" myth has been debunked many times, no matter how hard security "experts" try to sell their companies' products.
FACT: THERE ARE AT LEAST 50 MILLION MAC USERS AROUND THE WORLD, and this grows every day.
FACT: THERE IS NOT A SINGLE OS X VIRUS IN THE WILD. And this after almost 8 years of OS X in the mass market.
Absolutely correct! In fact, I got so tired of repeating the evidence against the market share virus argument that I gathered it all in one long article to point people to when this annoying assumption comes up. (Link here, assuming nobody minds me pimping my blog like that. )
Viruses in a windows environment are not hard to avoid. Most people are just uneducated and paranoid.
Exactly. I never had a problem with malware on Windows, and I don't expect I'll ever have a problem with it on the Mac.
But, boy, I've seen some messed up PCs owned by friends and family. There are some people, smart people, who become serious retards when you set them down in front of a computer. Windows doesn't do much, by design, to protect itself from stupid people. OS X's UNIX underpinnings make it more secure in the hands of idiot users, although they still find ways to break things.
My apologizes if this was already posted, but I'm not going to read all the replies. Apparently this is old news and Apple has been quietly promoting AV protection for sometime.
Comments
Dan Dilger wrote an article back in April explaining why the market share argument concerning Mac malware doesn't hold up, titled The Unavoidable Malware Myth. I've heard it said that Dilger is a "troll" or something along those lines (though that was said on one of the *chans, so it may have just been because he has the gall to use common sense), so obviously not everyone agrees with his standpoints, but I think he's got some good points.
The fact remains that the only malware that is capable of affecting Mac OS X has to be given permission to do so (and in some cases, even has to be bought first!). A user that hasn't been educated enough to know they shouldn't install third-party software they didn't ask for will not be safe on any computer platform. Sure, running Windows in particular more or less guarantees that they won't be safe regardless, but it's still true. Honestly, I'd like to see education get dramatically ramped up. Have ISPs not only provide anti-malware products to their customers, but tell those customers why, and reveal that they only need it because they run Windows. Have governments educate their citizens so they know that malware is not an inherent part of Using A Computer, not just provide community programs on how to use Microsoft Word® to type a letter to your grandchildren.
You know how decades-long wars end? Parents stop teaching their children to hate each other. How does a crippling, worldwide, billions-of-dollars-a-year malware pandemic end? People stop being told to accept it as a fact of life.
(Also, Jesus Christ, MacBliss, settle down.
http://www.parental-controls-softwar...r-mac-os-x.htm
Bullsh*it! and stop spreading FUD! There are NO keyloggers for OSX, none! If you have any evidence to the contrary then post it here and now or STFU! And by evidence I don't mean inane threads posted by WOW idiots who've installed Windows on their mac and then bitch about having their account information stolen. I've seen these threads and all they are evidence of is what happen to a human brain when exposed to the peverted mediocrity of Winblows for years!
Get your facts right before it goes to the front page next time.
http://www.9to5mac.com/crazy-displayport-virus
Viruses in a windows environment are not hard to avoid. Most people are just uneducated and paranoid.
Regardless of of how educated or uneducated the user, the fact is, that a Windows computer with javascript turned on can be infected with trojans simply by visiting a hacked web page - sometimes even if it has up-to-date AV software installed.
Even Macs can be redirected to an unwanted website by the same means. And since the initial attack might be by SQL injection, it is not a matter of avoiding suspicious sites. Any unsecured database driven server can be the source. Maybe a school or church etc.
AV or not, any computer which is connected to a network or is lacking in physical security can be hacked.
I agree.
There are no shortages of bottom feeding trial lawyers looking for a meal at Apple's treasury.
Think of the liability, if Apple wasn't cautioning users about security and the steps they should consider, when someone finally cracks OSX, and OSX malware finally breaks into the wild.
This is just smart business.
Yep, this is MORE than obvious. In fact, Apple has put the support note for 3 main reasons:
1 - LEGAL - To ensure that no crackpot sues the company because of invulnerability allegations or misleading advertisement;
2 - MARKET-DRIVEN - millions of Macs interact or even use Windows as a second (crappy) OS; so Apple is more than wise to recommend AV software, even though its need for OS X-viruses is nil. And don't forget that Mac antivirus is MAINLY aimed at disabling PC viruses that you might receive by email;
3 - POSSIBLY MARKET-DRIVEN (2) - the leading AV companies have paid for Apple to put such note in there...you can see that there is no mention of free alternatives.
I think you need to be careful with that! Recent Parallels and Fusion allow shared folders, maybe even by default. This exposes your mac home folder to Windows and its viruses. If Windows got a virus that tried to delete all files, the mac files in those folders would go too. OSX would be safe, and the mac unaffected. But, as I understand it, your files are not.
Ah, you are right! I don't use shared folders in Parallels, but I just checked and my OS X home folder is shared. I'm turning that off now and I'll set up a share to a dedicated subfolder if I ever need to use that feature. (Typically I just drag and drop between desktops when I need to share files.) Thanks for the tip!
(And on a side note, I just discovered that Parallels 4 lets me edit my virtual machine configuration while it is running. That's a great improvement from version 3.)
