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2 questions:
- Thread starter mys25
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1. They can, but pretty much only when using Windows. Under OS X, there are essentially no viruses in the wild. There have been a couple of reports of trojans that rely on social engineering to spread themselves, but as long as you don't download anything you're not sure of the authenticity of, you're more or less safe on OS X...for now, at least.
2. iTunes.
2. iTunes.
mys25 said:
1. No, not if they're running OS X. That's not to say they can't, but there are no known viruses that currently affect OS X. If the Mac is running Windows, then it's just as susceptible to viruses as any PC
2. iTunes, or if you want torrent then most people seem to like Azeurus
Edit: pipped again
WildCowboy said:
No, there are not "essentially" none - there are none. Of course, as you say, buying a Mac and then running Windows will leave you open to all the viruses for the PC.
WildCowboy said:
None have been proven to exist, and even if they did they can't distribute themselves.
dpaanlka said:
How about OompaLoompa (Leap.A)? It didn't work because the writer did a shoddy job, but it certainly should have worked.
dpaanlka said:
Sorry...I should have said that it didn't work as intended. It certainly messed up some people's systems though.
My only point was that OS X is not invincible...it's an important concept for newbies to understand, and we go through this every time the word "virus" is mentioned here in the forums. There have been a number of proof-of-concept virus/trojans/worms/whatever over the years, but we've been fortunate that none have been deployed maliciously. How many true viruses for OS X are out in the wild right now? Zero. But there's a not insignificant probability that that will change in the near future.
Heck, even if there were 5,000 viruses for mac, you'd still be way better off than with windows. I'm not reproving the original poster, but on another note, why are so many people in general worried about the possibility of getting one or two imaginary mac viruses? It's like worrying about Kim Jong Il blowing up New York with an atomic firecracker 
Stop living in fear of 1 mac virus!
Stop living in fear of 1 mac virus!
thewhitehart said:It's like worrying about Kim Jong Il blowing up New York with an atomic firecracker
Well in recent days, that seems a bit more likely now.
I would have made the analogy "It's like worrying about Kim Jong Il blowing up New York with an exploding tea kettle-shaped hot air balloon"