computerworld.com — A network of Russian malware writers and spammers paid hackers 43 cents for each Mac machine they infected with bogus video software, a sign that Macs have become attack targets, a security researcher said yesterday.
Sep 25, 2009 View in Crawl 4
burrgrinderSep 26, 2009
Yeah, Curufir, there's an option: software as a service, like Google Docs, Gmail, MobileMe, etc, where you don't have the ability to screw it up, and your local machine means nothing. However, capacity is limited, latency is high, and connectivity is a requirement.But for a disconnected computer, there's only so much that can be done to prevent retarded users. Just like cars, there's only so much that can be done to prevent drivers from navigating themselves into a tree. Of course, that won't stop us from comparing handling characteristics between crashed cars.
cowboy1015Sep 26, 2009
You are wrong.
mrbitchSep 28, 2009
Even easier method of resetting administrator password on Windows :Longhorn on 09/26/2009 :" .. Umm try booting into safe mode in Windows. You can reset the password from there. Dugg down for being stupid."
magzineSep 28, 2009
1. They're called jumpers.2. In all of my years of computing, I've never experienced a registry corruption.3. I don't have to worry about ActiveX hijacking either. I don't use internet explorer.4. I don't have to worry about adware and malware, nor do I have an antivirus/antimalware app running on my machine right now.5. I visit dodgy porn sites too.Guess windows is 100% safe and virus free.Oh, no wait, that's just because I know how to use a f**kin' computer without falling for phishing and malware scams. Internet explorer is very unsafe - I'll give anyone that. However, if IE didn't exist, most viruses would be contracted by warez or by downloading unsafe software. This is based on how many stupid people use the operating system. This figure ALSO increases with marketshare. You don't think smart PC users actually fall for those Mac v. PC ads, do you? All those commercials do is work against the Mac by introducing people with very little computer background to the internet. Wait until you start getting Skiddies on OSX, and you'll learn the joys of windows.Also, it's curious that you find OSX better than windows when you claim that you were building 'PC gaming rings' for a long time. Don't you play games on those machines? OSX is hardly game friendly.furthermore, the dock sucks. It's terrible from a design and end user standpoint. You can get the 'downloads' window in safari burried simply by maximizing something else overtop of it, or even using the browser behind it. Isn't that intuitive. Want to find it? Great, open another program to find it, or go on a witch hunt minimizing every window to find it.
mrbitchSep 29, 2009
@ MAGZine, RE: " .. Also, it's curious that you find OSX better than windows when you claim that you were building 'PC gaming rings' for a long time. Don't you play games on those machines? OSX is hardly game friendly."You're right, OSX is no where NEAR game friendly.However, I kept my old AMD tower running for games, and I also can boot into Windows via bootcamp (which I used to do quite a lot when I first started using the MacBook).However, I have found that I fire up the AMD less and less, and I now just use my MacBook Pro for everything.I sometimes boot into Windows for a bit of TF2, every now and then (on the MacBook), but I find less and less time available to just burn endless hours on gaming.I now only use Windows for the rare times that I have time available to game.Windows is now my gaming OS, while OSX is my everything else OS.Also, RE your comments :" .. furthermore, the dock sucks. It's terrible from a design and end user standpoint."I agree, I absolutely can't stand the Dock, and I find it so useless that I have set it to "auto-hide" and have shrunk it's size down to microscopic levels.A neat tip is to just use "spotlight" or "quicksilver" to find and launch your applications.Also, RE your comment :" .. Oh, no wait, that's just because I know how to use a f**kin' computer without falling for phishing and malware scams."That's great, that you're such a genius at using a computer... but my sister doesn't know, and my parents don't know...In the case where people just want to use a computer like they use a car, or a toaster, Windows absolutely sucks.When asked, I recommend that they buy a Dell with Ubuntu pre-installed, or buy a Mac.Either option is better than me having to be the "Windows support" person for my extended family and friends.I'm pretty sure you know what I'm talking about.
