Have Mac got viruses or not?

[glosterseagul]

I posted the thing about "dump the pc" he responded with....

"Errr just not true - here's some for starters ( not all attack OS X but most do ).

Mabutu-A, see W32/Mabutu-A
Mac.Moothie.A, see W32/Moothie-KIT
Mac.Simpson, see AplS/Simpsons-A
Mac.Simpsons, see AplS/Simpsons-A
Mac/Amphimix-A
Mac/ANTI-A
Mac/Autostart-A
Mac/Autostart-B
Mac/Autostart-C
Mac/Autostart-D
Mac/CDEF
Mac/CODE-1
Mac/CODE-252
Mac/CODE-9811
Mac/INIT-1984
Mac/INIT-29
Mac/INIT-9403
Mac/INIT-M
Mac/MBDF-A
Mac/MBDF-B
Mac/MDEF-A
Mac/nVIR-A
Mac/nVIR-B
Mac/nVIR-Fam
Mac/Scores
Mac/SevenD-C
Mac/SevenD-D
Mac/SevenD-Fam
Mac/Sevendust-A
Mac/Sevendust-B
Mac/Sevendust-J
Mac/Simpsons@mm, see AplS/Simpsons-A
Mac/T4
Mac/WDEF
Mac/ZUC-A
Macaka-A, see Troj/Macaka-A
Macdwarf-A, see Bat/Macdwarf-A
MacOS/MW2004, see AplS/Fromr-A"

[tomf87]

Is this in response to another thread or am I the only one completely lost?

[edesignuk]

http://upload.yo-momma.net/uploads/macros/homerexplain.jpg

:confused:

[tomf87]

nice... :) I always like your responses...

[SilentPanda]

Looks like a list of Mac virus things but... they're probably for OS 9.

[glosterseagul]

DoH!

I posted the bit about Mac Viruses then he came back with that lot...ie lots of Mac Viruses. Did he make them up? Where did he get the list so quick? Is he bluffing? Am I a fool? ( don't answer that last one!)

[edesignuk]

DoH!

I posted the bit about Mac Viruses then he came back with that lot...ie lots of Mac Viruses. Did he make them up? Where did he get the list so quick? Is he bluffing? Am I a fool? ( don't answer that last one!)
What the HELL are you blabbering about!?

[bousozoku]

DoH!

I posted the bit about Mac Viruses then he came back with that lot...ie lots of Mac Viruses. Did he make them up? Where did he get the list so quick? Is he bluffing? Am I a fool? ( don't answer that last one!)

Some of those look familar from System 6 days but I'm surprised that Sevendust has been around that long. There were 38 native System 6/System 7 viruses for the longest time and there were apparently 4 more added around the Mac OS 8/9 timeframe.

There are no native Mac OS X viruses and I doubt someone is going to start the Classic environment to run those he listed.

[JeDiBoYTJ]

Some of those look familar from System 6 days but I'm surprised that Sevendust has been around that long. There were 38 native System 6/System 7 viruses for the longest time and there were apparently 4 more added around the Mac OS 8/9 timeframe.

There are no native Mac OS X viruses and I doubt someone is going to start the Classic environment to run those he listed.

Sevendust has been around sence '96/'97. Wasnt that around OS8 days? I'm a little shady on my apple history.

anyway... yeah, this thread doesnt quite make sence, but im guessing that the original poster was supposedly 'proven wrong' by saying there are no mac virus's.

My responce would be "multiply that by 500,000 and you got the amount of PC Virus's ;) )

[glosterseagul]

Sevendust has been around sence '96/'97. Wasnt that around OS8 days? I'm a little shady on my apple history.

anyway... yeah, this thread doesnt quite make sence, but im guessing that the original poster was supposedly 'proven wrong' by saying there are no mac virus's.

My responce would be "multiply that by 500,000 and you got the amount of PC Virus's ;) )

thanks thats all I wanted to know

[edesignuk]

thanks thats all I wanted to knowMaybe if you had actually asked a question that made sense you would have got an answer even quicker ;)

[t300]

This is a very weird thread..Yet, I can't stop laughing...Especially at Homer, as his thought is exactly what I said outloud.

