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This is a horribly dangerous belief... there ARE mac viruses in the wild and the mac system is ANYTHING but secure against attacks. It's not as common because it's not nearly as widely used. There is little to no security against them, though. The Mac OS is anything but revolutionary and wildly different from any other UNIX system.

Before you make such baseless and untrue statements, read the entire thread first. Plenty of proof has been supplied. Read and learn.
 
This is a horribly dangerous belief... there ARE mac viruses in the wild and the mac system is ANYTHING but secure against attacks. It's not as common because it's not nearly as widely used. There is little to no security against them, though. The Mac OS is anything but revolutionary and wildly different from any other UNIX system.

Finally someone who is not afraid to write the truth. Thank you.

I can't understand why these Mac heads think there are no Mac OS viruses, there have been a dozen or so at least in the past 15 years. But strangely they didn't affect the X. Hmm, may it be, that you, Bibin, know more than you will tell us? I have several friends who use Macs, and as some kind of joke, I would like to send them some of these notorious and wildly known Mac OS X viruses, so if you know where to find them or how they are called or where I can find more information on them or anything you can provide, that would be helpful. I'm an avid Windows user and would like to show those friends of mine, that Mac OS X is as un-secure as any other Unix flavour. Especially Windows, the finest DOS of all times.

Seriously, where the hell do you get that kind of info, Bibin?
 
Oh man, now I'm getting confused. Some people say there are viruses, and some say there aren't. Some people are being serious, and others sarcastic. I just want an answer to my questions, but I know it isn't that simple.
 
Oh man, now I'm getting confused. Some people say there are viruses, and some say there aren't. Some people are being serious, and others sarcastic. I just want an answer to my questions, but I know it isn't that simple.

You already got your answers. Don't listen to the newbies like Bibin that come in here, posting misinformation with absolutely no facts to back it up. Read this.

And yes, spinnerlys was being sarcastic, because he's... well... he's spinnerlys! :D
 
Oh man, now I'm getting confused. Some people say there are viruses, and some say there aren't. Some people are being serious, and others sarcastic. I just want an answer to my questions, but I know it isn't that simple.

You mean this:

Thanks, you two. I will read up more on this. I was just worried that if I had a file, such as a document or media with a Windows virus on it, it can spread to the rest of my documents. Also, as GGJstudios has answered, I can find if a virus if I have one using the program that he linked. My biggest worry is that I will send a document or media to friends or family that will have a virus in it, and that it would be my fault that something happens. Thank you

or this:

Mac noob here. I understand that you cannot get a virus on a Mac, however I do have a question about it. Let's say if you downloaded a file with Windows and obtained a virus. If I download that exact same file with a Mac and send that file over to a Windows computer, will the computer running Windows get the virus? Or does the Mac somehow kill it? I'm asking this because I want to send my sister some files, but I am not sure if they have viruses on them and do not want to infect her computer. Thank you.

So the following didn't clear things up then?

Yes, while a Windows virus cannot infect Mac OS X, it is possible for a Mac to transfer a virus-infected file to a Windows PC, where it could infect the PC. That's why it's important for Windows users to have antivirus running, to protect them from all virus sources; not just from files transferred from Macs.
 
I'm sorry, I'm new to Mac so I have no idea what to believe. That is why I am asking so many questions in this thread. GGJstudios has a lot of reliable sources, so I will go with that. But to ask one last time, if I have a document with a virus on it, and I open that file, will the virus infect any of my other files? Will my other files also have the virus, even if it doesn't effect my computer? If i delete the original file with the virus, will the virus be gone from the computer entirely? Sorry for spamming this thread, just want to find some good reliable information and I figured this is the best place to do it. Again, thanks and I hope you guys don't mind answering these questions or find me annoying.:(
 
if I have a document with a virus on it, and I open that file, will the virus infect any of my other files?
No, it can't spread without executing, and it can't execute on Mac OS X.
Will my other files also have the virus, even if it doesn't effect my computer?
No, it can't spread without executing, and it can't execute on Mac OS X.
If i delete the original file with the virus, will the virus be gone from the computer entirely?
Yes.

