has my imac been hacked ?

[new2mac1981]

call me paranoid but i just want to check, i really do not know much about computers and the ins and outs, i basically bought my mac for music production and general internet surfing

after a chat with friends on whether i needed some kind of anti virus they said macs are really hard to break into ... i have noticed i did not set up my firewall, which i have done now, it is in stealth mode and i have also allowed important connections...

how can i tell if i am being watched ?? or more importantly, having my identification used. i hold personal information on my computer especially internet banking. when i delete cookies they just re-appear straight away... can anyone offer me any help or advice please,, go easy on me with the technical words as i may not be sure of what it is your asking... hope you guys can help and put my mind at rest... thanks for reading

regards

 

[chrismacguy]

call me paranoid but i just want to check, i really do not know much about computers and the ins and outs, i basically bought my mac for music production and general internet surfing

after a chat with friends on whether i needed some kind of anti virus they said macs are really hard to break into ... i have noticed i did not set up my firewall, which i have done now, it is in stealth mode and i have also allowed important connections...

how can i tell if i am being watched ?? or more importantly, having my identification used. i hold personal information on my computer especially internet banking. when i delete cookies they just re-appear straight away... can anyone offer me any help or advice please,, go easy on me with the technical words as i may not be sure of what it is your asking... hope you guys can help and put my mind at rest... thanks for reading

regards

You don't need to worry. At all. Mac OS X is perfectly secure, and now you have the Firewall enabled Mac OS X won't even let other people connect to your computer, let alone access your data.

 

[new2mac1981]

You don't need to worry. At all. Mac OS X is perfectly secure, and now you have the Firewall enabled Mac OS X won't even let other people connect to your computer, let alone access your data.

hi thanks for that chris. i feel better knowing that, what if someone has already got in ?? before i enabled the firewall. ive had my imac over a year now and literally only just turned the firewall on !!

 

[GGJstudios]

after a chat with friends on whether i needed some kind of anti virus

You don't need any 3rd party antivirus app to keep your Mac malware-free. 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 10 years ago. You cannot infect your Mac simply by visiting a website, unzipping a file, opening an email attachment or joining a network. The only malware in the wild that can affect Mac OS X is a handful of trojans, which cannot infect your Mac unless you actively install them, and they can be easily avoided with some basic education, common sense and care in what software you install. Also, Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Lion have anti-malware protection built in, further reducing the need for 3rd party antivirus apps.

Mac Virus/Malware FAQ​

how can i tell if i am being watched ?? or more importantly, having my identification used.

You're not. The chances of having your Mac hacked is ridiculously remote. As long as you have your firewall enabled, use secure passwords for email accounts and other online accounts, and are careful to install software only from trusted sources, you have nothing to worry about.

 

[chrismacguy]

hi thanks for that chris. i feel better knowing that, what if someone has already got in ?? before i enabled the firewall. ive had my imac over a year now and literally only just turned the firewall on !!

They won't have. And even, hypothetically, if they had, they can't get back in now you've enabled the FireWall, so you have nothing to worry about. Not that any hacker is going to be interested in breaking into a consumer computer. If you were say a major bank running trillions in transactions then maybe, but a home consumer: no chance.

 

[new2mac1981]

hi and thanks for the response. i feel a bit stupid now ! lol

no seriously you have put my mind at rest ! much appreciated

regards

 

[Nightarchaon]

As an IT security bod as part of my role at work, i would say your no safer on a mac than you are on a PC

install antivirus software, Sophos free us a good one from a reputable company

keep your firewall up, and keep your mac updated.

A lot of people are going to tell you macs are more secure and less attacked than PCs but this is no longer true, Apple has been a focus of many virus and malware writers of late as its market share grows, in fact, id say the average mac user is MORE at risk, not less, from malware and viruses due to the fact the mac "collective" all keep pushing the fact the mac is a minority system and is less targeted and less hacked.

Bottom line, the Mac is now just another computer, to stay safe, apply the same rules you would to stay safe on a windows PC.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

As an IT security bod as part of my role at work, i would say your no safer on a mac than you are on a PC

install antivirus software, Sophos free us a good one from a reputable company

keep your firewall up, and keep your mac updated.

A lot of people are going to tell you macs are more secure and less attacked than PCs but this is no longer true, Apple has been a focus of many virus and malware writers of late as its market share grows, in fact, id say the average mac user is MORE at risk, not less, from malware and viruses due to the fact the mac "collective" all keep pushing the fact the mac is a minority system and is less targeted and less hacked.

Bottom line, the Mac is now just another computer, to stay safe, apply the same rules you would to stay safe on a windows PC.

As pointed out here, Sophos is NOT a good choice.

And there have been NO viruses affecting Mac OS X since its birth more than ten years ago. Maybe it will change, but UNIX and BSD are quite good roots to build an OS onto.

And about that often repeated market share comment: The Mac OS X Malware Myth Continues

Anyway, I and many others, though proficient enough to use a computer properly (being able to watch MePorn or Friendface pages is no sign of computer knowledge), have used Mac OS X without the need for any stupid AV software for quite a while.

