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138 Comments
- vivalanation734, on 12/02/2008, -28/+106People are a bit too quick to jump on a supposed Apple flaw....
- inactive, on 12/02/2008, -15/+48I'm glad that someone sets the record straight on this one. It's sad when you see the BBC and the Washington trying to make news out of nothing just because it's a slow month.
- zeat, on 12/02/2008, -8/+37Typical lazy journalists
- darkism, on 12/03/2008, -12/+37What would you expect? Digg is full of vocal MS fanboys.
- habbofresh, on 12/02/2008, -38/+60People are too quick to defend Apple for their flaws.
- ryan83189, on 12/03/2008, -5/+22The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
- axelgrease, on 12/02/2008, -6/+23not to say that it's still not a good idea to be using antivirus in OS X
- username7410, on 12/03/2008, -6/+23Glad to see journalist checking their facts.
- mgyqmb, on 12/03/2008, -4/+18I keep hearing this stuff about how "apple doesn't have enough market share to make viruses worth writing for it" as if that's the only reason why I have never encountered a virus on the platform. At one point or another, don't you think that a virus writer would target the mac, just to prove their vulnerabilities? Wouldn't we have heard about it?
- warragul, on 12/03/2008, -6/+19Market share has absolutely nothing to do with it.
Vulnerability has everything to do with it.
The Apple IIgs had a very small market share but was beset with viruses.
MacOS up to 9.2.2. had viruses and had nowhere near the market share OSX has now.
Let the Windows apologists indulge in the fantasies.
Windows is STILL not built safe. You don't need to open .exe files. You don't need to go to dodgy sites.
The malware will come to you. - inactive, on 12/03/2008, -8/+20I investigated the original for two hours this morning... not awake or coffee-jarred enough to notice the dates at the top of the page (as highlighted in this rebuttal). Oh, gullible me. Still, and off-topic, in spite of Apple's recommendation, I would never ever place a Norton/Symantec item on any computer in my home (be it MacOSX or Windoze)
- pitchblackjava, on 12/03/2008, -0/+11You've got to be kidding me. Find me one Mac user—ONE—who's ever gotten a virus. Let's say you do. Does that mean the 20 million others out here should support a virus software company?
It's like having earthquake insurance in Colorado. - inactive, on 12/03/2008, -6/+17Gizmodo: Continuing the time-honored tradition of an article which has nothing to do with the title, complete with stupid photo.
- geodebug, on 12/03/2008, -11/+21No crap. I got buried for saying the virus news was BS yesterday.
http://digg.com/apple/Apple_now_encourages_antivir ...
Oh well, while MS apologists bash the mac, I'll be using bash on my mac (or z-shell). - soccerman90, on 12/03/2008, -2/+12yeah Mumbai is just filler news
- PoopOnPaul, on 12/03/2008, -3/+13Nobody thinks Macs CAN'T get viruses, it's just that so far, they don't. That's not stupid fanboyism from me, there are ACTUALLY no viruses out there right now for OS X. There IS malware, but pretty much in the form of trojans, and there's really only so much you can do to protect from those, since the user willingly runs them. Antivirus software is recommended on OS X for the following reasons:
1) Monitor for any type of malware, so (for example) it can warn a user before they run a trojan
2) Protect against Windows viruses, so you don't serve as a carrier and pass them on to Windows users
3) In case some day OS X does get viruses, you'll be prepared (assuming your AV software stays up to date)
I don't run AV software. I know enough to not install trojans, I don't consider it my responsibility to run AV software to protect Windows users who don't run their own (they pretty much all do anyway, so it would be kinda pointless), and I'm online enough to hear about it if a virus does come out (yes, I do run the risk of getting infected before it becomes widely reported, but the chances of that are small enough that I'm willing to take them).
And for all those who say it's only because of market share, why doesn't someone who hates "arrogant Mactards" write a virus to shut them all up once and for all? It would only take one virus. - infiniphunk, on 12/03/2008, -6/+13the fact is, its just way harder to code malware for any unix, whether it be bsd, linux or whatever. All those Winsuckers are living in a dream.
- mrBitch, on 12/03/2008, -4/+11@Spuy767 RE: " Apple should be recommending AV software for their users, to protect PC's from viruses being carried on cross-platform media. "
As a recent convert (MacBook Pro), I have to say that I am NOT going to be wasting my CPU and RAM resources just so some Windows user doesn't get a virus.
If you're using Windows, please don't expect anyone running OSX or a Linux distro to be running resource hogging virus software we don't NEED. - yokozuka, on 12/02/2008, -18/+25People are too quick to jump on people who jump to quick on defending Apple for their flaws when there's actually no flaws here.
