What is Digg?55 Comments
- BlueStarr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9Did you read the article? It's basically another story that repeats the same warning of 'it's gona happen' and then promotes itself as the solution.
Scum sucking parasites.
"The program is freely downloadable for a 15 day free trial. Afterwards, a perpetual license is $24.95. With a booth at the upcoming Macworld in San Franscisco and a retail push, Raba wants MacScan to become a household name like Ad-Aware or Symantec."
The end is somewhat accurate. The apps that include anything similar to spyware(like limewire) gets shutdown by it's users very fast. We take care of our own.
"Raba told us that spyware makers have not hit the Macintosh as hard as windows because, "there is much more money to be made by spreading spyware on Windows." He adds that it is technically a bit harder to get malicious code to run on Mac OS X's BSD-based kernel, but says, "If you have decent programming skills, you can make a spyware or virus program." - j0keR, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Malware for Mac OS X: Brought to you by the fine folks at Symantec™
- macrebel, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4As a long time Mac User and programmer (wrote a few "for fun" viruses back in the OS 9 days), I can tell you that there are no viable viruses running on the OS X version of the Mac operating system.
There have been a few attempts at putting one in the wild but fortunately the OSX system is built on a very secure kernel that Apple keeps on top of from a security standpoint.
If there were any viruses that common users had to truly worry about, they would be all over every major Apple site continuously until Apple released a fix.
The major difference between Apple and Windoz is that the source code is by and large open, which keeps vulnerabilities to a minimum. - BlueStarr, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4"He adds that proof of concept virus code is already running around the Internet and that a major Mac virus is inevitable."
Let's underline this to make it very clear. There are ZERO VIRUS' for the Mac. - macman81, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I think that OS X itself is immune to virii; I doubt it's users are. Because there is no patch for human stupidity, everything is eventual. Hah!
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"Sony rootkit = Mac spyware" WRONG! IT DOES NOT SELF INSTALL;IT does not install anything to the kernal nor modify it, PLUS IT NEVER WORKED!!! WRONG (BUZZER SOUND) (GET THE CANE) NEXT CALLER!!!
- smhill, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1***** FUD.
That company is using misleading terminology to sell their lame product. The "spyware" and "keyloggers" they are referring to are applications available for download. They need to be downloaded and installed. Vastly different than ones that come via email or questionable apps that are common on windows.
If someone is installing a key logger on your Mac without your knowledge, you have bigger problems, and and a security app really isn't going to help.
There are no spyware/viruses for the OSX. It is probable there may be one someday, but none yet. - GhostFreeman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Market Share dictates otherwise
- saggygrandma, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This is just the company scaring you into buying their product
- SpacePirate, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Keyloggers and spyware are certainly possible, hell- incredibly easy- to write on a mac. So, why don't Mac users care? Because they STILL can't be installed without administrative permission. Once malicious programs get past that point, though, either by a malicious local user or some yet-undiscovered-that-would-quickly-be-patched exploit, a Mac or Linux box is just as susceptible.
- closebeauty, on 05/23/2008, -0/+1Yes, i saw this kind of Keyloggers for Mac, such as http://www.keylogger-mac.com
But, Mac keyloggers are not only for inllegal things, they can also do some useful jobs such as Parental Control, Employee monitoring, A case here http://www.parental-controls-software.net - JayPiddy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Any time you load some sketchy software from a little and relitvily unknown developer and you are asked to provide your PW to install you are WIDE open to spy/malware! regardless of OS.
- fernyb, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I know ther is Sub7 mac version of the client
http://www.securemac.com/sub7macintoshversion.php - ShiN3R, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@deenine
Just to let you know, Sony rootkits do NOT work on macs. so that would be NOT EQUAL. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0DETECTS AND NOTIFIES OF SPYWARE FOR MAC OS X??? OK fine NAME ME ONE! Cmon- name me one such "Trojan" virus or mac os x Spyware. Cmon.. waiting... WaItinG....Where wha.. is that one? How bout that .. is that one?? Oh wait maybe that one..... Seriously, It would be valuable to me if anyone could come up with a name of one Known Virus for Mac OS X or Better yet Spyware for osx. . . It's possible YES, Probible NO. It's hard to virus a Mac OS X Machine, plus Apple and fanatics will sizzle yer ballz if u do. Again fine me ONE report of a virus on mac os x, not a virus theory, or talk of constructing one.. but an actual living breathing mo fo! :) Thought so shuaadup! :) hahahahaha.