 

[GGJstudios]

Sophos free us a good one

No, it's not. Sophos should be avoided, as it could actually increase your Mac's vulnerability, as described here and here... and here.

Apple has been a focus of many virus and malware writers of late

False. There has never been a Mac OS X virus in the wild and there are only a handful of trojans.

Read the Mac Virus/Malware FAQ that I posted to educate yourself with facts, not uninformed opinions.

 

[Tumbleweed666]

As an IT security bod as part of my role at work, i would say your no safer on a mac than you are on a PC
install antivirus software, Sophos free us a good one from a reputable company keep your firewall up, and keep your mac updated.

A lot of people are going to tell you macs are more secure and less attacked than PCs but this is no longer true, Apple has been a focus of many virus and malware writers of late as its market share grows, in fact, id say the average mac user is MORE at risk, not less, from malware and viruses due to the fact the mac "collective" all keep pushing the fact the mac is a minority system and is less targeted and less hacked.

Bottom line, the Mac is now just another computer, to stay safe apply the same rules you would to stay safe on a windows PC.

I"m glad you are not "an IT security bod" at my company !

Perhaps you could name, say one of the viruses that these writers have been creating for Mac? Just one. What was the last count for Windows, several thousand? What was the name of just one of those viruses you said there were.

If "the average Mac user is now more at danger than a Windows user", why then is this forum not full of thousands of people who've been subject to malware? Of course, it isnt, because the average Mac user is overwhelmingly less likely to be infected than a PC user. Trust me, when there is a Mac virus out there, you will hear about it shouted from the rooftops. Until then, ill-informed people it seems have to make stuff up.

Now of course, you can be tricked into installing malware on a Mac just like on Windows. And you are more likely to be tricked if you believe "you can get a virus just like you can on Windows", because then perhaps when you see the website spoofing a virus detection alert you'll be tempted to click on it to "clean" your machine (in the process infecting it of course).

But if you know its overwhelming more likely to be a spoof, you wont. So such misinformation is not only false, its plainly counterproductive.

 

[Nightarchaon]

I will let you guys continue under the "apple line" then, all i can say, is if otherwise intelligent people fall under the marketing spiel, there doing a good job, me, ill keep myself protected, as for no apple viruses in the wild, i do not off the top of my head know the names of them, but they are out , i know 1 person, personally that had to bin his Timecapsule backups and reformat to get shut of one.

Yes , the chance of being infected without your personal interaction is incredibly low, but its just as low on the PC, Viruses do not, for the most part, self propagate (the Sasser virus being a notable , really really bad exception from windows SQL servers bad old days)

but the fact that people say apple doesn't need protection is wrong, you have to be just as vigilant against malware and phising on a mac as you do a windows PC, if you think otherwise, your going to get bit sooner or later.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

I will let you guys continue under the "apple line" then, all i can say, is if otherwise intelligent people fall under the marketing spiel, there doing a good job, me, ill keep myself protected, as for no apple viruses in the wild, i do not off the top of my head know the names of them, but they are out , i know 1 person, personally that had to bin his Timecapsule backups and reformat to get shut of one.

Yes , the chance of being infected without your personal interaction is incredibly low, but its just as low on the PC, Viruses do not, for the most part, self propagate (the Sasser virus being a notable , really really bad exception from windows SQL servers bad old days)

but the fact that people say apple doesn't need protection is wrong, you have to be just as vigilant against malware and phising on a mac as you do a windows PC, if you think otherwise, your going to get bit sooner or later.

I guess, this will continue the long saga of "Please show me that fracking virus you speak of!!", as you seem to confuse your malware types, as a virus is not the same as a trojan. A virus does not need user interaction, except reading a mail or downloading something, the rest will be done by the virus.

And as your one friend had that experience, and no one knows about it, let's just say, that your friend didn't know, what s/he is or was talking about.

Just run any software you like to protect you from non-existent threads, though PEBCAK is the most common threat for computers anyway, but there is no software protecting you from that I guess.

Good luck with the following heated discussion.

PS: You can't name ONE virus, even with researching them.

 

[GGJstudios]

I will let you guys continue under the "apple line"

It's not the "Apple line". It's the "factual line" as opposed to your "make-it-up-as-you-go line".

as for no apple viruses in the wild, i do not off the top of my head know the names of them, but they are out

That is completely false. If you care to challenge me, provide the name of one Mac OS X virus in the wild. One.

i know 1 person, personally that had to bin his Timecapsule backups and reformat to get shut of one.

This is how these bogus stories go: "I know a friend of my neighbor's cousin's sister-in-law's gardener's son who once had a Mac literally explode and kill 3 people because of a virus!!!" There has never been a Mac OS X virus in the wild. Not one. Not ever.

Yes , the chance of being infected without your personal interaction is incredibly low

The chances of a Mac OS X infection without user interaction in today's world is, in fact, zero.

