viruses?? malware?

[brentsg]

he said once it came up with my mac username, he cancelled it. i don't have my mac passworded you see, because we kind of share it. could the ftp have accessed my mac?

You should have a password on your Mac and if you want to share, then you create an account for the other user and don't give them admin rights.

 

[pragmatous]

Ok you are 100% right everything you say is true. You can never be wrong. There's no possible way macs will ever get viruses. Go ahead open up that phishing webpage and enter in your account info.

You believe what you want and I know otherwise because I work in the field.

In regards to the original poster my advice is be cautious and be smart. Google is your friend not your foe. www.google.com - when in doubt google it.

It's not my definition. It's the industry's definition, and it's accurate, whether you agree with it or not. Viruses do not require user action to install or replicate. A trojan cannot self-replicate, whether it requires user action to install or not. There has never been a Mac OS X virus in the wild. There have been trojans, of which Flashback is one.

Sophos should be avoided, as it could actually increase your Mac's vulnerability, as described here and here.

Name one. I have never said Macs can't get viruses. They don't get them because no Mac OS X virus exists in the wild.

 

[GGJstudios]

There's no possible way macs will ever get viruses.

You don't read or comprehend very well, do you? I have repeatedly said that Macs CAN get viruses, but they DON'T, since no Mac OS X virus has ever existed in the wild. If one were to be created and released into the wild, Macs COULD be infected by it.

Go ahead open up that phishing webpage and enter in your account info.

Phishing sites are not a form of malware. Phishing is an example of using social engineering to trick users into revealing personal information, and can occur with no malware present on the user's computer.

You believe what you want and I know otherwise because I work in the field.

There are plenty who work in the field without being fully informed. Your posts prove this fact.

when in doubt google it.

Googling can also lead a searcher to misinformation, such as some of what you've posted in this thread. Unfortunately, Google doesn't have a "fact or fiction" filter.

 

[jlc1978]

It's not my definition. It's the industry's definition, and it's accurate, whether you agree with it or not. Viruses do not require user action to install or replicate. A trojan cannot self-replicate, whether it requires user action to install or not. There has never been a Mac OS X virus in the wild. There have been trojans, of which Flashback is one.

I doubt there is an industry definition that is agreed upon. For example, your requirement that "Viruses do not require user action to install or replicate." disagrees with CISCO's:

Viruses
A computer virus is a type of malware that propagates by inserting a copy of itself into and becoming part of another program. It spreads from one computer to another, leaving infections as it travels. Viruses can range in severity from causing mildly annoying effects to damaging data or software and causing denial-of-service (DoS) conditions. Almost all viruses are attached to an executable file, which means the virus may exist on a system but will not be active or able to spread until a user runs or opens the malicious host file or program. When the host code is executed, the viral code is executed as well. Normally, the host program keeps functioning after it is infected by the virus. However, some viruses overwrite other programs with copies of themselves, which destroys the host program altogether. Viruses spread when the software or document they are attached to is transferred from one computer to another using the network, a disk, file sharing, or infected e-mail attachments.

Again, in the end these semantic differences are of little interest to most users and virus has become almost synonymous with malware

 

[GGJstudios]

I doubt there is an industry definition that is agreed upon. For example, your requirement that "Viruses do not require user action to install or replicate." disagrees with CISCO's:

Again, it's not my definition, and Cisco is not a security firm, so I don't expect them to be an authority on the topic, which they're not.

Again, in the end these semantic differences are of little interest to most users and virus has become almost synonymous with malware

Those who are wrong about something aren't automatically made right, simply because there are a large number who share the same misconceptions. People come here for facts. You're not helping anyone by supporting their misinformation. There is a distinct difference between viruses and trojans, which directly affects the proper defense required. If you choose to join the uninformed in their opinion, that's your right, but I prefer to provide accurate information to people who want the facts.

 

[mikeo007]

I doubt there is an industry definition that is agreed upon. For example, your requirement that "Viruses do not require user action to install or replicate." disagrees with CISCO's:



Again, in the end these semantic differences are of little interest to most users and virus has become almost synonymous with malware

You may as well give it up. It's like 2 people on the opposite ends of the gay marriage debate arguing about the meaning of the word "marriage".