mrbitchSep 29, 2009
@ MAGZine, RE: "Source?"... use Google, with key words "OS9 market share viruses".I sort of like Gruber's reply RE: " OSX is only more secure because it has a smaller market share" :<a class="user" href="http://daringfireball.net/2004/06/broken_windows" rel="nofollow">http://daringfireball.net/2004/06/broken_windows</a>&quot; .. So, let’s concede the point, just for the sake of argument: OK, fine, if the Mac had the same market share as Windows, the tables would be turned and there’d be just as many Mac security exploits as there are Windows exploits today.Now what? Given that the Mac is never going to attain a monopoly share of the operating systems market — that merely expanding its share to, say, 10 percent would be universally hailed as an almost-too-good-to-be-true success... ... isn’t it thus only logical to conclude that the Mac is forever “doomed” to be significantly more secure than Windows?"
mrbitchSep 29, 2009
Also, another good reply RE: "is low market share the main reason OSX has no viruses?"(this is from the comments section) :<a class="user" href="http://www.silvermac.com/2008/why-there-are-no-viruses-for-osx/" rel="nofollow">http://www.silvermac.com/2008/why-there-are-no-vir ...</a>" .. Dale said: I have had both a PC and as of recently a mac.I switched to mac 3 months ago.I am your average end user with some common sense when it comes to computers. My question would be, if mac?s aren?t inherently safer (virus or malware wise) then pc?s then why do all new vista computers come with norton automatically and mac?s come with no kind of anti virus protection. Why wouldn?t mac?s come with an anti virus package as well?The truth is at this point in time, mac?s are safer.I don?t give a s**t whether it?s market share, operating systems, browsing capabilities or lack thereof, or whatever.I don?t have to worry about my mac the way I did with all my PC?s.In the small town i live in, I am pretty much the guru here. And believe me that isn?t saying much.However, 100% of the calls i get for helping some poor schmuck who doesn?t know s**t about computers are from people who own PC?s.And i know people with mac?s, its just they don?t ever need my help. They never have problems.Are they more computer savvy than the PC owners? Course not, they just have an inherently safer computer.Again, I don?t care why its safer, I don?t need the reason although it is interesting to discuss. It could be all the above, but the fact remains it is.I mean hell just ask anyone with a mac, how many times they have had to call someone to format their hard drive."
mrbitchOct 1, 2009
@ MAGZine, RE: " .. I do, that's why I have no problem with computer illiterate noobs falling for the Apple commercials."Most of my software development career was based within the Microsoft world, and I have been using and developing and working with PCs all the way back to the early IBM PC-XT models.I think you are blinding yourself by assuming that Apple builds computers only for "computer illiterate noobs".Once you start using OSX, you will understand just how far Microsoft has (yet) to go in order to get WIndows to perform anywhere near as well...
johnnysoftwareOct 18, 2009
Uh, no. Viruses are a computer program and most computer programs do not run on "any computer".The MS-Windows API is different from that of Mac, Unix, and Linux. About as different as it possibly could be.This is why you do not hear reports of MS-Windows viruses infecting Macs, Unix systems, and Linux computers all the time. Nor vice versa.It is similar to the situation with cars and boats. You do not often hear about boats being driven down the highway or cars and trucks driving around on the sea. The two different types of vehicles are targeted for two dramatically different types of environments.The psychology of a person writing Windows malware might be similar to that of someone trying to write Macintosh malware. However, that alone does not give them a decent chance of success. The details they would have to know would be completely different for infecting MS-Windows compared to infecting anything else, except WinCE or Windows Mobile.There are good cross platform languages such as Java. People very familiar with Java and other cross platform languages know that these cross platform languages usually come with mechanisms for users can employ to "lock down" the application. These mechanisms themselves tend to be cross platform.The ComputerWorld article does not state that a single Mac has been infected nor that a single one of the crooked company's partners has ever been paid for infecting a Mac.So this explains why the mess with MS-Windows is simply an MS-Windows mess. It affects MS-Windows owners, users, customers, clients, and networks - but not so much Macs. I think I have covered why and done it in a better way than the ComputerWorld author.By the way, the ComputerWorld site seems to have an issue that hides all articles including their ads a few seconds after the article itself displays, when viewed on a Mac from Digg using Safari (latest versions of each).ComputerWorld's advertisers might wish to verify with them that they are not being overcharged for ads due to what appears like it could be some bad web programming. Ironically, if ComputerWorld botched the relatively simple job of displaying an article for Mac/Safari users - and that is their core business and by default, unless you do something stupid it works - you can see how crackers have a rough time getting their MS-Windows malware to run on Mac OS X which actually has a different API and safeguards to prevent cracking security.