[yellow]

"Errr just not true - here's some for starters ( not all attack OS X but most do ).

Err just not true - He has no idea what he's talking about. None attack OS X. None. Zilch. Zero. Zip.

[bousozoku]

Sevendust has been around sence '96/'97. Wasnt that around OS8 days? I'm a little shady on my apple history.

anyway... yeah, this thread doesnt quite make sence, but im guessing that the original poster was supposedly 'proven wrong' by saying there are no mac virus's.

My responce would be "multiply that by 500,000 and you got the amount of PC Virus's ;) )

Well, considering that the original 38 were around prior to 1993 would make me wonder, but I suppose it doesn't have to fit into my view of things anyway. :D

There were over 50,000 x86 viruses as of 2001, so I don't think it's a matter of much impact on Mac OS X. Someone with x86 anti-virus software could give us an accurate number from the virus definitions. I believe that over 5000 of those are MS Office viruses and some can work on MS Office for Mac.

[glosterseagul]

Maybe if you had actually asked a question that made sense you would have got an answer even quicker ;)

OK Sorry guys.....

ONE:
This thread refers to a bloke wanting some itunes help. He is on a pc and wants to know if there a way of getting iTunes to update the library automatically?

I had this problem on my partners pc I had "add to library" before the tunes would show up.

TWO:
I try to find it don't seem to work http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=89164

THREE:
The bloke that said loads of viruses on a mac.... this tread

Anyway sorry if I am a thicko
:(

[glosterseagul]

Further to mac has zip nil etc viruses.

I have this cocky git I have been having a discussion with...he seems to know a lot...regarding viruses.his response.....


"OSX not only has a large number of native viruses, it is affected by viruses that attack FreeBSD/PPC and any pan-UNIX virus. Hence it actually has more current, active viruses than, say, Windows 98.

UNIX, and even OSX itself, being a common server OS a FECK LOAD of data-eating network-transmitting worms exist for it.
I'd just like to reemphasise here - I own a *number* of Macintosh machines. From 68K's to Classic PPC's to a X.0 powered iMac.

Hence my hatred is not as biased as a solely Windows or solely x86 user.

And because I use "real" PC's, I have significantly more knowledge of the real world of computing than a closeted Mac user."

How hurtfull...does anyone want to help me fight a battle....or should I just "let it go"? :rolleyes:

[dotnina]

I really haven't understood any of the threads you've posted. You seem to be using a shorthand that only you understand, and I suspect you mean to reply to some other thread here?

I did, however, note the part in your thread where you say "should I just 'let it go'". I think that's an excellent idea. :)

[yellow]

I must stress that there are no viruses for Mac OS X. There are EXPLOITS, which are not the same thing. It most certainly does NOT have more viruses then Windows98.

There are only 6 known viruses for BSD. There hasn't been a new one since 2002. The amount of UNIX based viruses ever captured and identified most certainly does not add up to the amount in existance for Windows.

Again, there are no Mac OS X viruses. He has no idea what he's talking about.

Tell him that his zombified WinTelThon is DOSing me and I'm sick of it.

[Timelessblur]

I think the best way to put it is there are almost no known virsus for OSX.

Because there are none really known that does not mean that they are none out there or never will be

[yellow]

Certainly there will be some one day.. but they will pale in comparison to the plethora of Windows viruses.

[iMeowbot]

"OSX not only has a large number of native viruses, it is affected by viruses that attack FreeBSD/PPC and any pan-UNIX virus.
So, where are these "FreeBSD/PPC and pan-UNIX" virus programs? There was the Morris worm in 1988 (yes, 1988, and it only affected two computer models running long-dead versions of finger and sendmail), but since then things have been pretty quiet.

One has to wonder if your acquaintance actually understands what a virus is. the "pan-UNIX" remark betrays a profound ignorance of the broad diversity of software installed on Unix and Unix-like systems, and an equally profound ignorance of the actual levels at which the various Unix-like systems interoperate.

Hence it actually has more current, active viruses than, say, Windows 98.
Okay. All your acquaintance has to do is name one virus that works on current Unix systems.

