[SpanishJoe]

http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/biztech/02/01/microsoft.security.reut/index.html

"In the meantime, Schneier said he was thinking of switching from Windows to the Macintosh platform because of all the security issues. "My wife has a Mac and she doesn't worry about viruses, trojans, leaks..., " he said.

A Consumer Reports survey last year found that virus infection rates on Macs are half what they are on Windows, noted Smith. "Is that because Macs are safer? I think the answer is yeah."

HALF that? WTF? Name one important virus infection on the MacOS - either OS9 or OSX....

Still - a good article from a sometimes very partial source (CNN)..

-SJ

 

[jfpoole]

SpanishJoe wrote:
HALF that? WTF? Name one important virus infection on the MacOS - either OS9 or OSX....

In the past year or so, I've had two times as many viruses on my PowerBook as I've had on all my x86-based machines combined!

Did I mention that I've had no viruses on my x86-based machines in the past five years or so?

As I've mentioned in the past (yes, I'm a broken record) I think part of the reason that there are no Mac OS X viruses of note is that there aren't that many machines out there running Mac OS X. I'd imagine virus writers would rather target Windows, since there are a lot more Windows machines than Mac machines, and the virus will have more hosts and hopefully will be more successful.

Also, you could make the argument that since a lot of viruses come from places like Eastern Europe, the virus writers are probably too poor to afford a Mac, and so target the (cheaper) x86-based platform.

In other words, I don't think there are any technical reasons why Mac OS X doesn't have the number of viruses that Windows does, merely statistical(?) ones.

 

[CubaMark]

jfpoole, what kinds of virii have you received? They wouldn't happen to be Word macros?

Regardless, on that issue, do Word macro virii have any real effect when activated in the Macintosh environment, or are we just "carriers" who can infect other Windows users?

M.

 

[jfpoole]

CubaMark wrote:
jfpoole, what kinds of virii have you received? They wouldn't happen to be Word macros?

I haven't received any viruses in the past five years or so (I was being silly because 2 * 0 is still 0; can you tell I have a math degree).

Regardless, on that issue, do Word macro virii have any real effect when activated in the Macintosh environment, or are we just "carriers" who can infect other Windows users?

That's a good question; I have no idea.

 

[Ohenri]

I'm not a coder or anything close to it, but why would I try to set mayhem in 1 out of 10 computers - at the most? Chances are that it doesn't achieve what I saught out for - press and coverage. With the increase in market share, I could see more interest in attacking the Mac platform. But tell me this - I find that Mac users are usually more savvy anyhow. Not quick to open any attachments - I say that thinking of all the PC users I know who just click open anything. I could be wrong...

 

[Strongblade]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jfpoole:
SpanishJoe wrote:
HALF that? WTF? Name one important virus infection on the MacOS - either OS9 or OSX....

In the past year or so, I've had two times as many viruses on my PowerBook as I've had on all my x86-based machines combined!

Did I mention that I've had no viruses on my x86-based machines in the past five years or so?

As I've mentioned in the past (yes, I'm a broken record) I think part of the reason that there are no Mac OS X viruses of note is that there aren't that many machines out there running Mac OS X. I'd imagine virus writers would rather target Windows, since there are a lot more Windows machines than Mac machines, and the virus will have more hosts and hopefully will be more successful.

Also, you could make the argument that since a lot of viruses come from places like Eastern Europe, the virus writers are probably too poor to afford a Mac, and so target the (cheaper) x86-based platform.

In other words, I don't think there are any technical reasons why Mac OS X doesn't have the number of viruses that Windows does, merely statistical(?) ones.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Here's a question. Have you had Virus software rnning on your PC? How about your Mac?

Also, 2x the viruses on one machine vs. all your other PCs combined? What kind of numbers are we talking about here?

I find your statement a bit dubious. Unless you aren't running any Virus Protection software on your Mac or don't keep it up to date...

PC Viruses range in the hundres of thousands and Mac Viruses range in the tens. If you are getting THAT many Mac Viruses on your Mac, you should really invest in some Virus Protection software.

I've been using Macs for over 12 years. I've owned over 10 macs, and including workplace environment, I've used more than 30 different Mac machines of varying models.

I have had exactly 1 virus situation on a personal machine. And it was so old it wouldn't even run on the machine it got onto.

As a Mac Technician for 5 years at a computer store, we had exactly 2 instances with customers coming in with a virus on their machine. In each case, Virus Software was the cure and the prevention thereafter.

 

[RicktheChemist]

.

 

[PosterBoy]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by CubaMark:
do Word macro virii have any real effect when activated in the Macintosh environment, or are we just "carriers" who can infect other Windows users?
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

from what I understand there were a few word macros that could be opened in Word 2001 and use OE5 (OE5 came installed by default on every mac at hat point) to propgate themselves across the net, but other than that there was no discernable effect to the computer. I have no idea whether or not these Word Macros would work with Word X and Entourage X, and I can;t remember if they would even work with Word 2001 and Entourage 2001.

--PB

 

[MacNutt]

Wise words, RTC. We get a bit smug about this "no virus' thing sometimes. I am as guilty of this as anyone.

One thing to note....the Mac community is a very tight-knit group and I bet that any major virus incursion would be spotted by one of us and the rest would be informed post haste.

In that way, perhaps, we might still have an advantage over the garden variety PC user, eh?

Just a thought.

 

[jfpoole]

Strongblade wrote:
Also, 2x the viruses on one machine vs. all your other PCs combined? What kind of numbers are we talking about here?

Two times zero is still zero

 

[Bjornbro]

I came close to getting a worm. I say "close" because it was on a MacAddict CD-ROM and at the time I was checking their website regularly for my dose of all things Mac (pre-ehMac era) and they had a month-long "warning" post about said worm. I think one could get the worm by having the autoplay option checked "on" in QuickTime (3.0?).

Other than that, I like to think I just wasted a lot of money on Symantec software, because I never had another virus problem in 10+ years.

 

[SpanishJoe]

I agree. Over the years, I've gotten Virex, SAM, and even a cheapo copy of Disinfectant, and I have never ever ever gotten a virus. Ever. I kind of wish I would.

I still feel guilty about asking my Mom to buy me a copy of some sort of "antivirus software" when I first got my Mac back in the fall of 1993. I was a poor student, and my only experience with computers before I got my 165c was with the 386's and 486's that my friends had in University, which were always fighting off viral infections. She bought me a copy of SAM 4.0 as a Christmas present. It cost her a whopping $130. All it did was make my old PowerBook lock up and crash every 5 minutes with a warning that "unauthorized activity" was happening on my drive.

And yes, I did know how to use it.

Since then I've vowed to abolish "fearware" - crappy software that does nothing except give you cryptic dialogs and make the user panic. Here's a few examples of current fearware:

- Apple's .Mac Virex pack-in
- Symantec's Personal Firewall
- Drive 10
- Spring Cleaning
- and on and on

So fight the power. Don't give in. Save your money. I'll be the first to buy a copy of Virex 6.0 for OSX if and when the Mac community actually comes down with a virus. I'm not holding my breath.

-SJ.