Apple now "encourages" antivirus use for Mac OS X

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  • Reply 101 of 115
    rot'napplerot'napple Posts: 1,839member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacWheels View Post


    I've been using a Mac since it's beginning and I agree viruses have never even been a thought, but as a product gets more popular it becomes a target. I'm not saying I'm going to load down my machine with multiple programs like some Windows' user friends of mine, still waiting for a virus to appear and then deal with it? It's better to a have some reassurance with one of the quoted products in the article (or some other) and not concern yourself.



    "as a product gets more popular it becomes a target", but is this encouragement by Apple regarding AV use due to popularity or the direction SJ has taken Apple, ie. Intel Processor, Open Source, Boot Camp, OS X itself?



    Maybe time to dust off my old blue/white G3 with OS 8.6, when Mac OS was a Mac OS...
  • Reply 102 of 115
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by wheelhot View Post


    The age of virus free Mac is coming to an end. And I cant believe that the workers at Apple store still tell potential customer that the Mac is virus free.



    Well one thing that I wish if there is an antivirus for Mac is that it has a VERY SMALL FOOTPRINT, I won't want it to be a big CPU hog. I think Apple need to address into Mac security in the future, maybe after SL. I like the idea of sandboxing though. Since most spyware/adware/virus came from the internet, I think they need to make like a special folder where all stuffs that came from the internet will be placed there (even video streaming), it will be locked (so that the files cannot go anyway unless it resides in that fixed folder). This will make it easier to detect and delete the virus.



    try looking up clamxav, very small footprint & very customizable. It's designed around ClamAV, built into OS X Leopard already. Unlike McAfee or Symantec ClamAV is focused more on Linux/Unix viruses than windows viruses.
  • Reply 103 of 115
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cameronj View Post


    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 content is written with citations. That means that each is sourced. It is your job to go look up and see if the citation is from a legitimate website, not anyone else. Also, most of the information on Wikipedia is pulled from other sources including other dictionaries, encyclopedias, websites, and news sources. If one were to use these sources (and cite them) in an article on Wikipedia, then you are now saying that there is no such thing as a trusted person with knowledge.



    ---



    I generally don't download anything on my Mac so I don't see this to be an issue. I guess you can never be too safe! This appears to be more of a liability issue for Apple rather than implying that there are actual (destructive) viruses for the OS. I never had viruses on my PC, I'll do the same for my Mac (I hope).
  • Reply 104 of 115
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by brlawyer View Post


    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



    Where, exactly, does the post become "utter bullshit"?



    1) The statement that iReality85 uses a Windows PC?



    2) The statement that iReality85 has only ever used ZoneAlarm?



    3) The observation that iReality85 thinks that ZoneAlarm for Windows "works perfectly, is easy to use, and never bogs down (his) system"?



    4) The statement that iReality85's only malware infection ever was the Autorun virus?



    5) The observation that the Autorun virus is a pesky and particularly malicous Windows virus"?



    6) The statement that to fix his only virus, iReality85 had to end up nuking both his 500GB hard drives and reinstall XP?



    7) The statement that system restore points (or whatever you want to call them) are sometimes insufficient to correct certain potential types of malware infection?

    7a) The example of a program which finds a way to corrupt sector 0 of a hard drive (in a computer system which uses the data stored in sector 0 as a necessary step in booting the system stored on that disc, such as is the case in a Mac or PC), as an example of such a class of malware?



    8) Or the final statement, that (paraphrasing) even though there are currently no viruses in the wild that target Mac OS X, it does not logically follow that Mac OS X is inherently impervious to viral attacks?
  • Reply 105 of 115
    rcfarcfa Posts: 1,124member
    The real issue, at this point, isn't the mac, but virtualization software.

    If you're running any of the virtualization packages that try to create a "better user experience" by e.g. mapping your Mac desktop to your Windows desktop, your Mac Documents folder to your Windows MyDocuments folder, etc. then you have need for virus software, because a Virus infecting Windows can wipe or infest files on your Mac through these drive and folder mappings.



    Also, even if your computer may not have any harm from it, if you work in a promiscuous environment, you could pass on infected files (e.g. Office documents with Macro viruses) by distributing files received from others.



    So virus software on the Mac is a matter of courtesy to other users, and a matter of self protection for those who use Windows in a virtualized environments.



    With the spread of the latter, it would be reckless if Apple would recommend against using anti-virus software.



    If you're in a pure, homogeneous Mac environment and don't use virtualization software and if your workflow does not necessitate exchanging commonly infected document types with other users, then your need for anti-virus software on the Mac remains marginal, at best.
  • Reply 106 of 115
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by razorpit View Post


    That's it, I'm done with Apple, I'm going to switch to Mapple.



    Steve Mobs thanks you.



  • Reply 107 of 115
    I'm really surprised that the vast majority of people have never run anti-virus software. I always assume people have the software and just run it every once in a while. I use ClamXAV when I want to scan a file I've downloaded or received via email, but I don't have it set up to continually scan. I read a post today at Mac Guru Lounge on the Top 5 Mac Security Tips for the Holidays, which also talked about running AV software.
  • Reply 108 of 115
    now the item has been removed from the website, they naoe say you don't really need antivirus.



    see bbc news website:



    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7760344.stm



    unless your running windows on your mac



    make up your mind

    i run ClamXav its free and will do, as there seems to be none or very few virus etc out there for mac's, but the big problem is the code injected into websites etc, to pinch your data, but a good browser etc, should cover that
  • Reply 109 of 115
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lfmorrison View Post


    Where, exactly, does the post become "utter bullshit"?