(Hint: yes, vulnerabities have been identified in various Unix-like systems and applications that run on them over the years, and some have even been exploited to gain superuser access to specific operating-system/hardware combinations, but none of those things is a virus or worm.)

[I should also mention that a listing in antivirus vendor databases does not indicate the existance of a real virus in the wild. Independent reports such as actual new items, or discussion of effects in bulletingn boards, Usenet, etc. might be believable]

[patrick0brien]

-glosterseagul

When responding to him in the future, don't try to poke specific holes in his argument, he'll just try to do the same to you. clearly he needs to do a lot more research, and that's what you should tell him. And that will get the hell out of his goose. Wintel Accolytes hate it when I do the same.

Usually the conversation goes something like:

"Well Macs are more secure because they have a teeny market share"

Biting my tounge, trying not to dissasemble his argument, I reply, "That's not true. You need to do some more research."

His response: "What do you base that on? How can you say that?"

"The research is readily available, go find it." I say.

Flustered because I'm not giving him the argument he wants, he comes back with the snide remark, "You go to a Machead site or something?"

"Nope. And I simply don't worry about it."

At this point your 'adversary's head should explode. I hope you have a towel.

[MacsRgr8]

I posted the thing about "dump the pc" he responded with....

"Errr just not true - here's some for starters ( not all attack OS X but most do ).

Mac/MBDF-A
Mac/MBDF-B


I remember having to deal with these two Mac virusses (viri... virii :confused: ), and they were pretty annoying at the time.
Once your Mac was infected, some (but not all) applications would "unexpectedly quit, error type 2 occured". Tnx to Norton AntiVirus we could solve the problem..... was about 6 years ago or so.

[yellow]

two Mac virusses (viri... virii :confused: )

Viruses. You had it right the first time.

[tomf87]

I'd say let's start another thread about the possiblities of Mac viruses

:rolleyes:

EDIT: Corrected spelling

[yellow]

I'd say let's start another thread about the possiblities of Mac virii

That'd be novel!

[MacsRgr8]

Viruses. You had it right the first time.

Tnx.

Virii sounds Latin somehow....

[tomf87]

That'd be novel!

Yeah, then we could just copy our posts over .. :)

[jackieonasses]

why did he post another thread??? :confused:

[jemeinc]

LOL... Man, you type like Da Ali G talks... ;-)... just kidding.... But I do lose you sometimes with the slang...lol..

[wrldwzrd89]

I posted the thing about "dump the pc" he responded with....

"Errr just not true - here's some for starters ( not all attack OS X but most do ).

Mabutu-A, see W32/Mabutu-A
Mac.Moothie.A, see W32/Moothie-KIT
Mac.Simpson, see AplS/Simpsons-A
Mac.Simpsons, see AplS/Simpsons-A
Mac/Amphimix-A
Mac/ANTI-A
Mac/Autostart-A
Mac/Autostart-B
Mac/Autostart-C
Mac/Autostart-D
Mac/CDEF
Mac/CODE-1
Mac/CODE-252
Mac/CODE-9811
Mac/INIT-1984
Mac/INIT-29
Mac/INIT-9403
Mac/INIT-M
Mac/MBDF-A
Mac/MBDF-B
Mac/MDEF-A
Mac/nVIR-A
Mac/nVIR-B
Mac/nVIR-Fam
Mac/Scores
Mac/SevenD-C
Mac/SevenD-D
Mac/SevenD-Fam
Mac/Sevendust-A
Mac/Sevendust-B
Mac/Sevendust-J
Mac/Simpsons@mm, see AplS/Simpsons-A
Mac/T4
Mac/WDEF
Mac/ZUC-A
Macaka-A, see Troj/Macaka-A
Macdwarf-A, see Bat/Macdwarf-A
MacOS/MW2004, see AplS/Fromr-A"

I know for certain that the viruses you listed in the "CODE" and "INIT" families are Mac OS "Classic" (9 and earlier) specific and can't infect Mac OS X. I strongly suspect that ALL the viruses whose names start with "Mac/" are Mac OS 9 only. The first three and last three I've never seen before.

