When was the last time you had a virus (if at all)?

[mproud]

"Um... what's a virus?"

This is what I end up saying to people who ask me about new viruses, virus software, etc. 'Cause honestly, I don't have to give a damn about it.

So one of my net admins sent out an email about some new virus that infects computers through KaZaa, IRC, AND AIM! AAAHHH!! OMG-OMG! PANNNIC!!!!

Ha - Windows suckers!

(excuse me) Anyway, can you remember the last time your Mac was infected by a virus? If so, which virus and describe the situation. If not, perhaps you can elaborate why you've been virus-free.

Personally, I have never been infected with any viruses. This is my third generation computer ('89 MacSE, '95 PPC Performa, '00 G4 tower) and I don't feel the need to buy any anti-virus software, as a testament to my computer's security (or simply because virus authors only write viruses for PCs).

[Eniregnat]

On my iBook, once and only once, and it was placed there deliberately. Luckily Ajax (a free anti-virus program) took care of it.

I know you wan't Mac knolege- but add this only to show how a virus can ruin a day, week, or more.

At work (mostly PCs), well here we had a lot of problems. Our CEO managed to click on an OL virus that shut the servers down for a good 3 days. The email system is still not working well. Locally, about an hour after it happened, a co-worker asked what I was doing. I told her about the network anomalies. "Well I accidentally clicked on an email and I think it was a virus." We were completely flickered. Across the network routers I saw the lights flicker, one by one the computers were being infected with a number of viruses, including Klez. It took a day to clean out everything. We lost some data, but luckily the SNAP servers were not hit. Neither were the Mac's.

My belief is that virus software needn't run in the background 24/7. It can't hurt to have it and to have it check downloads, or to have it on hand when something goes wrong. My suggestion is do progressive back ups once a week. At least then, you can restore your work.

Though it wasn’t on a Mac, getting a particularly nasty virus is a pain in the rear. That day was one of the worst days I have ever had at work. We run a tighter ship now, and we are all the happier for it.

The Mac's tend to be virus free for 2 reasons. There aren't a lot of Mac viruses out there, and most Mac users trash anything that looks suspicious. Mac's are still vulnerable to malicious Java, JavaScript, VB, and other macros- if you use them, but it's a low threat level. If your kids are loading apps. that your not familiar with, then you could be at risk also. I think that the AIM viruses are hoaxes, as for the Kaza and file share programs, there is a risk.

[hesdeadjim]

Once on my old iMac. I'm actually not sure if it was a virus, but at the time I didn't know enough about Macs to do some troubleshooting. I think that an installer screwed up my sytem folder or something. Anyway, I'm the only Mac user I've ever know to have one, so I guess we have a good track record.

[noel4r]

haven't had one so far...

[Giaguara]

i get a virus in media every 2 weeks in email. a windoze virus. :p

thanx to the "nice" friends that have broadband net, windoze peecee, no antivirus software, that click on every .pif and .exe anyone sends them ... and that use outlook and addressbook of windoze. :mad:

i normally fwd them to f-secure to know what viruses they are. and then forward them to one mac user friend who collects windoze viruses. :)

a mac or *x virus? NEVER seen.

[Simon Liquid]

I got a virus off of a Mac 512 that the grandmother of a friend of mine had sitting in her closet. That's the only virus for a Mac I've ever encountered.

[FuzzyBallz]

Last time I check, windows 3.11 at my high school computer lab got infected by virus 'cause people where uploading all sorts of crap onto the HD. But personally, I've never ran into any virus on my PC (from DOS 6.1 to WinXP Pro) or Mac (OS 7.6 to Jaguar). And no, I'm not obsessed about virus scanning. I do that w/ AVG about once every quarter. Actually, I don't remember when's the last time I did a virus scan.

[MrMacMan]

Os 9, with my 233 iMac.

I got a word macro virus that (somehow) knew I was a mac user and downloaded a mac virus... :eek:

Stoped my comp from running for about 2 days... none so far in Os X.

