- May 7, 2014
- 176
My apologies if this article could damage your image or cause any kind of trouble. I'm not looking for this so I hope it goes smoothly and please read the references and the whole article before posting something that could offend or so... I would appreciate
Thank you
Malware on the MacThank you
First I just want to say that yes Macs are less vulnerable but it doesn’t mean they are “gods” or like some people say “They don’t get infected and for that reason you don’t need antivirus”. Well I’m a Mac and Windows user and I use security products on both (actually I'm using my mac to write this article) . I run SEP (Symantec Endpoint Protection) and it works fantastically smooth on both systems… No complaints yet, not even battery issues. The main reason I use SEP on mac its just because I want to avoid spreading windows malware but even though I have it, I’m sometimes concerned about getting an actual Mac oriented malware because we never know when could this happen. If Apple patches their software because of security issues or flags, it definitely means that they are vulnerable, if not why would they patch their OS’s. Doesn’t this make any sense? Well most of the mac users are so used to not have any security program because they have “never been attacked” (“never” not that they know). They probably don’t even know that maybe their information have been stole or compromise without their knowledge. But who cares if they don’t themselves, right?
Even Apple recommends users to use security products (http://www.macworld.com/article/1137241/antivirus.html)
As for AV-comparatives they support the use of antivirus:
“Mac users can often be heard to say “I don’t need antivirus software, I have an Apple”. Unfortunately, this is a misguided conclusion. Whilst the dangers are certainly much less than with Windows computers, they do exist nonetheless. If nothing else, the recent spread of Mac Trojans proves this. Mac users who think they do not need to concern themselves have created an illusion. The claim that Apple users are less threatened than Windows users is currently still correct, but could change rapidly. It was the low market share of Macs that limited the attentions of online criminals; now that Macs are becoming more popular, this state of affairs is changing. Something that many people forget is that phishing works equally well on any device with an integrated browser, regardless of whether this is Windows, Mac, Apple TV, Android, Symbian or Internet TV; phishing affects everyone equally.
The largest single case was the Flashback-Botnet, which affected over half a million Macs at the beginning of 2012. This may not sound like much, and indeed is not very much compared to the world of Windows computers, but only shows the tip of the iceberg. Macs are being attacked more and more by cybercriminals, who take advantage of the complacency towards malware threats amongst Mac users. Unlike Windows users, most Mac users do not have any additional protection against viruses on their computers.
As in the world of Windows, free antivirus programs are available for the Mac. However, the security of personal data should be worth paying for, just as with backup services”.
The largest single case was the Flashback-Botnet, which affected over half a million Macs at the beginning of 2012. This may not sound like much, and indeed is not very much compared to the world of Windows computers, but only shows the tip of the iceberg. Macs are being attacked more and more by cybercriminals, who take advantage of the complacency towards malware threats amongst Mac users. Unlike Windows users, most Mac users do not have any additional protection against viruses on their computers.
As in the world of Windows, free antivirus programs are available for the Mac. However, the security of personal data should be worth paying for, just as with backup services”.
The main reason I’m writing this article it’s because I read this —Viruses, Trojans, Malware - and other aspects of Internet Security — article posted on https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-2435 (even though it's a hard to find article its open to everyone that wants to read it) and I’m really mad at it because besides being contradictory it tells users some wrong stuff. For this purpose I’m going to state some points that I don’t agree with just because I support what Apple, AV Comparatives, and even other companies say about the use of security products on the Mac. I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT I DON'T WORK FOR ANY OF THIS COMPANIES.
(THE ARTICLE IS NOT WRITTEN BY ANY NEWS COMPANY BUT BY A REGULAR USER I ASSUME BASED ON THIS INFO I GOT A SCREENSHOT OF:
SO MY APOLOGIES IF I SAY SOMETHING WRONG OR MISTAKEN). BUT I THINK THIS ONE DESERVES SOME GOOD WORDS BECAUSE OF THE QUANTITIES OF VIEWS AND EVEN POINTS THIS POST HAS. BEWARE THAT I’M NOT TRYING TO CREATE ANY WAR OR DEBATE HERE, I’M JUST TRYING TO CREATE SOME CONSCIOUSNESS ABOUT THE REALITY OF OUR CYBER WORLD.
First the article starts by saying don’t panic, WHO won’t panic in this world where everything is a risk even with the use of computers.
After that he states:
Whilst viruses designed to attack the Microsoft Windows operating system cannot affect Apple OS X, it is possible to pass on a Windows virus, which you may have received but not noticed, to a Windows user, for example through an email attachment. Many use the free ClamXav just to check incoming emails for this reason, and our resident expert Thomas A Reed's excellent guidance on this subject can be read here: www.thesafemac.com/mmg
Many users also like the free application Sophos (although a few have mentioned that it can slow your system down)…..