Mac being safe from viruses was the biggest reason that I switched to Mac from Windows. This news is certainly not good for me
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING has changed from before...OS X has ZERO viruses on the wild, and is BY FAR the safest OS on Earth. I have never used an AV before, and won't start now. So rest assured, Apple's note is not new and constitutes simply responsible business, especially for wannabe switchers and corporate clients, as said above.
Not that I disagree with that definition, but can we all stop using wikipedia as a source? I mean, there's absolutely no way to verify that the content was written by someone with any knowledge!
The last systematic study I saw concluded that Wikipedia had a lower rate of factual errors than either Encarta or Britannica. And WikiP now has multiples of the number of topics covered.
There are recurring problems around particular issues and personalities, esp. e.g., around politicians during campaigns and controversial social issues, but like open source software corrected by the overlapping banging on it by many contributors, WP is open source knowledge with built-in methods for self-correction over time. Articles also cite when references are missing or incomplete and when content is in dispute.
There are also layers of oversight within the dedicated Wikipedia community and ways of holding page vandalism down to a dull roar. None of these processes are perfect, but neither are they at for profit "professionally assembled" knowledge bases. Ever been at an event covered by various forms of media, and then read/watched/listened to the news reports?? I find the reporters and I have apparently not only been to rather different events, but also at times we must have attended in alternate realities.
In terms of human "knowledge" and "statements of fact" (whether scientific, historical, biographical, or otherwise), remember always Will Roger's (you can look him up on Wikipedia!) famous dictum:
"There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."
I thought he was also the source of the rule of thumb to to believe "half of what [you] see and none of what [you] read (or hear)." However I wasn't able to verify this.
Anyway, when I really want to dig into something I know little about, WP is not my only source, but it is almost always my first. And this approach does not make one a "Wikipediot."
I'm also enjoying correcting and augmenting articles myself. I felt, e.g., a minor amount of pride in changing one bio to reflect that one person referred to as someone's estranged brother was actually their estranged step-brother, illustrating the self-corrective process at work.
And this is an Apple forum -- and all of Apple (except classic and classic-derived iPods) runs on an open source kernel!
www.clamav.net
is the original UNIX AV site, and can be gotten for the mac from macports.org
www.clamxav.com
is a free GUI front end to clamav for OS X, it is very basic, but liked
http://www.protectmac.com/
is a new commercial GUI front end to clamav that is excellent from my experience with the demo. It has been bashed on macupdate and versiontracker for reasons I don't understand (charging for making a GUI to open source software, I think, but honestly, it's a good GUI, and the underlying product is well tested).
I will probably purchase this, as you get it on 3 macs for about $15 a piece. Not bad. But check out the free alternatives too.
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING has changed from before...OS X has ZERO viruses on the wild, and is BY FAR the safest OS on Earth. I have never used an AV before, and won't start now. So rest assured, Apple's note is not new and constitutes simply responsible business, especially for wannabe switchers and corporate clients, as said above.
I sincerely hope so. OS X is great and it would be terrible if it also becomes a victim of viruses. Apple should try to fix loopholes, if there are any, in OS X itself so that one could be safe from virus threats. I just can digest the idea of using AV on Mac. Mac and AV must not go together.
I use a Windows PC, and the only AV I've ever used is ZoneAlarm. Works perfectly, is easy to use, and never bogs down my system. Despite using an AV though, the only virus I've ever had was the Autorun virus, which (for those who have ever had it) is a pesky and particularly malicous Windows virus. Had to end up nuking both my 500GB hard drives and reinstall XP (thank GOD I had everthing backed up). But for those who think jumping back to "system snapshots" will get rid of viruses, think again. Many cunning viruses these days bury themselves in your boot sector, meaning things can get hairy pretty quickly. Make no mistake, viruses will soon start creeping into Mac territory, its not a question of if, but when.
Utter bullshit coming from a Windows user. The "security through obscurity" myth has been debunked many times, no matter how hard security "experts" try to sell their companies' products.
FACT: THERE ARE AT LEAST 50 MILLION MAC USERS AROUND THE WORLD, and this grows every day.
FACT: THERE IS NOT A SINGLE OS X VIRUS IN THE WILD. And this after almost 8 years of OS X in the mass market.
http://www.wildlist.org/WildList/200810.htm
Absolutely correct! In fact, I got so tired of repeating the evidence against the market share virus argument that I gathered it all in one long article to point people to when this annoying assumption comes up. (Link here, assuming nobody minds me pimping my blog like that.
Interesting read on your blog
____________
Viruses in a windows environment are not hard to avoid. Most people are just uneducated and paranoid.
Exactly. I never had a problem with malware on Windows, and I don't expect I'll ever have a problem with it on the Mac.
But, boy, I've seen some messed up PCs owned by friends and family. There are some people, smart people, who become serious retards when you set them down in front of a computer. Windows doesn't do much, by design, to protect itself from stupid people. OS X's UNIX underpinnings make it more secure in the hands of idiot users, although they still find ways to break things.
Just how does one discover a cure for a disease that hasn't been diagnosed yet?