Macs beginning to get viruses?

[BBQ BOY]

I read on another forum(non computer) something that made me nervous.
A question was asked by someone who is looking for a new laptop. He was asking the Mac vs. PC question.
A computer guy tells him there is t much of a difference between the two platforms anymore because Macs are now getting viruses like PC's do.
Is this true? I haven't noticed anything of the sorts with my 4 year old iMac.

 

[Intell]

There are no viruses in existence for Mac OS X, only trojans.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

You got to see usual ignorance:

There are currently no viruses for Mac OS X in public circulation, only a handful of trojans and other malware, which have to be installed manually via entering the administrator password.
The only anti-virus you need to protect your Mac is education and common sense.
Also know, that the term "virus" is often used to refer to other kinds of malware, but there are differences, which you can find out by reading the following:
Mac Virus/Malware Info by GGJstudios​

 

[GGJstudios]

A computer guy tells him there is t much of a difference between the two platforms anymore because Macs are now getting viruses like PC's do.

He lied. The world is filled with "computer guys" who don't know what they're talking about. Macs are not immune to malware, but no true viruses exist in the wild that can run on Mac OS X, and there never have been any since it was released 10 years ago. The only malware in the wild that can affect Mac OS X is a handful of trojans, which can be easily avoided with some basic education, common sense and care in what software you install. Also, Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Lion have anti-malware protection built in, further reducing the need for 3rd party antivirus apps.

Mac Virus/Malware Info​

 

[0000757]

Looks like I'm beating GGJ to his own post.

There are currently no wild viruses for Mac OS X. There are a handful of trojans that exist, but can easily be avoided with common sense (Mac OS X Snow Leopard and newer have built in malware protection).

This will tell you all you need to know about Macs and Viruses.

EDIT: GGJ, you beat me just by a couple seconds! I had to find your post! I'll get there before you someday!

 

[Maverick513]

Agreed, those things are really rare on Unix based system, such as Mac OS X. Nowadays, more people use bootcamp to get Windows on Mac. For hardware, Mac and PC do not have much difference as before. So it needs to be said more clearly.
Mac OS X cannot get viruses. But a Mac machine with Windows on it can get those dirty things.

 

[GGJstudios]

Mac OS X cannot get viruses.

To be accurate, they can, but they don't, since none exist in the wild.