Many users also like the free application Sophos (although a few have mentioned that it can slow your system down)…..
Okay so here is my complaint… First yes some users use AV apps to scan and I admire that…. But then it says that a few users have mentioned that “Sophos” can slow your system down. Okay I understand that users can experience that BUT WHY posting about something people say….. I look for concrete information and I don’t like to write about what people think because those are just comments and experiences, PLUS not every user configuration is the same, so that means we could experience lags independently because of our own systems. Besides, I have use Sophos and it works smooth and nice on Mac.
SECOND: Do not install Norton Anti-Virus on a Mac as it can seriously damage your operating system. Norton Anti-Virus is not compatible with Apple OS X.
SERIOUSLY? OMG I didn’t know this one. I’m running SEP and its basically as Norton and yes I have try norton on a mac and it works nice and smooth (I tested this myself) and I didn’t notice any compatibility issues (NORTON ANTIVIRUS FOR MAC IS DESIGNED FOR MAC isn’t it?). I’m not gonna talk too much about this just because it’s pointless…. But if you look at the date of the article (April 15, 2014) revision its unbelievable that this statement is still posted…. So I’m seriously assuming (with all due respect) that this article is all cropping, pasting and putting together all of the information the writer wants the user to read.
ANOTHER STATEMENT
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If you interpret this the same way I did…. I would say as a “basic” user that the article assumes that trojans are different from viruses, meaning that an antivirus won’t detect trojans. Well this could be true and it’s part true, but it is implying that Macs can get trojans and you would need a different type of protection for this? MMMMmmmmm I think my point is clear.
After all this, the article states the topic: GENERAL ADVICE ON HOW TO AVOID INFECTION IN THE FIRST PLACE….. It makes some points:
1. Avoid going to suspect and untrusted Web sites, especially p'orn'ography sites.
2. Check out what you are downloading.
3. Use an antivirus program like ClamXav.
4. Use Mac OS X's built-in Firewalls.
5. Avoid Peer-to-peer sharing applications.
6. Check for security updates from Apple using Software Update and install them!
2. Check out what you are downloading.
3. Use an antivirus program like ClamXav.
4. Use Mac OS X's built-in Firewalls.
5. Avoid Peer-to-peer sharing applications.
6. Check for security updates from Apple using Software Update and install them!
So yes I agree with this points, but for a basic user that doesn’t know how to avoid a suspect and untrusted site__________??????? Fill the blank….. Yes! what are they gonna do?…. Furthermore why say don’t use norton, don’t use antivirus and then use ClamXav, don’t go into porn sites, don’t do P2P…. WT* I do whatever I want with my computer and I assume the consequences with all respect…. And for this reason of preventing malware or any other kind of attack I use security protection and even with it and my common sense, I’m not always protected so…..
Users like my own grandma or even my dad….OBVIOUSLY would need some kind of protection like WOT or any other site reputation checker or anti phishing program because they don’t know how to distinguish…. HHHHMMMMM??? Now I wondering if this article is about not needing antivirus protection, etc etc or THE NEED OF IT.
Here is why I decided to write all this down….. IT’S CONFUSING EVEN FOR ME TO READ THIS KIND OF ARTICLE BECAUSE IT’S NOT JUST CONFUSING BUT FOR A BASIC USER THAT DOESN’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT COMPUTERS WOULD BE A MASACRE…. BECAUSE IT COULD RESULT IN FRAUD, COMPUTER DAMAGE, CORRUPTION AND OPERATION AAAAAAAAANNNNDDDDD OVERALL MMMMMOOOOONNNNEEEEYYYY.
Hello people I would rather pay some extra money to be 5% extra protected than losing all my investment and even my identity or computer functionality because of a tiny program that could destroy my $1,500 dollars computer or equipment.
MORAL FABLE: Don’t believe everything you read…. Get proof of concept and analyze. If you can’t! LOOK UP for help and be aware of THE INTERNET. COMMON SENSE DOESN’T ALWAYS WORK EVEN FOR PROFESSIONALS SO YOU BETTER BE PROTECTED THAN TRUSTING YOUR UNIQUE “COMMON SENSE” THAT COULD FAIL YOU ANYTIME TIME JUST LIKE YOUR AV COULD FAIL YOU “ANYTIME”, BUT BETTER TO HAVE 2 SOURCES MAKING A POTENTIAL ONE.
