Apple Quietly Updates Antimalware Protection in Mac OS X 10.6.4

[Stridder44]

So, let me see if I've got this right.

If I download pirated/illegal/illicit software from the interwebs and proceed to install it and give my root password, something bad may happenz?

I can haz malware?

People are morons. Stop downloading and installing pirated/hacked free copies of paid for software and you won't have these problems. Idiots.

The real ignorance is people thinking that just "not clicking" stuff will somehow prevent themselves from getting infected. Anti-virus programs now-a-days are so lightweight and low-impact (read: not resource heavy at all) that it's stupid to not run some kind of AV. They would never notice any performance impact. Idiots.

 

[KnightWRX]

The real ignorance is people thinking that just "not clicking" stuff will somehow prevent themselves from getting infected.

Could you please share attack vectors that do not involve clicking stuff for OS X that have been exploited and provide exploit code if possible ?

I haven't run AV in over 10 years, never had a virus. Of course, I haven't been using that OS that gets viruses either...

 

[MagnusVonMagnum]

The real ignorance is people thinking that just "not clicking" stuff will somehow prevent themselves from getting infected.

How odd that I haven't EVER gotten a computer virus despite having a form of Windows since 1999. I must be ignorant since I attribute the lack of them due to following basic precautions like not clicking on various ads, opening strange e-mails, etc.

Anti-virus programs now-a-days are so lightweight and low-impact (read: not resource heavy at all) that it's stupid to not run some kind of AV. They would never notice any performance impact. Idiots.

I run AVG, but I do not let it run automatically (i.e. I do not need it coming on while playing a game or doing some other intensive operation). This idea that it somehow uses no resources just isn't true. A hard drive cannot scan 500+GB of data and not cause the drive to suffer significant performance drops since the drive head simply cannot be in two places at the same time. It may not use much CPU or ram resources, but it will impact the drive being scanned in a big way. I've also seen 3D games stutter while running virus checkers enough times to know I don't want it scanning in the background while I'm playing a game.

In any case, I don't think calling people "idiots" is at all helpful.

 

[res1233]

How odd that I haven't EVER gotten a computer virus despite having a form of Windows since 1999. I must be ignorant since I attribute the lack of them due to following basic precautions like not clicking on various ads, opening strange e-mails, etc.



I run AVG, but I do not let it run automatically (i.e. I do not need it coming on while playing a game or doing some other intensive operation). This idea that it somehow uses no resources just isn't true. A hard drive cannot scan 500+GB of data and not cause the drive to suffer significant performance drops since the drive head simply cannot be in two places at the same time. It may not use much CPU or ram resources, but it will impact the drive being scanned in a big way. I've also seen 3D games stutter while running virus checkers enough times to know I don't want it scanning in the background while I'm playing a game.

In any case, I don't think calling people "idiots" is at all helpful.

Actually, I think you're both right... in a sense. I know from experience, that depending on the types of applications you have running on your system, antivirus software can be either resource intensive or not. For example, if you have software on your computer that for some reason is inefficiently programmed and is constantly modifying files on the harddrive over and over, that causes the AV software to constantly recheck that file, since most AV software are set to check files on modify.
This isn't exactly an OSX example, but it fits. Someone I know had spyware on their computer running Windows XP. The thing was doing "something" to files on the computer that was causing the AV software to go into hyperdrive, since it was having to check tons of files. No scan was running, it was just the background "protection" process that most AVs have. Now, yes this is windows, and **** happens, but the point is, if it weren't for that spyware, the AV wouldn't have been acting up like that. Some programs that aren't spyware, but do similar things, can cause AV software to act up.

 

[Castiel]

I am shocked that someone that writes and sells antivirus software would say this isn't enough to protect your system. Amazing.

</scarsam>

This.