    1) The statement that iReality85 uses a Windows PC?



    2) The statement that iReality85 has only ever used ZoneAlarm?



    3) The observation that iReality85 thinks that ZoneAlarm for Windows "works perfectly, is easy to use, and never bogs down (his) system"?



    4) The statement that iReality85's only malware infection ever was the Autorun virus?



    5) The observation that the Autorun virus is a pesky and particularly malicous Windows virus"?



    6) The statement that to fix his only virus, iReality85 had to end up nuking both his 500GB hard drives and reinstall XP?



    7) The statement that system restore points (or whatever you want to call them) are sometimes insufficient to correct certain potential types of malware infection?

    7a) The example of a program which finds a way to corrupt sector 0 of a hard drive (in a computer system which uses the data stored in sector 0 as a necessary step in booting the system stored on that disc, such as is the case in a Mac or PC), as an example of such a class of malware?



    8) Or the final statement, that (paraphrasing) even though there are currently no viruses in the wild that target Mac OS X, it does not logically follow that Mac OS X is inherently impervious to viral attacks?





    Why thank you Ifmorrison. I was kind of perlexed myself. To brlawyer, I was making no such reference to this "security through obscurity" theory in my post. I was implying that because there are no Mac viruses at present the odds are great that there will be Mac viruses in the future (the quantity or maliciousness of such remains to be seen). That is not "security through obscurity," but rather the "laws of probability."
  • Reply 110 of 115
    I don't even use anti virus software on the Windows laptop I have, sure as hell not going to bother with it on my Macbook. What for? In years past I had 3 viruses on old pc's and the anti virus software did NOTHING, so why bother.

    Uninstall all anti virus software, don't open strange email, stay off AOL.

    Haven't had any problems in 4 years.
  • Reply 111 of 115
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Joseph_xxl View Post


    I don't even use anti virus software on the Windows laptop I have, sure as hell not going to bother with it on my Macbook. What for? In years past I had 3 viruses on old pc's and the anti virus software did NOTHING, so why bother.

    Uninstall all anti virus software, don't open strange email, stay off AOL.

    Haven't had any problems in 4 years.



    thats A O Hell
  • Reply 112 of 115
    jennynjennyn Posts: 1member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by MacBliss View Post


    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!



    my dad recently put a mac keylogger in my MacBook Pro. I know it is this mac keylogger as I saw his purchase link in the websites history. But i don't know where it is. Any way to find out where the keylogger is?

  • Reply 113 of 115
    rob_06rob_06 Posts: 75member


    I have been using antivirus software for a number of years now on my macs as I do have a lot of windows using friends.  More to make sure I don't send anything on.


     


    For me it has been a piece of mind.


     


    Seeing apple saying it is a small shock but I cannot say I have seen it coming for a while now.


     


    Better to be safe than have crap causing havoc

  • Reply 114 of 115
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by rob_06 View Post

    Seeing apple saying it is a small shock but I cannot say I have seen it coming for a while now.


     


    Probably because this thread is four years old and was kicked up by a malware spammer. image


     


    You don't now nor will you ever need anti-virus on your Mac. Particularly with the way things are going.

  • Reply 115 of 115
    lilgto64lilgto64 Posts: 1,147member


    I have seen virus infections on Macs in the wild - back in the days of OS 8 or maybe it was 7. There was a virus called cdev (http://support.apple.com/kb/TA37952?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US) that infected each mounted volume exactly once and didn't cause any harm. There was also some sort of worm that was accidentally included on a Mac World CD, I don't think that caused any damage either. 


     


    I have seen hundreds of virus infections on dozens of PCs in the wild - infections that have been able to disable the anti-malware software that was installed and set to auto update - and which in some cases were very challenging to remove. The cases where I have seen the worst infections have been users who insist on doing things like downloading free games, installing 2 dozen IE Toolbars, and downloading from file sharing websites. Although I have not personally seen a purposefully destructive virus, there have been those which were designed to erase a hard drive, I have had a couple cases where it was easier to wipe the hard drive and reinstall Windows. With Windows XP far more susceptible than Windows 7. I have tried most every product out there and none of them in my opinion are foolproof as I have seen most that I have used defeated in some way at some point, although most often due to lack of updates. 


     


    I used to run anti virus on the Mac - forget the name - rather than scanning for virus signatures - it would monitor for not standard operations - for example, a program changing its own contents - this was back in OS 7 or so (System 7 if you want to get technical). The trouble was that almost every app from Microsoft did something was a violation of Apple's guidelines so there were lots of exceptions to be made in order for things to run properly. 


     


    The new GateKeeper function in OS X is interesting - although so far for me it has only managed to stop a legitimate program from running - and I do wonder how hard it might be for someone to make malware that copies a legitimate developer's code (or whatever they use). 


     


    I have run a ClamXav scan on my system a couple times (including while writing this message just for fun) and have yet to personally see a virus on Mac OS X. Which is not to say that I think it is somehow impossible, exceedingly difficult and unlikely perhaps. There is a lot of talk about how the increasing popularity of Mac OS X will make it an more likely target - but don't forget that larger numbers doesn't necessarily make it any easier - and provided the folks behind phishing scams etc are profitable enough at what they are doing they have no incentive to spend the time and effort to try to exploit Mac OS users. So it would seem to me that only a drastic reduction in the ability to attack Windows operating systems would result in an increased attempt to attack Mac OS. So in a way we should be thankful to our Windows counterparts for taking the brunt of the burden and acting as a short of human shield against the vast majority of such attacks from ever even looking in our direction. 


     
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