False. See the ARDAgent exploit which requires no authorization. Still, however, the user must run the program - so its classifies as a Trojan.
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The "virus" debate
- Thread starter martyrk
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False. See the ARDAgent exploit which requires no authorization. Still, however, the user must run the program - so its classifies as a Trojan.
yeah, this topic eventually needs a uniform standard, what is a virus?
When apple claimed windows has 144,000 viruses, it includes viruses, trojans, worms, adwares, malwars. Should that be used as a standard?
So...
You just contradicted yourself. A virus is something that installs and runs itself on a computer without needing authorization to do so.
Trojans are completely different beasts and usually require some sort of trickery. Viruses can be activated simply by visiting a web page.
You just contradicted yourself. A virus is something that installs and runs itself on a computer without needing authorization to do so.
Trojans are completely different beasts and usually require some sort of trickery. Viruses can be activated simply by visiting a web page.
The authorization I am talking about is the username/password prompt that is presented when trying to run something with escalated privileges. The ARDAgent exploit doesn't require this authorization to run as root.
The virus need to be transferred to the host computer in some way, so to say no human intervention is need, is false.
Notice I didn't say intervention, I said authorization, i.e. password or other such security measure.
Clicking on a web page and having a virus take over your computer requires action, sure, but not authorization.
I see your point there.
So what do we call a malicious program that requires action, but not authorization, to run? A really smart trojan?
True
That's some funny stuff right there.
I'm beyond glad that I've been a Mac user my entire life. I can't imagine the hell that malware, viruses and trojans have caused PC users.
Sure, I've had compatibility issues at times and I pay more for hardware in the beginning, but damn...
User based Darwinism
That's some funny stuff right there.
I'm beyond glad that I've been a Mac user my entire life. I can't imagine the hell that malware, viruses and trojans have caused PC users.
Sure, I've had compatibility issues at times and I pay more for hardware in the beginning, but damn...
Some viruses are able to spread to other computers with absolutely no human interaction needed. They seek other computers that have security holes or not enough security set up to prevent their infiltration, they copy themselves to this new computer, start themselves up and the cycle begins again. The only human involvement in this would've been the original virus writer's starting up this virus in the first place.
For the love of god don't install Norton. It'll kill your computers performance for no gain at all. There's only been one OS X virus, compared to hundreds of thousands of viruses on the Windows side.
Besides, aslong as you stay away from obviously fake files and use a recent web browser, the likelihood of getting a virus is very low, even for Windows.
Besides, aslong as you stay away from obviously fake files and use a recent web browser, the likelihood of getting a virus is very low, even for Windows.
This is especially true these days it seems.
Nicely put.
User based Darwinism
Come on, click on me. I promise not to do anything to your computer. You know you want to click on me. Go ahead. Just do it. Oh, and that authorize thing where the system asks for your password. No worries, that's normal. Wink. Wink.
From an IT perspective, anytime we install Norton/Symantec on a machine we die a little inside cause we know how horrible it is.
Just a case example we recently had an obama virus (no lie its what its called and it does all kinds of nastyness while putting splash screens of barak obama everywhere) and Symantec didnt even see it even though it deleted all officeand pdf docs, only to put a copy of itself as an exe with the same name of the file it just deleted. I would scan infected computers with NOD32 and Nod would find 900+ infected files (named things like "myreport.doc.exe"). Symantec couldn't even find one? Get real.
Needless to say the virus hopped on everything you plugged into the computer. I saw it plain as day on my mac although it couldnt do anything to make cause mac doesnt have lsass.exe or a system32 folder
Just a case example we recently had an obama virus (no lie its what its called and it does all kinds of nastyness while putting splash screens of barak obama everywhere) and Symantec didnt even see it even though it deleted all officeand pdf docs, only to put a copy of itself as an exe with the same name of the file it just deleted. I would scan infected computers with NOD32 and Nod would find 900+ infected files (named things like "myreport.doc.exe"). Symantec couldn't even find one? Get real.
Needless to say the virus hopped on everything you plugged into the computer. I saw it plain as day on my mac although it couldnt do anything to make cause mac doesnt have lsass.exe or a system32 folder
It was called "Oompa Loompa" or "Leap.A". And in the very broad sense of the word "virus", yes, it was a virus. In the more narrow sense, it was not actually a virus but instead a trojan horse. More info here.