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Small questions about Mac security

D

diegobgr

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 22, 2009
340
0
Hi.

I have read some treads about Mac OS and iOS security.

I don't really use to download apps or games. I use Mac App Store or Steam. My iOS devices are not jailbroken.

Sometimes I download music or TV series...

There a few know trojans and no viruses.

-Can you get infected by visited a "infected" website? If you account password is only used to know things, can you get infected?

-I have read that Android and Windows Phone have malware. Does iOS have it too?

To sum up, any security tips or advices about security?
 
1. If the website is infected with Windows malware, you're safe. Windows malware doesn't run on Mac OS X. Mac OS X, since Snow Leopard, has come with a featured called XProtect that updates every day. It will prevent you from opening infected files. There is only a little malware on the Mac.

2. Since your iOS devices are not jailbroken, it's 99.9% safe. Apple scrutinizes every app submitted to the App Store to make sure it is not malicious. The rest of the 0.1% is the security flaws that might be present in iOS, but they are very rare and Apple usually very quickly fixes them.
 
diegobgr said:
-Can you get infected by visited a "infected" website? If you account password is only used to know things, can you get infected?
Click to expand...
No, you can't infect a Mac simply by visiting a website. You have to actively install malware on a Mac before it can be infected. 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.
diegobgr said:
-I have read that Android and Windows Phone have malware. Does iOS have it too?
Click to expand...
From what I understand, no, unless you jailbreak a device.
diegobgr said:
To sum up, any security tips or advices about security?
Click to expand...
Make sure your firewall is enabled. Turn off Java in your browser. Use ad-blockers. Read the link above.
 
Thank you. ;)

Firewall and unable Java with built-in system preferences and Safari options?

What about ad-blocker? I don't know if I'm right or not but I like to install the less software possible.
 
diegobgr said:
Do you think that they are necessary?
Click to expand...
I find ad-blockers invaluable. Ads are intrusive and consume more system resources.
diegobgr said:
How about user control and user accounts? I use the standard account that it's created by default.
Click to expand...
Mac OS X doesn't create a standard account by default. The default account is an administrator account, which is fine to use every day, if you're not careless.
 
GGJstudios said:
I find ad-blockers invaluable. Ads are intrusive and consume more system resources.

Mac OS X doesn't create a standard account by default. The default account is an administrator account, which is fine to use every day, if you're not careless.
Click to expand...

Do you think it's safe enough?

Well, I use to gent apps from Mac App Store, or official websites. As long as I can remember, since I formatted and reinstalled Lion, I just give the password for install iLife and move two apps from Aplications folder to Utilities.
 
diegobgr said:
Do you think it's safe enough?

Well, I use to gent apps from Mac App Store, or official websites. As long as I can remember, since I formatted and reinstalled Lion, I just give the password for install iLife and move two apps from Aplications folder to Utilities.
Click to expand...
Yes, I think you're safe.
 
GGJstudios said:
ClickToFlash to control which Flash content plays.

GlimmerBlocker and/ or [URL="http://download.cnet.com/Safari-AdBlock/3000-2378_4-10793198.html"]Safari AdBlock[/URL] (not the extension, but the older version 0.4.0)
Click to expand...


I have the Safari Extension AdBlock. You recommend the older version (0.40), not the Safari Extension.

I find the Safari Extension version works perfectly, I never get any ads of any kind.

However, if you recommend the older version I know there must be a good reason. Could you please explain the advantages of the older version over the Safari Extension.

Thanks, mate:D
 
Shrink said:
I find the Safari Extension version works perfectly, I never get any ads of any kind.

However, if you recommend the older version I know there must be a good reason. Could you please explain the advantages of the older version over the Safari Extension.
Click to expand...
There are quite a few threads where people were reporting that the Safari AdBlock extension was driving CPU utilization to 100%, slowing the system, causing beachballs, etc. I don't know if those problems have been resolved.
 
GGJstudios said:
There are quite a few threads where people were reporting that the Safari AdBlock extension was driving CPU utilization to 100%, slowing the system, causing beachballs, etc. I don't know if those problems have been resolved.
Click to expand...

For what it's worth, when I check iStat Pro, I don't show any CPU use. I'm assuming that AdBlock is running all the time in the background and should being having an effect, if it's going to have one.

Note: when I open iStat, AdBlock does not show up in "Processes" - I don't know if it's supposed to be there (me=moron:eek:).

Anyway, I haven't had any problems at all - certainly none that seem attributable to AdBlock.

Always remember, and never forget - I have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about and everything I say of a technical nature is undoubtedly poppycock - but I'm too dumb to even know.:p :D
 
Simplicated said:
1. If the website is infected with Windows malware, you're safe. Windows malware doesn't run on Mac OS X. Mac OS X, since Snow Leopard, has come with a featured called XProtect that updates every day. It will prevent you from opening infected files. There is only a little malware on the Mac.

2. Since your iOS devices are not jailbroken, it's 99.9% safe. Apple scrutinizes every app submitted to the App Store to make sure it is not malicious. The rest of the 0.1% is the security flaws that might be present in iOS, but they are very rare and Apple usually very quickly fixes them.
Click to expand...

How XProtect works?

Is it like a built-in anti malware?

I can't remember an update of this app in Software Update. In fact, I can't remember it working.:confused:
 
diegobgr said:
How XProtect works?

Is it like a built-in anti malware?

I can't remember an update of this app in Software Update. In fact, I can't remember it working.:confused:
Click to expand...
The updates to XProtect are silent. You don't see them. It works behind the scenes to help protect against known malware.
 
Thanks!

Do you think that it's enough? As I said, original apps (I just download torrent of music and TV shows).
 
diegobgr said:
Thanks!

Do you think that it's enough? As I said, original apps (I just download torrent of music and TV shows).
Click to expand...
As I said earlier, as long as you're careful where you get software that you install, you don't need any 3rd party apps to protect your Mac from malware, even before XProtect was available.
 
GGJstudios said:
As I said earlier, as long as you're careful where you get software that you install, you don't need any 3rd party apps to protect your Mac from malware, even before XProtect was available.
Click to expand...

Thank you!

I don't know why but I think that I more worried about malware in Mac OS than I was with Windows.

Maybe is that I am used to have antivirus...
 
diegobgr said:
I don't know why but I think that I more worried about malware in Mac OS than I was with Windows.
Click to expand...
It should be the other way around. Mac OS X malware is pretty rare. Only a very small percentage of Mac users ever encounter any, and even fewer are ever affected by it.
 
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