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antivirus worth it?
- Thread starter yishy
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well, you may want to get one cause even though it wont infrect your sestem you can still spread them through email, networks, etc.
phonemonkey
phonemonkey
You don't really need it. I have never had AV software on my powerbook in its 3 years of life and its fine.
Are Mac owners selfish??
It would seem that a few of the Mac community are a little bit selfish. Just because there aren't any viruses per se for the mac doesn't mean that you shouldn't worry about them. You risk passing on virii on to your PC based friends and spreading them again.
I personally think you should have some anti-virus software on your machines; the question is there any good anti-virus software out there I can use?
Without it think about you machine as an incubator for viruses, keeping them alive until you send that infected attachment out....
It would seem that a few of the Mac community are a little bit selfish. Just because there aren't any viruses per se for the mac doesn't mean that you shouldn't worry about them. You risk passing on virii on to your PC based friends and spreading them again.
I personally think you should have some anti-virus software on your machines; the question is there any good anti-virus software out there I can use?
Without it think about you machine as an incubator for viruses, keeping them alive until you send that infected attachment out....
antivirus for email is unnecessary, because windows attachments will not activate in mac and therefore you can safely drop the virus mail in the trash. however, if windows people send you some real attachments (word file anyone?) that CONTAIN a windows virus, you may not notice that virus without an antivirus app - and therefore your mac may in time have a lot of windows virii that you may or may not send to another poor windows user.
so yes, for windows people's sake, it would be good to have that anti-virus app available. they just are so sluggish and big nowadays that i don't want to install one
so yes, for windows people's sake, it would be good to have that anti-virus app available. they just are so sluggish and big nowadays that i don't want to install one
JFreak said:antivirus for email is unnecessary, because windows attachments will not activate in mac and therefore you can safely drop the virus mail in the trash. however, if windows people send you some real attachments (word file anyone?) that CONTAIN a windows virus, you may not notice that virus without an antivirus app - and therefore your mac may in time have a lot of windows virii that you may or may not send to another poor windows user.
so yes, for windows people's sake, it would be good to have that anti-virus app available. they just are so sluggish and big nowadays that i don't want to install one
I totally agree with you that they won't email trojans or whatever won't affect the mac, but what I was trying to say was why should we harbour virii and pass them on. Not everybody is totally computer savvy or know how viruses work and could be using a mac for ease of use unaware that they may be spreading virii.
Miner Willy said:
Yeah, I agree with you here. But I don't agree that they slow you down a lot. I just deployed Norton Corporate 9 on our network, and it hasn't really slowed down even our 1.2Ghz machines.
I think we all need to watch out for each other...
I don't believe Virex recognizes Windows virii, so it's not going to help rid the world of them - nor protect your email recipients.
I think the new version of Norton AV recognizes the Windows virii, but I wouldn't let anything Norton within 10 feet of my Mac, so that's no use to me.
Yea, there aren't any virii written for the Mac yet - but I don't want to be the first unwitting victim. Part of the problem in the Windows world is the attitude that "...it won't affect me..." Sound familiar?
I think the new version of Norton AV recognizes the Windows virii, but I wouldn't let anything Norton within 10 feet of my Mac, so that's no use to me.
Yea, there aren't any virii written for the Mac yet - but I don't want to be the first unwitting victim. Part of the problem in the Windows world is the attitude that "...it won't affect me..." Sound familiar?
bubbamac said:
It's all about the performance versus security trade-off. I've had Virex for 3 years and I'm thinking of taking it off.
I don't recommend that to everyone, but I'm choosing performance.
If all windows users had antivirus then there would be no need to have one on a mac... I would rather keep performance and let windows users look after themselves.
Unenlightened self-interest. Most likely, you display the enlightenment of the 14 year-old. Windows viruses have made everyone's Internet experience worse, inlcuding Mac users. One of the most direct consequences in the world of work is that our employers install virus filters that delete email attachments sent from our Macs and other non-Winodws-based computers. Similar filters delete email attachments that we hope to receive. Another is that Windows viruses steal our email addresses from our Windows-using friends' and colleagues' address books. There are many other instances where Mac users are collateral damage in the war between the virus writers and Windows. Whether you like it or not, we are all in this together. If we don't take a side against the viruses, we accept them by default.JLS said:
MisterMe said:
Im 18, not that a 14yr old doesnt have a brain either you freaking bigot...
I have used windows computers all my life, and im using one right now. If you are a windows user who is too stupid/cheap to have antivirus protection then its nobodys fault but your own if your infected... nothing to do with mac users.
Hector said:
you might like to know that those mass windows virus do effect mac uses indrictly at least. Weather it internet slow down, increase secirty at the ISP/network making a lot of things just harder to do.