Viruses do not, for the most part, self propagate

This displays your lack of understanding as to what a virus is. You really should take the time to read the link I posted in the 4th post of this thread, to educate yourself. Since you seem unlikely to do so, I'll spell it out for you by quoting that information:

A computer virus is a small program written to alter the way a computer operates, without the permission or knowledge of the user. A virus must meet two criteria:

• It must execute itself. It often places its own code in the path of execution of another program.
• It must replicate itself. For example, it may replace other executable files with a copy of the virus infected file.

The fact remains that there are forms of malware in the wild that can and do infect Windows PCs without user permission or interaction. No such malware exists that can infect Mac OS X.

As of this time, a Mac can be kept 100% malware free simply by the user exercising care in what software they actively install.

 

[rochford]

Back to the original thread

To new2mac1981 - after the above back and forth discussion, just remember to keep your software up to date including the security updates apple sends out from time to time and you'll be OK.

 

[Tumbleweed666]

as for no apple viruses in the wild, i do not off the top of my head know the names of them, but they are out , i know 1 person, personally that had to bin his Timecapsule backups and reformat to get shut of one.

LOL. So you are an "IT security bod", yet you don't know what a virus is, you "know" there are Mac viruses, but don't offhand know the name of one, and don't have the wit to use google to find one of the ones you are sure exist. At least, I assume that. The alternative is that you tried google, couldn't find one,(because there isn't one) and don't wish to admit to your mistake. Which is it? Dumb or dumber?

As for your friend, well he is as knowledgeable about malware as you (eg he doesn't have a clue and has confused some event on his Mac for a virus, since he could not have had one). He may have been careless enough to install malware of course, there is a tiny amount about, mostly on dodgy bootleg software sites.

 

[cr74lyfe]

Okay im in a similar dilemma, the thing is i didnt have any firewall enabled at all, dont hav apple remote desktop installed no sharing activating, i do some torrent downloads though. So i was just worried that can my webcam be remotely hacked ? Please do let me know, i am kinda paranoid, also i did download virusbarrier x6 n scanned my mac(lion) and the reult said that there was no malware spyware trojan or virus. So should i be worried ?

 

[swordfish5736]

instead of an anti-virus program i use something called little snitch. It can get annoying at times but whenever i am on a network that is not my own with my macbook pro i turn it on. It runs non-stop on my iMac which has explicit rules to only allow a few connections that should be happening

 

[GGJstudios]

Okay im in a similar dilemma, the thing is i didnt have any firewall enabled at all, dont hav apple remote desktop installed no sharing activating, i do some torrent downloads though. So i was just worried that can my webcam be remotely hacked ? Please do let me know, i am kinda paranoid, also i did download virusbarrier x6 n scanned my mac(lion) and the reult said that there was no malware spyware trojan or virus. So should i be worried ?

Read post #4 in this thread, including the link posted. No, your webcam cannot be remotely hacked. Simply downloading torrents doesn't introduce malware to your Mac. Only installing infected apps can infect your Mac, so don't pirate software. Also, enable your Mac's built-in firewall.

 

[Dr Kevorkian94]

I usually keep my firewall off, for whatever reason nothing has happened yet. I know is probably a huge deal but should i turn it on? wow sound like a huge noob lmao

 

[GGJstudios]

I usually keep my firewall off, for whatever reason nothing has happened yet. I know is probably a huge deal but should i turn it on? wow sound like a huge noob lmao

Yes, you should enable it. There's no reason not to enable it, as it won't affect performance and adds a level of security.

 

[panchal2212]

I had run a virus scan few days back. It did not detect any infection. So should i go by its word(as in my mac is not affected) or should i take action ?

 

[GGJstudios]

I had run a virus scan few days back. It did not detect any infection. So should i go by its word(as in my mac is not affected) or should i take action ?

Read post #4 in this thread, and read the link in that post.

 

[exabytes18]

Mac OS X is perfectly secure.

Nope. This is a great example of how much false trust people put into Apple.

------

Traditional viruses aren't the primary concern today. It's other malware that's a problem... trojans, adware, etc. No operating system can protect people from stupid users.

 

[CeeGee4]

hacked!

I hope no one is too comfy with the thought of an unhackable iMac. When I began to receive returned e-mail for over 200 mails I had not sent, I got a little uncomfortable. Just trashing them was not enough. My server closed me down completely and I had to call them and re-do all my passwords on all devices.
I had Sophos installed a while ago and thought it was great -- until my Mac began to misbehave, shutting down 3-4 times a day, and not rebooting properly. It would reboot without sound, with the spinning beachball, and would take at least a half hour to run properly. A member of a MUG group strongly suggested getting rid of Sophos, and that cured the problem. A genius at the Apple store had suggested the same thing, incidentally.
I am the only person who uses this computer, the only software I have ever installed on it is a Mac software update. I don't know if this is a virus or just someone who hacked my e-mail address and then figured out the password. I created a much longer and more complicated password.
I have a password encryption program installed. Firewall is on.

 

[inscrewtable]

....

The thing is how do we know that this is really you posting? This might be that guy who is watching you, watching, waiting, patiently learning your movements and your mannerisms, trying to pretend to be you on this thread in order to better learn how to hide from you.

Hmmm? how can we tell that you are whom you claim to be.