 

[jlc1978]

You may as well give it up. It's like 2 people on the opposite ends of the gay marriage debate arguing about the meaning of the word "marriage".

You're right; this has become a pointless discussion. As the commonly accepted definition of words change, it becomes pointless to try to change the definition back to a previous one. It's all part of an evolving language.

People now talk about viruses - as abroad category, so, IMHO, it's more important to discuss the range of protective actions needed rather than try to split hairs on exact definitions.

 

[mfuchs88]

[/COLOR]

The definitions for various malware types are accurate, even in an imperfect world, and even if some people are unaware of those definitions. Flashback is a trojan. It does not replicate itself, which is one of the two primary characteristics of a virus. The Flashback trojan is completely avoidable by prudent user action. That is not true for viruses.

There's nothing "messy" about 1s and 0s, and everything is very strait forward, even if the user may not understand why things work the way they do. Computers do exactly what programming tells them to do, even if it's something the user doesn't want or expect or understand.

It's not a combination. If it doesn't meet the two basic requirements, it's not a virus.

As for being cautious, go back and read my first post in this thread. Nothing about it suggests that you shouldn't be cautious. Practicing safe computing assumes that you're not inherently safe and that you need to take steps to protect your computer from malware. I've listed those steps in that post.

That's not why those terms are used. It has nothing to do with "scary" or condoms. If you don't know why those terms are used, you could benefit from some additional learning.

No, it's about benefitting the user by informing them of the facts. Educating them about facts is a much better way to serve them, rather than simply conforming to the user's uninformed thinking and language.

Again, re-read that first post. There is nothing in it that suggests playing ignorant and assuming safety. It does recommend the common sense and cautious approach of practicing safe computing and gives specific steps for doing so.

Ads, while annoying, are not inherently dangerous. Just because a website has many ads does not indicate the presence or likelihood of malware. Also, there are many other vectors through which malware can be introduced to a computer, beyond emails or ads. If you want to help users, I recommend you spend some time gaining an understanding of malware as it relates to Macs, so you'll stop giving them misinformation. Reading the 3rd post in this thread, along with the FAQ that's linked there is a good way to start.

I'm sorry to say but it gets real annoying when you have to be right about everything, even if there's nothing to be right about. Maybe just offer some help if the poster needs it instead of debating the definition of a virus. It's good to be educated, but knowing the difference between a virus and a trojan sure as hell won't help the OP solve their problem. Just something to ponder.

And you're telling me there's NO chance of me getting a virus from an ad on a website? So if I went to a porn site and clicked on an ad that said " make your **** as big as Ron Jeremy's, click here now!!!!" there would be no chance of any malware, virus, or Trojan, attacking my computer? I find that hard to believe because I've killed computers like that and trust me it wasn't fun.

 

[GGJstudios]

knowing the difference between a virus and a trojan sure as hell won't help the OP solve their problem.

Knowing the difference determines what kind of protection is required.

And you're telling me there's NO chance of me getting a virus from an ad on a website?

You don't read well, either. Go back and read my posts and try to understand them.

So if I went to a porn site and clicked on an ad

Seeing an ad on a website and clicking on one are two entirely different things.

I find that hard to believe because I've killed computers like that and trust me it wasn't fun.

You haven't killed a computer running Mac OS X by doing that. Windows, maybe, but not Mac OS X.

 

[mfuchs88]

Knowing the difference determines what kind of protection is required.

You don't read well, either. Go back and read my posts and try to understand them.

Seeing an ad on a website and clicking on one are two entirely different things.

You haven't killed a computer running Mac OS X by doing that. Windows, maybe, but not Mac OS X.

My bad for that last post, I was a little annoyed at how the thread turned into solely a debate about the definition of a virus. You're always very helpful and I appreciate that, as does everyone else here. Keep doing your thing.

We all good?

 

[kingdummkopf]

okay so i missed a lot.

anyway, you say that my mac won't have any viruses or anything... and you say that ftp site couldn't access my computer because it wasn't requesting my login details, just the login details for the ftp...

... well then i'm happy with that!

thanks everyone for the information. i appreciate it. glad i joined this forum, definitely.