To test, copy any safe .exe file from a Windows PC to your Mac. Now double-click on the .exe file and see what happens. (Nothing.)
 
You honestly think that Apple is going to tell you which virusses are currently out there for Mac :D

Unix systems aren't safe at all. There are plenty of holes in the security of Red hat, Mac Osx, Fedora and any other commercial UNIX OS.
 
I hate the bot hackers. When CompUSA still had stores in town (2005), I overheard a worker acting as if he was a hacker. He kept going on and on about how he would send out links over emails to get Windows machines to reset to the original settings. Now I’m not one to rant on and on about this kind of stuff, but it really gets to me that people find it fun to send this garbage out just because they can. Long story short, I made a big scene and was yelling to the manager that this guy likes to hack into computers. I told it to everyone that looked while I was pointing towards him. The supervisor or manager that sits by the cameras came over in a hurry and asked me if I was alright….I told him that his employee was boasting about his hacking skills. I walked out. WAR on all BOTs from then on out!
I wish there could be a way that any OS system that get’s attacked could render a return virus on the servers that’s hosting those jerks.
 
Finally someone who is not afraid to write the truth. Thank you.

I can't understand why these Mac heads think there are no Mac OS viruses, there have been a dozen or so at least in the past 15 years. But strangely they didn't affect the X. Hmm, may it be, that you, Bibin, know more than you will tell us? I have several friends who use Macs, and as some kind of joke, I would like to send them some of these notorious and wildly known Mac OS X viruses, so if you know where to find them or how they are called or where I can find more information on them or anything you can provide, that would be helpful. I'm an avid Windows user and would like to show those friends of mine, that Mac OS X is as un-secure as any other Unix flavour. Especially Windows, the finest DOS of all times.

Seriously, where the hell do you get that kind of info, Bibin?

+1
 
Don't you think if there was a Mac OSX virus out there, EVERY tech site would be bashing the hell out of apple right now? (tomshardware I'm looking in your direction)

Also it would have so many people working on it that it would be crushed within a week.
 
This is a horribly dangerous belief... there ARE mac viruses in the wild and the mac system is ANYTHING but secure against attacks. It's not as common because it's not nearly as widely used. There is little to no security against them, though. The Mac OS is anything but revolutionary and wildly different from any other UNIX system.

A "virus" is software that can install itself on your computer without you doing anything. There has been no MacOS X virus ever that caused any damage to any Macintosh users. There has been plenty of anti-virus software for the Macintosh that _did_ cause damage to its users, starting with the damage to the wallet and the damage of slowing down your Macintosh.

A "trojan" is software that pretends to do one thing but does something else, usually harmful. You have to download a trojan yourself on the Macintosh, you have to start it running yourself deliberately, and the operating system will tell you that this is software that was just downloaded, and you have to enter your administrator password to run it. There is no protection against that other than your own intelligence.

But to the original poster: There is no way on earth that a website could find out that your computer has a virus, whether it is Windows, MacOS X or whatever other operating system. The logical conclusion is that any website claiming there is a virus on your computer is trying to scam you. You may or may not have a virus, if you have a Mac then chances are 99.99999999% that you don't have a virus (see above), but there is zero chance that the website knows anything about your computer. There is zero chance that the website has any software to sell that would benefit you.
 
SURPRISE

The MacBook was the only system to be hacked by Thursday; however, the word on the show floor is that the Linux and Vista systems will meet with some serious challenges on Friday.

Miller, a former National Security Agency employee best known as one of the researchers who first hacked Apple's iPhone last year, didn't take much time. Within 2 minutes, he directed the contest's organizers to visit a Web site that contained his exploit code, which then allowed him to seize control of the computer, as about 20 onlookers cheered him on.