[glosterseagul]

why did he post another thread??? :confused:

Because I was getting a lot of stick in the other thread and I thought...hoped it would fade :rolleyes:

Thank you for your replies....

I replied with the following:

Originally posted by MYOB
I'd just like to reemphasise here - I own a *number* of Macintosh machines. From 68K's to Classic PPC's to a X.0 powered iMac.

Hence my hatred is not as biased as a solely Windows or solely x86 user.

And because I use "real" PC's, I have significantly more knowledge of the real world of computing than a closeted Mac user.

Tthere are no viruses for Mac OS X!

There are EXPLOITS, which are not the same thing. It most certainly does NOT have more viruses then Windows98.

There are only 6 known viruses for BSD. There hasn't been a new one since 2002. The amount of UNIX based viruses ever captured and identified most certainly does not add up to the amount in existance for Windows.

Again, there are no Mac OS X viruses. You have no idea what he's talking about.

So, where are these "FreeBSD/PPC and pan-UNIX" virus programs? There was the Morris worm in 1988 (yes, 1988, and it only affected two computer models running long-dead versions of finger and sendmail), but since then things have been pretty quiet.

Do you actually understand what a virus is? The "pan-UNIX" remark betrays a profound ignorance of the broad diversity of software installed on Unix and Unix-like systems, and an equally profound ignorance of the actual levels at which the various Unix-like systems interoperate.

More current, active viruses than, say, Windows 98?

Okay. All you have to do is name one virus that works on current Unix systems.

(Hint: yes, vulnerabities have been identified in various Unix-like systems and applications that run on them over the years, and some have even been exploited to gain superuser access to specific operating-system/hardware combinations, but none of those things is a virus or worm.)

I think the best way to put it is there are almost no known virsus for OSX.

Because there are none really known that does not mean that they are none out there or never will be...Certainly there will be some one day.. but they will pale in comparison to the plethora of Windows viruses. :)

[tomf87]

Who knows.... Maybe they can't find the attached image will help (shows my poor graphics skills).

[glosterseagul]

I think it worked, has just come back with:


"I notice you go from "no" to "almost no" in that passage
Also, the thousand odd MacOS Classic viruses probably still run in OSX's classic emulator. I'd prefer not to nuke any Classic programmes on the iMac so I'm not going to try.
No OS is totally secure. OSX is no better than Windows in that regard.
Also, if the Mac has no viruses, can you explain to me how Virex made money for a number of owners."


He was baffling me with science I think his reply was a little tame! Apart from me quoting "No" and "almost no"
I edited my mistake I wrote....."Again, there are no Mac OS X viruses. You have no idea what<<< he's>>>(should have read You are....) talking about."
:rolleyes:

[yellow]

"I notice you go from "no" to "almost no" in that passage

There are no viruses in the wild. There WAS a trojan horse conceptual virus. But it was concocted by a company that writes anti-viral software. Hence the move from "no" to "almost no". I want to be factually correct.



Also, the thousand odd MacOS Classic viruses probably still run in OSX's classic emulator. I'd prefer not to nuke any Classic programmes on the iMac so I'm not going to try.

There's certainly not 1000 viruses for the Mac OS and pre-Mac OS. Viruses attack vulnerabilities in software and OSes. These are typically rendered useless when the software/OS gets updated. The bulk of them were for pre-Mac OS (when Apple's OS was called a "System"). None of these are effective against modern Mac OS. Very, very few of them were internet borne viruses. Network propagation of a virus and trojan horse is decidedly a Windows affair. Plus, Mac OS X is the primary OS for Apple now. Sure, there are still DOS viruses out there, and every Windows box has DOS, but would you count those viruses against it? I wouldn't.

No OS is totally secure. OSX is no better than Windows in that regard.

Correct, no OS is secure. Some are more secure then others. I would argue that Mac OS X is more secure then windows for a few key reasons. One, it ships with potential security risks turned OFF by default. Contrary to Windows policy (up until recently). Two, there are many times more Windows boxes out there then there are Macs. Even if there were 10x the amount of Mac OS X vulnerabilities, it STILL wouldn't add up to a typical week of Windows flaws.