[Gymnut]

Had a virus last week. Think it was from that guy coughing emphatically in the elevator. Thank god for Dayquil. :D

[guitargeek]

I'll be honest. I've never personally gotten a virus, even when I ran Windows ME, then XP, with no virus protection. That being said, however, everyone around me has gotten virii on multiple occassions. My dad got a particuarly nasty one when he was still running Win95, and it shut down the whole machine. I mean, nothing was salvagable. Actually, looking back, I think that happened twice.

My grandmother gets them CONSTANTLY, and I can't figure out how. She even has anti-virus, yet, every time I go over there for computer stuff (about every two weeks), I run a scan and find 10-15 new viruses. The scanner always says it gets rid of them all, but now I'm not so sure. I mean, hell, she doesn't even get e-mail AT ALL, nevermind something that could be infected.

My girlfriend had a few that completely killed her computer. Best of all, when I went to reformat it, the Dell Recue Disk DID NOT HAVE WINDOWS ON IT, despite the label of the disk saying, "This disk contains all neccesary software, including your operatin system". She called up Dell about it, but they just told her she was SOL. She's now a happy Mandrake linux user :D


Anyways, since I'm now running linux, the chances of catching a virus are very slim. How many viruses are there for linux? 5? :p

[janey]

http://images.ucomics.com/comics/ft/2003/ft030513.gif
hehe
actually i've only gotten like 10 viruses...all on my PC. I still have yet to get a virus on any of my Macs.

[gerror]

Never had one. I raised my parents very well with their pc :)
We had only one on that machine

[mnkeybsness]

i had a floppy full of mac viruses back around OS 6...probably prior to that even. they were actually funny viruses that would show you they were messing stuff up, like godzilla running across the screen and everything on the screen crumbling...that one for sure just deleted random stuff from your hard drive. it was great!

[eyelikeart]

The only thing I've ever encountered remotely close to a virus was the Worm Virus some years back. There was a Worm Remover application we used to run in the computer labs at school for this.

[tjwett]

in all my years of Mac use (about 15) i've never had a single virus, worm, or other infectious bug in any Mac i've owned. lately i'll get an occasional email that has a virus-infected attachment in it and i'll just laugh and throw it in the trash.

[toughboy]

Yesterday!..

It was a worm, i do not remember the name..
I was downloading program files from Kazaa and the Norton Antivirus just found the virus!!

Actually, I didn't panic.. :D because if there are two things that I believe in my peecee, they are my backups and Norton!.. :)

what i'd recommend is, buy a superdrive, and backup your files onces 2 months... and do not afraid of viruses... in the film "The Score", Robert DeNiro said something like : "If there is someone who made this case, there is someone to brake it!" ;)

[rainman::|:|]

One. way back on my Mac SE, i did it deliberately to test out SAM (remember that?)...

even back then, symantec was on the ball... it caught it perfectly.

pnw

[shadowfax]

I had one once on my PC, just a little trojan horse thing. nothing major.

[MacFan25]

haven't had one yet

:knocks on wood: ;) :D

[Freg3000]

I have never got a virus. Never ever ever.

Edit: If anyone saw my totally irrelevant post before it was because I wanted to post a new thread, but got caught up in reading this one. I'll post my new thread elsewhere. :)

[Gus]

My Performa 405 contracted the Melissa virus many years ago. That's it. After all these years, just the one. I love it.

Regards,
Gus

[deryk]

Four on my windoze.

About a year ago a friend said she received a virus from my iMac on her peecee. I loaded the most current virus software and found nothing. Everytime she receives an email from me, her virus software states that it's infected. I send emails to my work computer and its virus protection program never detects anything.

I've never had a problem with viruses on my macs. Though I bet this would be different if we had 90% or more of the computer market.

[deryk]

Four on my windoze.

About a year ago a friend said she received a virus from my iMac on her peecee. I loaded the most current virus software and found nothing. Everytime she receives an email from me, her virus software states that it's infected. I send emails to my work computer and its virus protection program never detects anything.

I've never had a problem with viruses on my macs. Though I bet this would be different if we had 90% or more of the computer market.

