Windows Viruses on Mac?

Yes.

 

Yes, the viruses infect the Windows operating system. It has nothing to do with the hardware. It doesn't matter if the Windows operating system is running on a Mac, on a PC, or in a VMware virtual machine. It's still Windows.

 

Should I worry?

These answers, and many other on the forum, about the danger of PC viruses on Macs reassure me, but not completely. The Sophos AV program tells me that the Windows files on my iMAC are infected with the Bredo-Q malware, which it is unable to eliminate. The operation of my MAC seemed fine, but recently my email account and password were hijacked by some thug in Nigeria. Is there any possible connection?

 

Only if you fail to practice safe computing.

I haven't had a virus, or malware, nor have I experienced any BSOD's or other annoyances in years.

Windows 7 while not my favorite, is a very good OS.

OS X... is simply better in my opinion. Using both keeps me current.

 

No Windows app, including malware, can run on Mac OS X. It cannot in any way affect your Mac OS X side; only the Windows installation.

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

ClamXav is a better choice, since it isn't a resource hog, detects both Mac and Windows malware and doesn't run with elevated privileges.

You don't need any 3rd party antivirus app to keep your Mac malware-free. 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 over 10 years ago. You cannot infect your Mac simply by visiting a website, unzipping a file, opening an email attachment or joining a network. The only malware in the wild that can affect Mac OS X is a handful of trojans, which cannot infect your Mac unless you actively install them, and they 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 FAQ​

There is no connection. Your email accounts can be hacked, even if you don't own a computer. It has nothing to do with what computer or OS you're running. Change your email passwords to something complex, including numbers, special characters and upper and lower case letters.

 

Also: Do not use email on unsecured WiFi unless you are using a secure connection to the server. That means:
-If you are using webmail, make sure that the address starts with https:// (note the 's') when you are logging in and when you are using the service. If you don't do this, your session could be hacked/spoofed, but the attacker probably can't get your password unless the email service is horribly misconfigured.
-If you are using an email client (Mail, Thunderbird, etc) on your computer, make sure that you set up the account to use a secure connection to the server (SSL). If you don't do this, your password is transmitted in the clear, and any other users on that wifi connection can see it with the right tools.

Gmail's instructions tell you how to make it secure:
http://support.google.com/mail/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=78799
These options might not be supported by all email providers, and if yours doesn't support SSL, I suggest getting a new email provider.

 

yes the virus is essentially changing or making problems to the windows OS or file structure, so the windows partition is not any safer than if that hard drive was in a windows PC/laptop

 

It can infect the Windows OS yes.

If you take precautions, though, you should be able to avoid it. Before I switched to Mac and OS X, I used PCs for years. Never had any virus issues despite the fact that I downloaded a lot of stuff including TV shows, movies, music, etc. My decision to go Mac wasn't based on the virus-issue.

 

Exactly.

In my opinion, there are people who know how to use computers, and people who don't know how to use computers.

I just disregard people who complain about viruses as people who don't know how to use computers.

Even on Windows 7, you either have to be computer illiterate or trying really hard to get a virus.

MS did its best to make Windows 7 idiot proof, but I guess there's just no such thing. I mean, the OS prompts you before it installs anything, anything at all ... How the hell are people still getting viruses? I don't understand.

 

yup people that get viruses are just people that click YES to fast whenever they are prompted a question.

i got the occasional Malware on my windows laptops but just a quick scan with Malwarebytes got rid of them, while viruses are a nucence they are fixable if you have patience

 

YES. My youngest sister is one of these ppl and that's the reason I used to never let her use my computers, lol. On the home desktop she used to get viruses b/c she'd click "yes" on everything. You could tell she did that because there were also a zillion random extra toolbars and softwares installed (those ones that come bundled w/ other software). No one else in the family has gotten viruses. Generally if you are simply aware - not even overly cautious - of what you are doing, avoiding viruses is pretty easy.