pg2114
Senior Member
Beware of the flippers!
Posts: 151
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Post by pg2114 on Jan 9, 2009 21:28:03 GMT
Now, this is a question and a half!
Why do Macs not get virii? Everybody always asks me at work, suggesting it is due to the "Small market share", but there must be a technical reason to do with the workings of the UNIX system.
Peter.
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Post by Forum Cat on Jan 9, 2009 22:01:03 GMT
I can't get a clear answer on this one either.
Most seem to think that it is because of the UNIX roots of OS X. I don't buy the other arguments because there were plenty of Virus for Mac under OS 9 (or so I have been led to believe). Mind you even then most were macro viruses for Microsoft Office.
Cat
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Alex Coplan
Senior Member
The future of mac...
Posts: 387
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Post by Alex Coplan on Jan 9, 2009 23:29:26 GMT
Are there no harmful/any macros in iWork?
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Jinja
Full Member
Posts: 83
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Post by Jinja on Jan 9, 2009 23:39:55 GMT
Personally, I think that we will start to see many new viruses on the Mac in the coming years. It's inevitable really as the Mac gets ever more popular the hackers will start aiming their malware at apple...
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Post by Forum Cat on Jan 10, 2009 0:18:30 GMT
Personally, I think that we will start to see many new viruses on the Mac in the coming years. It's inevitable really as the Mac gets ever more popular the hackers will start aiming their malware at apple... I don't see why. Malware maybe, phishing definitely. However viruses? I am far from convinced. We have not had a single one in seven years and now you are expecting many? Cat
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Jinja
Full Member
Posts: 83
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Post by Jinja on Jan 10, 2009 9:31:15 GMT
The Mac has, historically, had a small market share in the home computer world. Recently that share has increased dramatically (I think it's just crept over the 10% mark) which kind of puts right in the shop window which will then lead to more people/businesses purchasing Macs. Once it gets to a certain level of ownership and many more businesses take Apple on board then it will be worth the hackers etc aiming destructive programs at the Mac to get said companies/VC software companies to pay them not release their virus. Unfortunately, the more popular Apple & Macs get the more likely the hackers and criminals will turn their attentions to them... Just my opinion of course
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Alex Coplan
Senior Member
The future of mac...
Posts: 387
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Post by Alex Coplan on Jan 10, 2009 10:11:47 GMT
Why would you want to hack such a beautiful operating system?
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Post by Forum Cat on Jan 10, 2009 10:26:10 GMT
Just my opinion of course No, not just your opinion. This is a mainstream opinion mostly held PC users and by recent switchers. I have been hearing it for seven or eight years now. Out of interest, if (for the sake of argument) that an OS X virus did reach the wild. How long do you think it would take Apple to deliver a security fix? Then would we have to wait another eight years for the next virus? What rate of virus release would it take before Apple needed help from some poxy AV company to stop the flood? When Apple make an AV package I will install it. Till then I won't dirty my system with their foulware.
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Post by HeatherKay on Jan 10, 2009 12:26:39 GMT
While it's true the Mac market share makes it more likely to suffer some kind of attack eventually, I take great comfort in the fact it's Unix at the core. The whole interwebnets runs on Unix, and I've yet to hear of any Unix/Linux based servers being hacked or susceptible to viruses. Windows servers, hell yeah. Unix? Never.
We Mac users will, however, become more prone to phishing and bastardised Flash/Java web sites, and it's quite likely some of these will be engineered to try and damage the Mac OS. However, anything that wants to access the Mac OS usually has to get through at least one level of password acceptance by the user. If the user is savvy and practices safe surfing (not downloading from web sites you don't trust, not clicking on suspect email links and so on) then I don't think there's going to be much even the most dedicated hard core hacker is going to be able to do.
So, essentially, the hardware and software is pretty invulnerable out of the box (except for the bizarre decision by Apple to not enable the software firewall as standard). The problem lies in social engineering, and the more people are aware of the dangers of suspect sites and emails, the harder it will be for them to be caught by phishing and so on.
As for the AV software, I don't bother. I receive stuff from PC users, but anything I send to PC users is generated fresh from my system so is highly unlikely to be infected with anything.
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Post by Forum Cat on Jan 10, 2009 12:49:04 GMT
(except for the bizarre decision by Apple to not enable the software firewall as standard). I have wondered about this. Is the reason do you think that not many folk use a modem now? Broadband routers have their own built in hardware firewall. Software firewalls can conflict with these. So Apple are trying to save folk some set-up grief. Cat
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Post by HeatherKay on Jan 10, 2009 13:10:37 GMT
Software firewalls can conflict with these. I don't know. I've never had a problem having both software and hardware firewalls active. *shrug*
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Post by Forum Cat on Jan 10, 2009 13:35:11 GMT
Software firewalls can conflict with these. I don't know. I've never had a problem having both software and hardware firewalls active. *shrug* Neither have I. Though I understand that it can sometimes be the case. I have never changed any settings on either hardware or software firewall. I don't even know how to do it.
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Post by benjamin on Jan 12, 2009 17:19:15 GMT
Are there no harmful/any macros in iWork? iWork macros = AppleScript. There isn't any way to run this automatically, and I would be surprised if someone saw an AppleScript and clicked "run" just because it told them to, when they didn't even know who sent them the script.
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Post by Alex on Feb 10, 2009 20:33:15 GMT
I had one (I also use Adium) that was called Block Checker. It supposedly told me which people on my contact list have me blocked. I have no idea why anyone would want to even know/care who has blocked you... surely it's enough to just end up losing you friends? Anyway, most people on my list started sending me this same link because they all got contaminated... idiots.
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