- dfsjdkflasjk, on 12/03/2008, -4/+10I think we've got plenty.
- inactive, on 12/03/2008, -16/+22just look at the rants of these apple haters flaming away based on false facts: http://www.dailytech.com/Apple+Tells+Users+Get+a+M ...
- Spuy767, on 12/03/2008, -1/+6I'm just saying. I'd feel a very slight tinge of guild if I got a file from a friend to give to another friend and stored it on my Mac in the interim and he got a virus from it. That is, until I realized how dumb he was for not having his own virus software.
- astutissimo, on 12/03/2008, -15/+20Thank you Gizmodo guy! And F*** you Washington Post.
- sq2shooter, on 12/03/2008, -3/+8Because technically they can but they don't.
4 years running wide open on mine and absolutely nothing. And I go to some, okay lots of, unsavory sites. Try that on your PC. - abbathdoom, on 12/03/2008, -0/+5Maybe thats because the vast majority of Windows users don't even know what an internet browser is and thus can't debate technology news. Where as to make the switch to a Mac and swim against the tides of mainstream computing you've got to be someone who cares alot about computing.
- doshomik, on 12/03/2008, -0/+5Apple deletes Mac antivirus suggestion; http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10111958-83.html
- macslut, on 12/03/2008, -0/+5Actually historically it hasn't been a good idea to run AV software on OS X.
Since OS X was released, there hasn't been a single virus outbreak. Yeah, sure there have been minor trojans, exposed holes and so forth, but it sure hasn't resulted in being worth the headache, time, or money for buying and upgrading AV software on OS X.
Furthermore, AV software on OS X hasn't been problem-free itself. There have been times when AV software has caused crashes and issues worse than what many viruses would otherwise be doing.
Now, it may make sense to run AV software on OS X if you're doing file transfers to Windows users, or if you need protection from trojans, phishing scams, etc..., but for pure virus protection isolated to OS X, it hasn't been a good idea yet.
And it won't be a good idea until there's a virus outbreak for OS X. However at that time, it would be worth evaluating the risk and seeing if AV software would even be necessary versus just running Software Update for free. - Charlotte_Web, on 12/03/2008, -1/+5In all fairness, Apple has promoted anti-virus software before. OS 9 notably had a handful of viruses, and macs have always been capable of spreading Word macro viruses (generally at no danger to the Mac user).
Also, when Apple launched their .Mac service in 2002, they included Virex in the bundle of services. - MtnXfreerider, on 12/03/2008, -1/+5becasue digg is over run by mac fan boys
- MtnXfreerider, on 12/03/2008, -0/+4LOL you would put norton on a computer?!?
- warragul, on 12/03/2008, -3/+7Would you like to nominate just one of the viruses that Macs get? Just one will do. Any one.
If you check what, say, Norton AntiVirus is protecting Macs from you'll see that every virus listed is a Windows virus. Go to Symantec.com and try to get a listing of MacOSX viruses. No listing.
Intego, bless them, list a couple of "concept" viruses that never got out of the lab.
It's very hard to write Mac antivirus software when you have no idea what a Mac virus looks like. - macslut, on 12/03/2008, -1/+5"OSX market share is like 8%. Why would any malware creator bother to program and maintain software for it when they can make malware for windows XP with it's 70% share?"
Why were there so many Mac viruses prior to OS X when the Mac OS had an even smaller market share?
I'm not saying OS X is bulletproof, but it's holding up pretty well so far. Also, I don't care much why it's had 0 viruses, only that it does. - catbeller, on 12/03/2008, -3/+7As bullet-proof as any Unix box, yes.
Number of viruses to date: 0.
And ten percent of the total PC base is millions of people, and no malware company would pass that up. The fact is, they won't write a virus because they can't write a virus. Same way as they can't write an Ubuntu virus.
It's been TEN YEARS. No viruses. Give it up! I did. Malware free since 2006. No firewall other than the one built-in. No viruses. Nada. Computing as it should have been had not MS wired the world into using Windows in perpetuity. - dfsjdkflasjk, on 12/03/2008, -8/+12I think that's the first time that phrase, or anything remotely like it, has been uttered on this site.
- MtnXfreerider, on 12/03/2008, -0/+3lol truth was dugg down, I work in geek squad, trust me guys, we have plenty coming in for repair considering the ratio sold.
Their hard drives and mother boards and LCDs die just as regularly as a PC, same parts different label slapped on them. - scruffles, on 12/03/2008, -2/+5@TomKarpik
India is in the far east. The bombing was about as close to the middle east as Paris. Also, your a dick. - MixedSpleens, on 12/03/2008, -3/+6Mac AV is still more trouble then it's worth, its more likely to crash your system and eat your ram than find a virus.
