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MacBytes
Nov 22, 2005, 10:52 AM
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Category: Opinion/Interviews
Link: Mac Users Miss All the Security Fun (http://www.macbytes.com/link.php?sid=20051122105229)

Posted on MacBytes.com (http://www.macbytes.com)
Approved by Mudbug


Lacero
Nov 22, 2005, 10:54 AM
Pretty funny, Larry. You should write for Leno.

The switchover to Intel will have little effect on the security of Macs. It's a common misconception that it's the CPU and not the lousy OS it's powering.
Applespider
Nov 22, 2005, 10:58 AM
I beg to differ. I don't miss taking my turn on the security carousel at all...;)
whooleytoo
Nov 22, 2005, 02:04 PM
"Macs are safer than Windows PCs for some online hazards. Only 20 percent of Mac owners surveyed reported detecting a virus in the past two years, compared with 66 percent of Windows PC owners. Just 8 percent of Mac users reported a spyware infection in the last six months vs. 54 percent of Windows PC users."

I'd be very, very dubious about these figures. 1 in 5 Mac users detected a virus? I don't think so.

That said, it's no harm to jolt Mac users out of their notion that Macs are inherently secure. There is no more protection from Trojans in OSX than in Windows, and I'd expect a raft of them to appear should OSX market share start to grow significantly.
Danksi
Nov 22, 2005, 02:20 PM
"Macs are safer than Windows PCs for some online hazards. Only 20 percent of Mac owners surveyed reported detecting a virus in the past two years, compared with 66 percent of Windows PC owners. Just 8 percent of Mac users reported a spyware infection in the last six months vs. 54 percent of Windows PC users."

How would the average Mac user know they have a Virus or Spyware?

They wouldn't have any detection software installed! General advice I've seen is not to bother.
whooleytoo
Nov 22, 2005, 02:27 PM
How would the average Mac user know they have a Virus or Spyware?

They wouldn't have any detection software installed! General advice I've seen is not to bother.

Good point - though that still doesn't explain how 1 in 5 Macs are known to be infected.

I'd guess viral infections would be noticed, due to some erratic behaviour. Spyware, by its very nature, is designed to be more subtle and clandestine. One of the good things about forums such as these is that if even just one user discovers spyware on their Macs, word tends to spread like wildfire, which can be very effective at stopping the spyware's spread - whether it be by download or Trojan.

(Incidentally - I wonder if Sony's rootkit is included in these figures!:D )
Eric5h5
Nov 22, 2005, 04:08 PM
Good point - though that still doesn't explain how 1 in 5 Macs are known to be infected.

If that's at all true, it would be OS 9 (and earlier) viruses. Still a fair amount of Classic machines in use, unfortunately. These articles never differentiate between Classic and OS X, even though they are different operating systems and have almost nothing in common.

--Eric
G5power
Nov 23, 2005, 10:58 AM
The way I interpret the 20% of Mac owners comment is that 1 of 5 Apple users has noticed a virus attached to an incoming e-mail.

I've noticed incoming e-mails that tried to have a zip file attached. When an infected machine starts spewing out e-mails with viruses they don't discriminate agains OS/platforms, they send it to everyone in the address book.
Seasought
Nov 23, 2005, 11:06 AM
You know if enough of these articles continue to pour out someone's going to get inspired to write another virus that does some serious damange (but specifically for OS X environments). Shhh...

I have anti-virus installed on my Mac (free stuff) as well as a spyware removal tool. Why not? It could happen.

Security? How is it any different than using another OS? There are certainly not nearly the number of problems that Windows has but regardless everyone is still at threat of a system compromise.

I guess this article is just regarding 'mom and pop' users then? What was the purpose of this article? Why was it written!? <head explodes>