[MacCoaster]

None on my Windows XP, nor on 2000, box ever, even with Outlook 2003, etc etc. I had several with Windows 95/98 which Norton simply detected. One time Norton didn't detect one, and I had to fix it manually since I knew where the usual places are. Pre-OS 9 and Windows-9x series are horrible for viruses. I'll admit OS X is better for virus, since no one really writes a virus, however, one could make command script to really fsck your drive if you accidently run it under root. That's why we have "non-administrator" users on modern multitasking, multiuser operating systems such as UNIX, Windows NT, etc. If one viruses impacts a normal user, it shouldn't hit the entire computer, just that certain user. (a bit off topic) I wonder if other server software for other server OS than Windows Server 2003 has something like "Volume Shadow Copy." That is an awesome feature and is worth the extra space they hold because you can save multiple copies of the same thing as backups. If your local copy happens to be virus-infected, just download the one you saved on the server. Or delete that file, you can restore it from the server. If anyone knows, please let me know.

I guess I'm just a knowledgeable computer user in general.

[thechairman]

Dose M$ Office count as a Virus? lol. We have to use MSO 98 at our school God is it slow and boy do we have the freeze ups. But in my home desktop, my iMac never had a virus. As for my parents....we got both of our computers at the same time, just a few months apart. In there first year of having there "PC" they had about 10 viruses. There were many-a-days spending trying to whip the C drive and reinstall Windows. I could have used that time to...actually get somthing done on my Mac.

[VoodooDaddy]

then why do they sell a/v software for Mac??

Sorry, but ppl here get excited because their Mac has never gotten a virus, like its incapable of getting one. In all the years Ive used Windows Ive never had 1, only ever had 1 come through my email (and I use OE), and that one was caught by Nortons, which is what its there for.

And deryk said it best, if Apple had a substantially larger market share Mac viruses would be as prevalent as Pc viruses.

[voicegy]

Originally posted by VoodooDaddy
then why do they sell a/v software for Mac??

Because a computer is a computer is a computer. It's only appropriate to have a/v software for both platforms...also puts customers who don't know any better at ease.

Originally posted by VoodooDaddy
And deryk said it best, if Apple had a substantially larger market share Mac viruses would be as prevalent as Pc viruses.

I take great umbrage at that remark.

It can never be PROVEN, because it's quite obvious that Apple will never have the market share of the PC world, but I firmly believe, and have heard, that there is an unwritten code among those who create viruses that they respect the Macintosh platform and are gleeful about bringing Microsoft OS's to their knees. Of course I understand that virus creators get a major kick out of bringing about the highest amount of damage, therefore would concentrate their efforts at the PC world and obtain the highest possible amount of publicity. But I also believe that the malicious attitude of virus creation has, in some part, got to do with the general feeling of wanting to hit Microsoft hard, even though it has the awful side effect of wrecking peoples' livelihoods and productivity.

So, VoodooDaddy, you've only got one virus on your PC in your entire life. Good for you. You still got one more than me, because I use Macs. And you're most likely in the minority, and have been fortunate and/or diligent in your protective measures. Virus protection should be a given, no matter what platform you're running, but the fact remains that there are about 50 known viruses that were engineered for the Mac platform and approx. 10,000 for the PC platform. Due diligence is the key, and paying attention to what one is doing/downloading is paramount. Even *I* don't wish to see my PC brothers and sisters brought to a state of misery due to something beyond their control.

[Vector]

I have been using apples since the apple //e and have never had a virus.

[VoodooDaddy]

Originally posted by voicegy


So, VoodooDaddy, you've only got one virus on your PC in your entire life. Good for you. You still got one more than me, because I use Macs.

Actually, the virus wasnt executed on my pc, it came in my email and was removed by Nortons, which is why I have Nortons.

But you nailed it, although you dont want to admit it. Virus writers want to affect as many users as possible, which is why they dont target Mac.

[TMA]

I got the 'Sevendust' (http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/mac-sevendust.html) virus twice on my Performa. I think the first time it struck was System 7.5 and the next one was on OS 8.6. Haven't ever had one on my iMac or my LC or seen any on any macs i've played on.

[voicegy]

Originally posted by VoodooDaddy
But you nailed it, although you dont want to admit it. Virus writers want to affect as many users as possible, which is why they dont target Mac.

Not only did I nail it, and admit it by stating it, but added what you don't want to comment on:

"...and have heard, that there is an unwritten code among those who create viruses that they respect the Macintosh platform and are gleeful about bringing Microsoft OS's to their knees. I also believe that the malicious attitude of virus creation has, in some part, got to do with the general feeling of wanting to hit Microsoft hard..."

