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Viruses
- Thread starter ghsDUDE
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"Virus" by the term of any type of malware then yes Mac can get those. The malware being things like trojan and spyware bot of which use the user install them and therefor by passing all security.
Just practice good internet practices in the terms of not installing or opening files you are not sure about and you will be OK. Other wise you are at risk.
...do you really think you can't get "any problem" on Macs?
there are no viruses or worms in the wild for Mac OS X, but there are trojans. Macs can carry Windows malware, so it's a good idea to have some sort of AV if you interact with Windows machines on any regular basis.
there are no viruses or worms in the wild for Mac OS X, but there are trojans. Macs can carry Windows malware, so it's a good idea to have some sort of AV if you interact with Windows machines on any regular basis.
The weakest link in the security of a computer, regardless of OS or installed security software, is the person using that computer. Be smart with all of your online practices and you won't have any problems.
It's true that you can't get something that doesn't exist.
Common sense.
Ez; don't do wherez.
But if you absolutely have to, sandbox them. Stay away from Photoshop and iWork in particular.
But if you absolutely have to, sandbox them. Stay away from Photoshop and iWork in particular.
lol ... I say let the windows users get their own AV software. I personally am not running AV software on my Mac until the day comes where Forums like MR are exploding with stories of the new Mac Viruses.
To each their own ... AV software on a Mac is not for me at this point.
That's pretty stupid because at that point it will most likely be too late for you.
Also its been proven that there are security flaws in OS X that people could potentially exploit
Actually, it's not. No anti-virus software can protect you from something that doesn't yet exist, because it doesn't know what to look for. Educate yourself by reading the link I posted.
No OS is immune from malware, but the fact is, there are no viruses that exist in the wild that can run on Mac OS X, and there never has been. The handful of trojans that exist can easily be prevented by exercising common sense.
Anti-Virus software usually protects your computer from having rogue processes take control of your system regardless if it's a new one or not. Maybe you should educate yourself
also, just because something is "common sense" to you doesn't mean it is to someone else. We dont all spend hours a day on the computer and have 14000 posts on a message board
Common sense. I've never had a virus on my current PC, due to common sense.. If you're on a mac, you still can't download crap and avoid the virus.
The fact is, there has never been a virus released that runs on Mac OS X. Anti-virus apps will NOT detect something that doesn't exist, and they won't detect any process that doesn't fit their virus definitions and profiles. If no virus exists, they can't create such definitions or profiles. Anti-virus software is completely useless in protecting current Macs from viruses.
If you read the link I posted, you'll know what common sense is needed. It's really very simple, and you don't have to spend all day on a forum to figure it out. You simply have to be intelligent enough to read and learn from sources that are freely offered.
You can download anything at all on a Mac and it will never be infected with malware. You have to actively launch and install malware for it to run on a Mac, which usually requires entering your admin password. Downloading is harmless. It's the installation that causes harm.
Some people will really make well use of that link
Nice to know, thanks.
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if you want to be like that, fine, but some of us have to interact with Windows computers for something besides casual use. no AV software is perfect.
ClamXAV and Sophos are free and don't get in the way. what's not worth it is paying for AV software...most of that is poorly written bloatware anyway.
That is largely marketing BS. The "behaviour" generated by malware is not much different than that of non malicious processes. Overly aggressive heuristics in relation to that behaviour becomes intrusive.
It is not abnormal for non malicious software to connect outward, run processes in the background, download from remote sources, and many other functions performed by malware.
A definition of the malware is required to make those heuristics effective. That is why AV software is always making outward connections and downloading from remote sources to update definitions. AV software also runs many processes in the background as well.
AV software is not particularly good at detecting new variants of known malware or new malware for known exploitable vulnerabilities let alone completely new malware for unknown exploitable vulnerabilities for which no definition exists. Article about detection rates of new variants of known malware.
But, using some sort of AV software on your Mac is not going to make the sky fall. I run on-demand scans with ClamXav just for peace of mind. I also use the Sentry feature to scan dls and emails to prevent the transfer of malware to others. I use ClamXav because it does not run with elevated privileges and does not have mandatory on-access scanning so it is safer and less intrusive.
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The guy propagating the idea that there has never been an OSX virus or worm is entirely wrong. While they aren't common they do exist. http://www.f-secure.com/v-descs/worm_osx_tored_a.shtml You don't have to do anything other than open the email, you don't have to give it permissions, nothing. A trojan is something that hides itself in something that looks legitimate so this really isn't a trojan in that sense because you normally have to give trojans installation privileges all this requires is clicking on the email and it shadow installs itself without the user knowing. Also, can spread itself through network share drives. While Tored itself isnt a huge threat it is proof that worms can be written for OSX by a significantly interested party.
That being said, you are not at a lot of risk. Practice safe Internet habits and you will be fine and have almost no risk on OSX of getting a virus.
http://www.macworld.com/article/156744/2010/12/2011_viruses.html this is a great article explaining the virus environment for OSX and I think it's conclusions are ultimately correct.
That being said, you are not at a lot of risk. Practice safe Internet habits and you will be fine and have almost no risk on OSX of getting a virus.
http://www.macworld.com/article/156744/2010/12/2011_viruses.html this is a great article explaining the virus environment for OSX and I think it's conclusions are ultimately correct.
Seems that way:
And finally a fresh perspective on viruses. I hope they come to Mac OS X soon, especially with the rising marketshare, which seems to be the most important factor, though there might be only two million Macs out there.
Really? Computer Associates (CA Technology) disagrees with you.
OSX/Tored.A
Just like all the others?
Hrmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
If you're referring to me, I very clearly said, "there are no viruses that exist in the wild that can run on Mac OS X, and there never has been." That statement is 100% factual.
No one has said there has never been an OSX worm or trojan. As I also said, "The handful of trojans that exist can easily be prevented by exercising common sense." That applies to the trojan that you mentioned.
Yes. Read the link in post #5.