- thidranki, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0definately pussy corporate scare tactics.
What do you do when your product does nothing to nothing? Make people THINK it does!
no digg - mateo60, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0These guys can take their digg, and shove up their a$$es.
- gerkin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0They say there are actually quite a few ... but they don't get into much detail about it. Interested to see how this pans out, or is it another opener ?
- skyfex, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0A virus is possible of course. Just write a small cocoa or applescript app that sends itself to everyone in your addressbook. Write a clever mail to get people to run it. But these things aren't as effective anymore. People have learn. The real threat is worms. Those are the ones that have been causing all the trouble for Windows users, and it's very, very hard to write for Mac OS X. There's not been an exploit to run malicious code in Safari or Mail yet, and Mac OS X has no services enabled by default (file sharing, etc.)
Of course they'll come, but I stand by my word that there's no use for antispyware/antivirus yet. - ehmjay, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0he wants it to become a household name like ad-aware...then perhaps he should considering NOT charging for it!
- hugznotthugzkid, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0It's already been mentioned many times: human stupidity.
Macs are not run as root by default unlike Windows, which runs as admin by default. There are viruses and other malicious crap for Linux based systems and Macs, it's just hard to trick people into installing it because they have to go through so many steps and procedures like permissions, etc. and even if they do manage to install it, it will decay. Less likely to cause widespread damage. Windows on the other hand, all you have to do is have a dumbass home user (most likely an admin) click on the executionable or attachement and that system is gone to *****. Props to Bill Gates for putting together an unsecure and unstable MS-DOS based on someone else's OS. - samfrench, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0somebody really needs to make a non-harming virus for the mac that goes really widespread, I just want all you mac foke to know its possible, undigg
- thewordwasgod, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2"Damn it! I blogged the story and Dugg it before I read it and I regret doing so. It's times like this that I wish I could Ctrl+Z my Digg."
***** retard? why do people do this?
anyways, go http://digg.com/users/l0g1cal and click the "undigg" link, you turd.
dont digg ***** without reading it. - l0g1cal, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Damn it! I blogged the story and Dugg it before I read it and I regret doing so. It's times like this that I wish I could Ctrl+Z my Digg.
- Macintel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Good point SpacePirate. If the user is willing to plug in their admin password for every application requesting access then it's a user flaw, not a Mac security flaw. Any system is vulnerable when someone is actually on keys. But there is no way to gain root access though an application like a web browser on a Mac.
- colddog15, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1"Anyone with programming skills could make something, the majority don't bother because they don't want to go to jail," says Raba.
oh please.... I feel this statement tells us this person is just trying to find a problem to solve with your money in his pocket - Safe97, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0old news
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"He adds that proof of concept virus code is already running around the Internet and that a major Mac virus is inevitable." Wow, almost 5 years of running around...that malicious code must be tired as *****.
- silent1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@ popetorak: "there is virus for the mac. get over it"
Wrong. Period. Do research your assertions before posting. You'll sound like somewhat less of an ass. - silent1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@ C_MAC: Exactly my point. :-) Might our smugness end some day? Possibly. But they've been saying it'll happen for a half-decade now. I'm still chugging along with nary a virus in sight. Funny, that.
- karamba_kid, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Yeah, and this is supposed to scare me into installing some shady free trial software? Open Source or Bust!
- KAMI_no_kodomo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Sorry. But I think it's imposible to make a anty spyware if there is no spyware. You FIRST need the spyware / virusses. THEN you can make the protection. Since there are NO spyware & virusses on the Mac I DON'T TRUST THIS STUF!!! I'ts imposible they are what they say they are. So what are they? People who want to steal our mony? People who are trying to make spyware for the mac and traying in this way to com in? (They made a program that scans your computer right? On what is it scanning?) Or what?