He was the first contestant to attempt an attack on any of the systems.

http://www.infoworld.com/d/mobilize/gone-in-2-minutes-mac-gets-hacked-first-in-contest-676
 
What does hacking have to do with a virus? :rolleyes: We are not saying that OS X is invulnerable, simply that there are no viruses for it. Yes it can be hacked, that has been proved multiple times. Hacking has nothing to do with viruses. Yes OS X can get trojans but you have to install those yourself and it won't do anything bad without your admin password.

If you think entering your admin password in order to open a .jpeg is a good idea, then you probably deserve the trojan anyway :p (just joking) ;)
 
The closest thing to a virus I have seen on a Mac was when I worked for a school as an IT admin 5 or 6 years ago. They used MS office at the time and OSX 10.3 was brand new. We were constantly bombarded with MS macro "viruses" that didn't hurt the machine any more than they made us mad. It would get it an start spamming all the email accounts and address books all over the network. We eventually stopped this (I can't remember how) but it was a really annoying issue for a while...

That said it wasn't an OSX exploit is one made my MS...go figure. :rolleyes:
 
bah. Humbug. This was using direct access to the machine. If you can get direct access of course you can hack any system. This "contest" had nothing to do with the real world..

It actually wasn't direct access. The rules of the contest stated that it had to be remote access.
 
You honestly think that Apple is going to tell you which virusses are currently out there for Mac
You honestly think Apple can suppress all the news sources, blogs, forums, Twitter, etc. that would be buzzing, if a Mac virus were found? The whole world would know about it, and Apple couldn't do a thing about it.
Don't you think if there was a Mac OSX virus out there, EVERY tech site would be bashing the hell out of apple right now?
Exactly!
If you give me physical access to your Mac, I can steal all your data and reformat your hard drive, wiping out everything. That doesn't make me a virus! It doesn't even make me a hacker! :rolleyes:
We were constantly bombarded with MS macro "viruses" that didn't hurt the machine any more than they made us mad.
If you'll notice, MS Office 2008 for Mac doesn't support macros. No macros = no macro viruses.
bah. Humbug. This was using direct access to the machine. If you can get direct access of course you can hack any system. This "contest" had nothing to do with the real world..
Exactly! People don't seem to get the concept that "in the wild" means a virus can be encountered by an average user doing things that an average user would do. It does not include "proof of concept" test code or hacks that are performed in controlled, restricted conditions. Such things pose zero risk to the average user...... unless Charlie Miller is your roommate!
 
Finally someone who is not afraid to write the truth. Thank you.

I can't understand why these Mac heads think there are no Mac OS viruses, there have been a dozen or so at least in the past 15 years. But strangely they didn't affect the X. Hmm, may it be, that you, Bibin, know more than you will tell us? I have several friends who use Macs, and as some kind of joke, I would like to send them some of these notorious and wildly known Mac OS X viruses, so if you know where to find them or how they are called or where I can find more information on them or anything you can provide, that would be helpful. I'm an avid Windows user and would like to show those friends of mine, that Mac OS X is as un-secure as any other Unix flavour. Especially Windows, the finest DOS of all times.

Seriously, where the hell do you get that kind of info, Bibin?

I thought I was tripping balls when I started reading your response.
 
what are the ONLY ways we can catch a "virus"?

Ok so I've read many threads about this matter, and from what I've heard from even before my purchase of a macbook pro. Was that "Mac OS X cannot get viruses". But I never read about how Macs could POSSIBLY get a virus or spyware/malware?

Lets be honest, to all adult or elderly people on here. I'll talk in "code" to get what i did across without being so blunt and possibly flamed for breaking site rules.

So for the most of us MEN, we occasionally view some entertaining sites. and the entertaining site i had gone to was an official one that requires a user/pass. so im not worried about getting anything from that site (viruses/spyware/malware). but within the site, theres a section to view other things via web cam, but it required a username/pass/email of its own. so i put in a fake random email and it ended up working.

Question im trying to get at is: Can going to such entertaining sites and filling out user/email forms give your mac a virus or some sort of spyware or malware?

If not, then what are the ONLY ways to get a virus or spyware/malware on your mac? is it only possible when you actually download/save files??

thanks all:apple:
 
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