Also, if the Mac has no viruses, can you explain to me how Virex made money for a number of owners."

I can and will. Switchers, worriers, folks who are ignorant (in the good way) of Mac viruses. I fall in the worriers column. Do I need to elaborate? Sure! Switchers come from a world where viruses are always a clear and present danger. It's hard to believe that they can move to a modern OS that is currently uneffected by viruses. Worriers, like me, feel that there will be a Mac viruses or two someday and attempt to make themselves feel better by having an AV solution. And the last, the blissfully ignorant. Those that have never had a computer and hear about Windows viruses on the nightly news and wonder if they need to protect their Macs.

The money from folks who buy Virex is cab fare for McAfee execs. Windows pays for their houses and trophy wives/husbands.

[jemeinc]

Also, if the Mac has no viruses, can you explain to me how Virex made money for a number of owners."

:

It's a .mac throw in- it's free...

[patrick0brien]

Correct, no OS is secure. Some are more secure then others. I would argue that Mac OS X is more secure then windows for a few key reasons. One, it ships with potential security risks turned OFF by default. Contrary to Windows policy (up until recently). Two, there are many times more Windows boxes out there then there are Macs. Even if there were 10x the amount of Mac OS X vulnerabilities, it STILL wouldn't add up to a typical week of Windows flaws.

-yellow

Don't forget that OS X asks for administrator password when installing apps. a simple, yet elegant defense agains a virus that might eventually be made for OS X.

[Mechcozmo]

I just ran a virus check on my PeeCee. Guess what? Adware. Some spyware that inserted itself into a place that cannot be uninstalled (it took over part of the OS, but I took out the rest of the program) and a virus on a floppy disk I was checking, but it was an old disk. Oddly enough, that virus could still have been damaging.

I honesty hate Windoze for its lack of security...and SP2's firewall dosn't help. It blocks everything (even iPod's bus power if you arn't careful) and dosn't work too well.

[patrick0brien]

-Scores! I remember that one!

Had it in 1988!

Despite his insistance that 'most attack OS X', he's simply incorrect. These are Classic MacOS viruses.

[yellow]

Good point. Non-"default root access".

[patrick0brien]

Good point. Non-"default root access".

-yellow

The password is even requested when in root as well. And that, we all know s hidden too so that only those who understand the power, can even find it.

MS is about the deadlines, Apple is about the product. There are advantages and disadvantages to both models.

[mj_1903]

For some reason no one seems to have focused on the fact that most viruses are written for x86, especially BSD viruses. Mac OS X runs on a PowerPC making it impossible to execute them.

[Rower_CPU]

glosterseagul-

FYI, making only one thread and clearly explaining what you want to discuss is the best way to get help with something around here. Any "stick" you received was a product of a poorly constructed first post and pretty justifiable since people were asking you to clarify your comments.

If you think anybody was out of line, report the post and we'll look at it.

[glosterseagul]

glosterseagul-

FYI, making only one thread and clearly explaining what you want to discuss is the best way to get help with something around here. Any "stick" you received was a product of a poorly constructed first post and pretty justifiable since people were asking you to clarify your comments.

If you think anybody was out of line, report the post and we'll look at it.

I totally agree. I regret my moments of gibberish - the "stick" I received was not a problem and mostly justified...Some a little unfreindly; but hey.

I have the same problem when I talk to people sometimes I just asume they know what I am on about...usually they do not!

I find this site friendly and welcoming I regret that my threads and comments irritated a few for which ~ I appologies sincerely.

........Still no responce about why apple find doesnt find :confused:

[yellow]

........Still no responce about why apple find doesnt find :confused:

It's in the Wasteland, and not repliable to..

[glosterseagul]

It's a con spirry c!

Back to the find issue later...

How do I bypass the passwords on os9.2...the kids have forgot them.

I cant remember setting them up?

I tied turning extensions off not enough privs to turn off the login bit!

[glosterseagul]

I am going to start another thread as A) its urgent and B) peeps might not see it here. :)