Sadly it because people refuse to bother to simple safty in dealing with attachments in cluding a lot of mac usesr which just pass them on. exe files are harder to send because now ISP are very picky about them. Large unknow file types get stop quite a bit so that trick to get around when I need to send stuff no longer works nor does ziping the file because now the ISP unzip and check the file. Slowing email down plus making it a pain in the ass for legit useage of sending files. Reason I learned a lot of the tricks is to turn in homework to teachers. VB files are almost impossible to sended unless you know tricks.
Just remeber it just a matter of time before there is some nasty Mac virsue out there that spreds like wild fire. The ones with AV will be safe but the vaste majority of them will pay the price and dont exept any one who runs AV to feel sorry for them. A lot of windows users dont run good AV and they get nailed.
The number game is really not a valid argument because general there is less than 100 virse (or varints there off) that are actitly spreeding around the net at any momemt in time. The older virse are general killed off for good by ISP and what not so they kill the spreed of it.
Is it currently safe to run no AV on a mac. Yes it is. will it be for ever hell no. its just a matter of time before something big hits macs
jsw said:
Well
is just as insulting to me... resulting in my response.
I think the word bigot is an accurate description of somebody that thinks younger people are stupid.
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=bigot
Sorry if anyone is offended by my views in this instance.
I'm not trying to take sides either way - I've just seen people warned or banned for similar posts.
And I don't think the original poster was implying that young people were selfish. Just more self-centered. Not agreeing or disagreeing.
And I don't think the original poster was implying that young people were selfish. Just more self-centered. Not agreeing or disagreeing.
You are correct about one thing and wrong about another. My firm's email Exchange system will not allow me to send .zip files as attachments. My personal feelings about .exe files is that they should be banned. Period.Timelessblur said:
The thing that you are wrong about is the notion of a nasty Mac virus that spreads like wildfire. It will simply not happen. Viruses are so bad in Windows for a very simple reason. Windows is designed that way. It has nurtured user and developer cultures that perpetuate ever worse security threats. These cultures are not going to disappear anytime soon.
JFreak said:antivirus for email is unnecessary, because windows attachments will not activate in mac and therefore you can safely drop the virus mail in the trash. however, if windows people send you some real attachments (word file anyone?) that CONTAIN a windows virus, you may not notice that virus without an antivirus app - and therefore your mac may in time have a lot of windows virii that you may or may not send to another poor windows user.
so yes, for windows people's sake, it would be good to have that anti-virus app available. they just are so sluggish and big nowadays that i don't want to install one
to argue the opposite of your point. Is it every mac users responsibility to protect windows users? Shouldnt it be the responsibility of the windows user to protect their own PC? not trying to be rude, but they do get email from more places they just mac users. so i would probably say that no, an anti-virus program is not needed. imo.
fuijin said:
no it not that. general it everyone respiblity to try to keep down the spread of viruses. Most windows users have AV on there computer but general take a very same % of the computer out there to bring things to a crashing halt and to cause an huge amont of damage.
what this tread does prove is how stuck up mac users are and how little they care. They seem to think they are invible to virus which they are not and they seem to beleive that they never will get a virus or so. If that is the case then why are secuirty updates release by apple if there OS is so perficet. OH YEAH because it is not and it has it holes in it. Problem is a lot of people dont keep there computer upto date. You are dumb to think that there never will be a Mac virsue that spreeds like wild fire.
Is it likely to happen soon or with in the next year no it is not. The question is no if there ever will be. the correct question is when will it happen. Sad part is it more than likely going to use a secruity patch release by Apple that is seveal months old. Kind of like Blaster did on windows. The hole it used was patch 6 months before blaster came out. People who keep there computer updated or had upto date AV software where more or less immuend to it.
is there going to be any real for warning before it happens no. It will basicly crop up over night.
MisterMe said:
I agree.
.exe files (even if in zip files) are banned on Gmail, which I agree with. Its very rare that anyone would need to send an exe file via email anyway, so this might be a move thats built into software email clients by default too..
JLS said:
I personly would be ticks if I lost the ablitly to email exe. Mainly because I yes I email them to friends when they ask for it and I have to email in assments that are exe. I think people who program will understand how bad that would be. General there is a simple rule in dealing with attachments that are programs. first if you dont know who it is from. DONT OPEN IT. 2nd rule if you where not expecting it dont open it.
Those are my rules for dealling with most attachments. If I dont know who it is from or if I was not expecting it I dont open it. The only attachment that vollnt that rule are from my school and those are maybe a word file or a pdf type file. But then again I do know there sorces and they are sent though my schools email address that is among the worst in dealing with viruses.