Mac ????

Levina de Ruijter wrote in post #12606769
I've had Macs for 22 years. Never had any protection. Don't need it. But if you exchange files with PC users, then run some virus detection software to protect them.

Even if you DO.. Macs completely ignore them...

Because they are designed for PC', Mac doesn't know it's a virus, just sees it as another .exe file.. and the .exe file is not designed to hurt the Mac system.. So it just sits there..

in the Mac system, nothing (even genuine mac software) can enter the System Folder without the mac asking for 'Admin Permision' first, so it will always ask you..

I have the latest Intego Virus Barrier set up on the menu bar to jump anytime it detects a minute virus, it's been gathering dust for the past year and hasn't alerted me once.. I will send it into the bin soon..

The Little Snitch software is the best one... I have not seen anything get past it yet, without alerting me first..

I am not sure if Macs are more secure or virus makers just can't be bothered to attack them... I think Mac share of the market is too small and they don't seem to hate Steve Jobs as much as Bill Gates..:p

There have been a couple of notable malwares on Mac lately - Mac Defender being the one that springs to mind. The name makes it sound useful and benign, but it certainly is not.

http://support.apple.c​om/kb/ht4650

nathancarter wrote in post #12625578
There have been a couple of notable malwares on Mac lately - Mac Defender being the one that springs to mind. The name makes it sound useful and benign, but it certainly is not.

http://support.apple.c​om/kb/ht4650

We were talking about general viruses that infect PCs, without you knowing, though..

That one is a 'phishing scam' that tricks the user to go there and sign up... Like the 'Nigerian Money' scams etc

Strangely enough, thinking few days back, it popped up on my browser... I just said Buzz Off..

The other one you have to careful.. just happens to be some dodgy Russian sites pop up in the background tabs.. You can't get rid of them, it takes over your browser.. trying to stick a virus in there or something.. You literally have to 'Force Quit' the browser to get out of it...

It also helps to clean the 'Cache' of Safari regularly with software.. It fills up with junk cookies after a month or so.. last time i did there was a whole 1 Gb of stuff there..

don't use anything. my imac isn't connected to the net.

I dont bother either.

ben_r_ wrote in post #12633223
I dont bother either.

How do you guys EMail people? Or update your OS system?

The Shaheen wrote in post #12633254
How do you guys EMail people? Or update your OS system?

Whoa, I didnt mean to imply I wasnt on the internet. Oh no, def online! I just never open emails from people I dont know, never install random crap of websites, etc. Just be smart and youll be fine.

I have all macs at home and like 6 at work, no protection on them and never had a virus problem in 6+ years...

They are out there, but way less common then on PCs....

I just hope the Mac haters continue to grow, making Macs even less of a target....

I run Windows and don't install a virus scanner either ... it is not needed unless you want to scan for users downstream (friends, etc). Windows get a bad rap 'cause everyone runs as admin. There are more hacks with PC's than there are with DSLRs

I installed norton once..because it was free...

Got tired of it scanning every time I plugged in a memory card..

Uninstalled it.

Common sense goes a long way...funny how if you download software only from trusted sources, check reviews for software, and buy LEGIT software you don't get burned...this goes for windows too.

pcunite wrote in post #12636210
I run Windows and don't install a virus scanner either ... it is not needed unless you want to scan for users downstream (friends, etc). Windows get a bad rap 'cause everyone runs as admin. There are more hacks with PC's than there are with DSLRs

Just a note, the worst win viruses do not require user input to infect computes. A good firewall however will stop most of them.

MaxxuM wrote in post #12637168
Just a note, the worst win viruses do not require user input to infect computes. A good firewall however will stop most of them.

Only because people often run windows in admin mode, which was stated.

If you don't run in admin mode, you don't install software without giving the computer permission first.

This, coupled with intelligence, is free virus protection.

sbattey wrote in post #12637288
Only because people often run windows in admin mode, which was stated.

If you don't run in admin mode, you don't install software without giving the computer permission first.

This, coupled with intelligence, is free virus protection.

Yes, common sense is the only real defense. And no, it doesn't matter what type of user you run as. Viruses (actually worms) attack by trying to gain admin permissions using little tricks like dictionary attacks, malware tricks and more advanced overflow techniques. Typically business, government and education (campus) computers are good targets because they do not use firewalls due to the fact that they must use RPC for network functionality.

That is why Apple can say there are no true viruses for Mac's. To be a true virus, it must be able to replicate. Mac Defender is malware, not a true virus btw. And, there is no defense for a person that installs malware.

The number one reason people upgrade their Windows machines is because of malware/viruses. The number one reason Windows computers are refreshed (reinstall) is because of malware/viruses and the number one reason people bring in their computers for work is, you got it, malware/viruses. We are not the typical users who either know better or at lease know who to ask about these things.

I'm not saying that Mac's are completely free of malware problems, but it's so rare that of the more than 3,000 Mac's at work, only .03 percent of them get some type of malware a year. Compare that to 16 percent for the PC side (10,000+ Vista & Windows 7 machines all running Kaspersky Enterprise).

MaxxuM wrote in post #12637168
Just a note, the worst win viruses do not require user input to infect computes. A good firewall however will stop most of them.

Yes, RPC exploits if your machine is on a network without a firewall between bad/good machines ... I think the last one was in 2008. Dictionary password guessing on ipc$ is not a Windows vulnerability, however. Has Mac ever had any RPC services get rooted?

pcunite wrote in post #12637800
Yes, RPC exploits if your machine is on a network without a firewall between bad/good machines ... I think the last one was in 2008. Dictionary password guessing on ipc$ is not a Windows vulnerability, however. Has Mac ever had any RPC services get rooted?

No, but our Mac servers do pass them along to other machines on the network. The last one to hit us was Kido when we were still using CA AV. We dropped them after 2000 got infected.