Exactly why dosen't OSX have the same Virus/Spyware problems as Windows?

[Soulstorm]

While the more common reasons given (macs are more secure, which they are; and there are more PC's out there, which is also true) are more than valid, they don't explain the one thing that amazes me about our virus haven: zero mac viruses, tens of thousands of PC viruses. Sure, hundreds of mac viruses would make sense, fifty would be pushing it, but zero? I've always thought it was really weird that we have *none* of them, I mean it's not as if it's impossible to create a mac virus, and it there aren't so few macs out there that they're "not worth the effort".

I'm not a programmer but I have also an idea of why this happens...
Maybe it is because apple constantly changes the Mac OS kernel or security with every update. Few commercial programs that do not have anything to do with viruses stop to work after an update, and it think that with viruses happens the same thing...

The fact is that if I were a hacker, I wouldn't want to write a virus that will infect ONLY a particular version of the Mac OS. If that would happen, then it would mean my virus would have failed.

On the other hand... What do I know? I am only a 19-years old apple freak!

 

[hansen]

If an exploit was found and a working virus writting for it, wouldn't it still matter that there are so few Mac users? Just like human virus spreads where there are a lot of people or a nuclear reaction requires a certain density of nucleus to run.

 

[gekko513]

If an exploit was found and a working virus writting for it, wouldn't it still matter that there are so few Mac users? Just like human virus spreads where there are a lot of people or a nuclear reaction requires a certain density of nucleus to run.

Yes, I think you have a point. The greatest threat would be a virus that contains at least two methods of spreading where one method will let it spread to a Windows host and another one will let it spread to a Mac host, and whatever host it spreads to it keeps the ability to spread to both platforms.

Such a virus would be extremely difficult to make compared to a simple windows only virus, but I don't think it's impossible.

 

[iindigo]

Yes, I think you have a point. The greatest threat would be a virus that contains at least two methods of spreading where one method will let it spread to a Windows host and another one will let it spread to a Mac host, and whatever host it spreads to it keeps the ability to spread to both platforms.

Such a virus would be extremely difficult to make compared to a simple windows only virus, but I don't think it's impossible.

Yeah, the virus would be kinda like the old 68k/PPC FAT applications from the old days - the virus would contain code for both Windows machines and Macs.

 

[dorqiekat]

That's THEIR problem, not mine. Sorry to be so cold, but that's the fact. I run a Kerio webmail server, so viruses are stripped there. I have to take MY time to help the poor slobs who use XP? Are they going to pay me to run virus checks for them? Nope, so nope.

now, if we were talking about VD it would be another story. However, you're not. So I agree!

 

[mcgarry]

Here's an old but decent article that summarizes many of our points in this thread and adds some 'expert' opinions.