- silent1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@ samfrench: If it's possible why hasn't it been done? "Lack of interest" or "lack of marketshare" is utter *****. The best virus authors do so for the elitism of breaking something that's not supposed to be breakable. OS X is squarely in the sights of these egocentric types. You have a choice between two possible ways to "infect" an OS X machine: 1) Social engineering (get the user to authorize with admin rights the installation of SpyWare.app or EvilVirus.app) and 2) Use a known exploit for a vulnerability in a Unix process which is shared by many operating systems, is open source, has been around -tried and true- for many years, and is typically patched within days of discovery. With choice 1, people are becoming far more educated. With 2, in most cases a security update/patch is available long before an actual exploit for the vulnerability is discovered.
As to "There are none yet but there will be ... oh, there will be." ... So the ***** what? For now there's not. It's been roughly half a decade since I've switched to Mac (because it's a powerful Unix system with a really nice UI) and I haven't had a single instance of malicious software of any kind (spy/adware, virus, f'n E-MAIL WORM, or ANYTHING) on my system. The Windows systems around me, however ... so my point is that, at least for now, OS X *IS* far more secure than most anything out there, right out of the box.
Please educate yourself. The world will thank you. - silent1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Coming from a systems guy who prefers Mac OS for personal use, I'm stating authoritatively: This article is complete and utter *****.
- NidStyles, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Wow, another commericial trying to scare me into false beliefs. I think I'd be happier having my tooth pull from my ass that read this tripe.
no digg. - acherion, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0OK fair enough this guy wants to make a bit of money from the software that he's created. I'm sure that he has put a lot of work into his app, designing it, developing it, testing it, and marketing it.
But if no spyware or malware exists on OSX to this day, how does this app do the scan? To my knowledge, scanners look for types of signatures that known malware leaves on the machine -- if there is no malware, that means no signatures. Which means it is impossible to detect spyware, simply because it doesn't exist on the OSX platform.
So why should people pay money to use this app, to scan for non-existent malware? I have a sneaking suspicion all this app does is:
1) Open a file
2) Copy it to memory
3) Delete it from memory
4) Go to next file.
5) Repeat until no files left.
What a waste. - The_Decryptor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"there is virus for the mac.
get over it"
Are you talking about classic mac, because there aren't any for OS X (yes, really true, not a fan boy myth)
Now, about spy ware, yes, it's possible, if your a admin user and enter the admin password into the installer, it will be installed, but nothing can protect against stupid users, and bringing out these scanners and such (and paying for them) for hypothetical threats, is stupid IMO. - Cippy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I read an article that said viruses on OS X would be impossible because, frankly, they have no where to hide.
No digg. - zwilliams, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0MacScan and SecureMac.com are utter jokes.
MacScan's site has been up since 2001 according to WebArchive and WHOIS. Its now December 29th, 2005. Four years. Four years and he still can name a single "spyware/malware" out these imaginary "dozens" that he claims. This guy does nothing but spew utter crap to try and make money. Its the same thing Symantec did. As soon as people started calling them out for this "give us $70 to stop viruses from infecting your mac!", yeah, except there are no viruses yet. Just proof of concepts. Its just crying wolf. - mutants, on 08/17/2008, -0/+0Diggless.
- yvovandoorn, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0hahaha... this story is hilarious. who does he think he is. i just wish there was a group of angry os x hackers that would hack his website and deface it with "got spyware?"
- Rice, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Spywhat? Never heard of the stuff. Windows or Mac.
It's way blown out of proportion. - l0g1cal, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1"Nice! Digg solely on the idea behind creating spyware on macs.
That's the thought process behind a smug PC user, pretty sad. - macrebel, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0BTW - No Digg
- iheartbeer, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0Whatevah...
- holymoses, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0SPAM
- popetorak, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0there is virus for the mac.
get over it - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0That's IMPOSSIBLE! The Mac is so advance, so secure, that this simply can't happen. You must be some Windows Fanatic who's picking on us mac folk
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0Nice! Digg solely on the idea behind creating spyware on macs.
- JayPiddy, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0Any time you load some sketchy software from a little and relitvily unknown developer and you are asked to provide your PW to install you are WIDE open to spy/malware, regardless of OS.
The Digg Toolbar for Firefox lets you Digg, submit content, and keep track of Digg even when you're not on the Digg site. Download the official 
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is