[MacBandit]

I got a virus once back in 1995 on my PowerMac 7100/80.

[pseudobrit]

It's the one application I'm glad to say is not compatible with Mac OS X: the Windows virus (the ones in addition to the actual Windows OS itself ;) ).

Because a computer is a computer is a computer.

Bingo. And which computer OS has more vulns to exploit than any other?

You know it!

I described XP to a friend as thus: you buy a brand new pair of wonderfully handcrafted pants. They fit magnificently, aren't too tight around the crotch and look surprisingly like your competitor's 5-year old design. They sell like hotcakes. Oh, yeah, they've got a big hole cut out right in the a****** region and a sign pointing the hole out.

Then you're surprised (?!!?) when you get assraped by some Malaysian packet monkey who notices that there are huge holes in all the new pants in the world.

[Les Kern]

Mellissa big time, Marker A second.
At work I take care of over 700 Macs and 23 servers with home directories for 1500 users. A few years back these two were introduced to my network. They're macros, and are more a bother than damaging. (Click "disable macro's" copy, paste, rename)
On the main staff server I cleaned 16,000 Word files out of 65,000 on the server. I still don't have client virus software, but since that time I have not been able to completely clean everything. I do use security software, lock the "normal" template on all laptops and desktops, and do a virus check as requested and perhaps once a month. Still I find them. My ultimate solution? Next year might put Norton on EVERY machine. But I will be migrating every user to OSX and guess what? AppleWorks. I have 700 Office licenses but I'm tired of not only the viruses but also Office's inherent wierdness.

[pseudobrit]

Heh.

Got that "support@microsoft.com" worm in my inbox today. Which is weird because I don't get but one or two pieces of spam per month.

Of course it never affected my computer; I think Yahoo! even deleted the attachment because I couldn't access it at all.

[moose]

I got the worm virus on a ZIP disk a few years ago. Mac brotherhood being what it is I already knew about it via the grapevine and Virex zapped it before it caused any trouble. Never had any other viruses.

[Ryan1524]

i use XP and i get them once in a while, mostly through the mail. i used to get some from Kazaa, but i've stopped using them - they suck. but they are immediately quarantined by NAV and was never allowed to spread, so i get them, but my computer was never infected. but then again, i run a tight ship on my computer. virus updates regularly, two soft and one hard firewall and i usually scan anything i download from unknown sites before i open them. so far i haven't had anything fatal. (knocks on wood) :p

[5300cs]

I've never had a virus either, Mac or PC. Lucky I guess.

My friend was trojaned from Korea, so he grabbed their IP, traced their ISP and reported them. The next day the same IP tried to trojan him again 5 times in 15 minutes ;p Dangerous internet out there sometimes

[VoodooDaddy]

Originally posted by voicegy
Not only did I nail it, and admit it by stating it, but added what you don't want to comment on:

"...and have heard, that there is an unwritten code among those who create viruses that they respect the Macintosh platform and are gleeful about bringing Microsoft OS's to their knees. I also believe that the malicious attitude of virus creation has, in some part, got to do with the general feeling of wanting to hit Microsoft hard..."

I'll comment on that:

its a load of crap. Virus writer have respect for Mac?? *looks for the laughing smilie*

Sorry, its all about how much havok they can create, and with 95% + users on Windows machines thats where they focus. Its not about having respect for Mac.

If virus writers have respect for Mac, then why are there still viruses for Mac??

[tazo]

I can say honestly I have never had a virus on my mac :) The only time it really ever crashes is when i have like all the iapps open plus a few extras like safari and PS

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by VoodooDaddy
If virus writers have respect for Mac, then why are there still viruses for Mac??

Are there any viruses for OSX yet?

[macdong]

in mt life of Mac, i never had any virus.
i had Virux on all the time, but it's just in case.
on the other hand, i work part-time in a restaurant as waiter.
and we have a windoze NT server here.
i was given the order to keep the computer running good.
my boss thinks i know computer, but he can't understand that i only knows Mac.
heck i've never used windoze before.
but anyway i run Norton a/v every night before i go home.
and guess what?
at least 10 virus, daily.