This kind of comment is not helpful. While it's probably true under a narrow technical definition of "virus", non-technical people don't usually make that distinction and may be misled into thinking there is no malware on Macs. But there are actually plenty of trojans, adware, and even some self-replicating worms. Besides, true viruses are also rare on Windows these days.
TeamViewer cannot transmit malware if you don't transfer files. In addition, Windows malware cannot infect OS X.
There is no OS X malware in the wild that can't be completely avoided by prudent user action. See above.
The same can be said about Windows, depending on what you mean by "prudent user action". But there is always a chance that e.g. a new drive-by exploit in a web browser or plugin is discovered that may install malware on either OS X or Windows without user interaction. It has happened before (e.g. Flashback).
As I said in my post, "See above." I posted links to tips on practicing safe computing, which is all that is required to keep a Mac on OS X malware-free. Those practicing those tips were not affected by the Flashback Trojan or any other OS X malware that has ever existed in the wild. The same cannot be said about Windows, because there are true Windows viruses in the wild, which can infect even if a user is practicing safe computing.
Flashback affected a lot of users that practiced "safe computing". The recommendation to disable Java was added to the FAQ after the fact. As they say, hindsight is always 20/20.
Would you mind explaining how? I have used Windows since the 1990s, never used any "anti-virus software", and never got infected. "Safe computing" is indeed the best way to prevent malware, but that's not exclusive to OS X.
That is false. It was well known at the time that having Java disabled in the browser was recommended, and I, like many others, had been doing that long before Flashback, as this post from 2010 proves.
Just because you haven't encountered a Windows virus doesn't mean they are not in the wild. Many others have suffered infection by Windows viruses.
There is no real-world disadvantage in running an admin account on OS X.
That may be so, but your FAQ didn't even exist until after Flashback broke out, if the document history doesn't lie. So my comment stands.
I never claimed otherwise. What I wrote is that what you call "safe computing" can prevent virus infections, just like it can help to keep other types of malware from attacking your system. This is true for Windows as well as OS X. Besides, Viruses are "not in the wild" until they are ...
This just shows me how little you understand about computer security.
Again, false. As the FAQ in the forum Guides states:
That post was created more than a year before Flashback. Here is the original post, upon which the FAQ is based:
No, it cannot. True viruses can infect without any user authorization or action, unlike Trojans, which require some active or passive involvement on the part of the user, either by deliberate action (such as installing pirated software) or failure to act (such as failing to disable Java in the browser).
And your point is....?
No, it shows you that I understand the difference between Windows and OS X when it comes to admin accounts. Name one real-world disadvantage in running an OS X admin account, versus running a standard account.
No, lulling people into a false sense of security would be telling them that an antivirus app will protect them from malware.
As already stated, the FAQ was created by stridemat and is based on a post I made on Mar 8, 2010, about a year and a half before Flashback was discovered.
You really have no clue what you are talking about. Drive-by exploits, for example, are not limited to Java, and they can absolutely affect a user without any deliberate action or failure to act.
That your insistence that there are "no Mac viruses in the wild" is pointless and irrelevant.
Really?
How about the fact that any app started under an administrator account is member of group admin and can, for example, write into /Applications? Every heard of the principle of least privileges? If you don't understand the relevance of these simple concepts you shouldn't be discussing security.
Name one such exploit that can't be successfully avoided by the safe computing practices already mentioned.
It is quite relevant, as the difference between a true virus and other forms of malware is critical in determining the defense required. It is a fact that there has never been a virus in the wild that can affect OS X.
As I said, name one real-world example of a disadvantage in running an admin account. You have failed to do so. Hypotheses and non-existant threats are not real-world examples.
Any drive-by exploit that targets the browser or any other plugin that you have installed.
Nonsense. Whether you execute virus replication code, a trojan dropper or an adware installer makes very little difference. The system is infected in any case.
I named one. If you can't understand the most basic computer security precautions I can't help you.
That would be a worm. And of course even that requires that the code is somehow executed on the first infected machine. If you are careful about running code with dubious or unkown origins, an infection is unlikely. The same applies to regular viruses and trojan droppers. Once you do execute the code for whatever reason, OS mitigations might or might not help to protect the system from infection.
It's actually not all that different anymore. Both OS X and modern Windows versions use ACLs (OS X still has POSIX permissions in addition). Both have additional GUI-layer mechanisms to elevate privileges on demand. Both employ an array of mitigations to make exploits more difficult.
