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sp27

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 13, 2012
3
0
is there any risk getting any virus/malware or spyware from using sopcast?

i know there is some with pc computers but how bout witht he macbook air 2012?

thanks
 

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,539
941
is there any risk getting any virus/malware or spyware from using sopcast?

i know there is some with pc computers but how bout witht he macbook air 2012?

thanks
Macs are not immune to malware, but no true viruses exist in the wild that can run on Mac OS X, and there never have been any since it was released over 10 years ago. The only malware in the wild that can affect Mac OS X is a handful of trojans, which can be easily avoided by practicing safe computing (see below). Also, Mac OS X 10.6 and later versions have anti-malware protection built in, further reducing the need for 3rd party antivirus apps.
  1. Make sure your built-in Mac firewall is enabled in System Preferences > Security > Firewall

  2. Uncheck "Open "safe" files after downloading" in Safari > Preferences > General

  3. Disable Java in your browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox). This will protect you from malware that exploits Java in your browser, including the recent Flashback trojan. Leave Java disabled until you visit a trusted site that requires it, then re-enable only for the duration of your visit to that site. (This is not to be confused with JavaScript, which you should leave enabled.)

  4. Change your DNS servers to OpenDNS servers by reading this.

  5. Be careful to only install software from trusted, reputable sites. Never install pirated software. If you're not sure about an app, ask in this forum before installing.

  6. Never let someone else have access to install anything on your Mac.

  7. Don't open files that you receive from unknown or untrusted sources.

  8. For added security, make sure all network, email, financial and other important passwords are long and complex, including upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters.

  9. Always keep your Mac and application software updated. Use Software Update for your Mac software. For other software, it's safer to get updates from the developer's site or from the menu item "Check for updates", rather than installing from any notification window that pops up while you're surfing the web.
That's all you need to do to keep your Mac completely free of any Mac OS X malware that has ever been released into the wild. While you may elect to use it, 3rd party antivirus software is not required to keep your Mac malware-free.
 

sp27

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 13, 2012
3
0
thanks for the speedy response. i had one more question, i dont have a drive witht he new air and new cd's came witht it.

how do i reformat the comp?
 

iVoid

macrumors 65816
Jan 9, 2007
1,145
190
thanks for the speedy response. i had one more question, i dont have a drive witht he new air and new cd's came witht it.

how do i reformat the comp?

How new?

Any Air that came with Lion or Mountain Lion would have a recovery partition. Press command-r to open it and reformat the drive and reinstall the OS.

If it's a Air that came with Snow Leopard, a little USB flash drive came with them to reinstall the OS.

As far as I recall, no Air ever had DVDs shipped with them.
 

sp27

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 13, 2012
3
0
How new?

Any Air that came with Lion or Mountain Lion would have a recovery partition. Press command-r to open it and reformat the drive and reinstall the OS.

If it's a Air that came with Snow Leopard, a little USB flash drive came with them to reinstall the OS.

As far as I recall, no Air ever had DVDs shipped with them.

yeah its the new air, jsut got it last week the 2012- 128 ssd without drive. so i just use that command and im good?
 

iVoid

macrumors 65816
Jan 9, 2007
1,145
190
yeah its the new air, jsut got it last week the 2012- 128 ssd without drive. so i just use that command and im good?

Yup, command-r will allow you to reinstall (or use disk util to erase your old boot drive and install cleanly).
 
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