- crunchdigg, on 12/03/2008, -1/+4Why would someone write a virus for the OSX Mac?
Do you have any idea how *famous* you'd be if you did?
And only infecting millions of machines? not worth it?
I have to laugh when this meme keeps showing up.
Some microsoft PR guy really earned his money on this one. - SmilinGoat, on 12/03/2008, -3/+6so they have been suggesting it for over a year... how does this make the story better? i mean sure journalists should do their jobs and do some ***** research, but seriously, they are still suggesting you protect your mac with an antivirus, yet most (not all) mac users i talk to try to convince me that there is no need for them. if anything this just goes to show you how quietly apple let the word out back in 2007.
- inkswamp, on 12/03/2008, -6/+9I'm curious how this idea that market share means more viruses has gotten so deeply embedded into the collective conscience. As far as I can tell, we have one example to back this up: Windows (and I think it's safe to say that widespread usage hasn't been the only contributing factor to its security problems.) There are enough counter-examples to this notion that I can't help but wonder why so many journalists are so quick to switch into Chicken Little mode about Macs.
- javaroast, on 12/03/2008, -1/+4Looking at your posting history you seem to enjoy the mudslinging. Maybe you can start by being the example and stop the mudslinging by bring something to the discussion... but that's not the troll's way.
- smotpoker, on 12/03/2008, -2/+5They believe what the nice MS sales/tech support people tell them to believe:
"Forget the tried-n-true fundamentals researched and developed for decades at the top ivy league tech schools around the world! that's *yesterday's* news!
"Nevermind all of the bugs we knew of and never warned you of! Who cares if it takes forever to fix them? Average users don't need to ensure the integrity/security of their files? Data corruption, bugs and insecurity are the wave of the future! None of it matters as long as you have a shiny GUI that is bug free (assuming your hardware is not only the proper specs but MS certified and not just MS ceritified but recommended) and eventually get what you paid for (assuming you can find your license key and have internet but not just internet, broadband internet that can handle all of the updates in a timely manner without without disconnections)" - smotpoker, on 12/03/2008, -1/+4@chunken
No one ever claimed OSX or any OS is bulletproof. We do, however, claim Windows' insecurity is due to MS's own wanton disregard of the subject (and the years of research regarding it) in favor of exploiting and deceiving the ignorant.
They couldn't afford or develop their own decent OS so they took another, ported it, threw a bunch of stuff on top to make it appear polished to laymen and sold it to a bunch of people who knew absolutely jack. That is all they have been doing since they got started: buy a product, modify, resale.
If they had half a clue of what they were doing most of the time they would patch bugs and not create so many in the process, meet their deadlines and properly fix bugs found later in a timely manner. They have had like two decades and despite their 90% market share and billions upon billions of dollars, they still cannot muster that much.
There are plenty of hackers and crackers who develop exploits and attack vulns in *nix OSes but practically 0 who make viruses/worms. There are overall probably as many or more documented vulnerabilities in *nix OSes as there are for Windows which indicates there are obviously people looking for and attacking *nix. However, the practicality of using a worm/virus/malware to exploit them is limited not by OS popularity but by their timely release of patches and their inability to burrow their way into the system and hide themselves (because the OS is designed to prevent it).
*Finally* MS is starting to get a clue and implement some of the *nix features that are required for a general purpose OS but they still have a ways to go. Windows is definitely more secure now than it used to be but who knows how long it will take them to catch up completely... (if ever)
Their bimbo-cheerleader "they only attack me because I'm popular!" excuse is laughable. It might be adequate to explain number of attacks but doesn't explain how the same attacks are always so successful, why she doesn't improve herself or how slow she is to defend herself. - mrBitch, on 12/03/2008, -3/+5@warragul RE: " Market share has absolutely nothing to do with it.
Vulnerability has everything to do with it.
The Apple IIgs had a very small market share but was beset with viruses.
MacOS up to 9.2.2. had viruses and had nowhere near the market share OSX has now.
Let the Windows apologists indulge in the fantasies.
Windows is STILL not built safe. You don't need to open .exe files. You don't need to go to dodgy sites.
The malware will come to you. "
Good points, and well said. - TheManikin, on 12/03/2008, -5/+7Phew, I was worried for a sec that going to the cheapest porn sites on the web was dangerous again.
- inactive, on 12/03/2008, -0/+2goddamn the Washington
- inactive, on 12/03/2008, -0/+2lose the apostrophe
- chkdg8, on 12/03/2008, -0/+2Wait, I thought...
- litothegreat, on 12/03/2008, -5/+7wait so why do people care about this? i don't think anyone on digg believed Macs are unable to get viruses.
- Spuy767, on 12/03/2008, -0/+2Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs.
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