Forum Moderators: travelin cat
Hackers are learning to "think different," so to speak, and now might be targeting Macintosh computers.
Article [technewsworld.com]
No one seriously claims that Macs are invulnerable to viruses or other malware. However, we Mac users are happy in our knowledge that Macs are inherently and significantly less vulnerable than Windows.
I particularly like the point in the article's next-to-last paragraph that "Antivirus protection for Macs is available, too..." Since there is not a single known virus that affects Mac OSX, there's really nothing to protect against, is there? If/when such a virus first appears, those running antivirus on their Macs will learn that antivirus cannot protect against new, heretofore-unknown viruses, and they'll get just as infected as those of us who "go bare." Then the antivirus companies will have to come up with a filter (or whatever they use) to protect against the newly minted virus, and then we'll have something that works to protect us against an actual threat.
Until that happens, I ain't worried, and Symantec won't get any of my money. They cannot offer us protection against something that doesn't yet exist.
I agree with sonjay... I've been a Mac man for years, and like many, I attribute the lack of viruses and security issues to 2 things:
1. Nobody has Macs (still!). If I were a hacker, I wouldn't want to put hours of effort into something that would only affect 17 people.
2. When one company (a good company) builds all the components of a system, you can't help but have less holes in that system than one that brings in third parties for everything.
But I sure as hell don't think Macs are impervious to hackers... plenty of Mac-ers may think that, but those people are the bizarro-world equivalent to the Dell-owning soccer moms who think the latest AOL Security Download will protect them from issues.
The biggest conduit for hackers isn't Windows, Mozilla browsers, etc... it's human ignorance, and no "patch" is going to fix that. I've had a PC at work for 3 years, and never had a single virus or even pop-up. My coworker got a new PC a month ago and already has it loaded up with spyware and pop-ups. As long as the bulk of the computer-purchasing population is that ignorant, hackers will focus on the easy prey.
Long story short: wise Mac-users are safe; ignorant Mac users are not safe- on their Macs, on a Dell, on an adding machine...
Hackers are learning to "think different,"
Thanks for the article oddsod.
That is the last major virus that I can remember for the Macintosh.
(The last time we talked about Symantec's regular "Mac users should buy our software too!" press releases.)
Using the words of Gee Dubya ... Symantec is just "Catapulting Propaganda" :D
As for the "Titanic syndrome" I and many other Mac owners seem to have... At least we won't be sinking to the bottom of the ocean when the iceberg hits.
Now where's my up to date backup dvd's again?
