No I think the blame for this one falls squarely on the users. Pirated software? Your begging for trouble.
This is just as bad as when people used hacked antivirus. "Look! I don't have to pay for it ever!"
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No I think the blame for this one falls squarely on the users. Pirated software? Your begging for trouble.
This is just as bad as when people used hacked antivirus. "Look! I don't have to pay for it ever!"
Sure you can blame the users now, but this could just as easily have happend with LEGAL software as well. If somebody's computer is infected because they downloaded an Openoffice 3.0 torrent, who is to blame then?
You can't get magically infected through a torrent on any platform - someone has to put the Malware into the stuff you're downloading. If you are downloading software such as OpenOffice through an official torrent you are just as safe as downloading it through any other method
If someone downloads an Open Office torrent they deserve to be infected. You can download it, just like I did, right from Sun's website. That would be like buying a Gucci bag off the New York street and then complaining because you got a fake.
Ok that's true, but the point remains that you could be downloading legal software and still get infected. I'm not sure people who just type "openoffice torrent" in google would always end up with an official torrent. It may not be the smartest thing to do but I'm sure it happens.
Also, OOo was just an example, there are other legal reasons to download torrents.
Also, OOo was just an example, there are other legal reasons to download torrents.
I'm calling BS on this one. No viruses on the Mac because of it's small market share.
Any gray beards remember how many viruses the Mac (pre-OSX) had? Mac's market share back then didn't even top 5% and it had more viruses than the CDC's lab and more Trojans than the Iliad. No viruses because of small marketshare. Yeah right.It's time to retire that old record.
I'm calling BS on this one. No viruses on the Mac because of it's small market share.
It's time to retire that old record.
Off the top of my head I remember the various WDEF variants along with Sevendust, Graphics Accelerator, Autostart WORM and a couple nasty HyperCard worms. IIRC, Sevendust was limited to 68k machines and Autostart was among the nastiest of the bunch. Honestly, anyone who thinks that any system is immune to viruses and worms is a fool.
Someone didn't do their research.
Giz Explains: Why OS X Shrugs Off Viruses Better Than Windows
http://i.gizmodo.com/5101337/giz-explains-why-os-x-shrugs-off-viruses-better-than-windows
The Mac Malware Myth
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/01/29/the-mac-malware-myth/
The Unavoidable Malware Myth
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/...-apple-wont-inherit-microsofts-malware-crown/
Giz Explains: Why OS X Shrugs Off Viruses Better Than Windows
http://i.gizmodo.com/5101337/giz-explains-why-os-x-shrugs-off-viruses-better-than-windows
The Mac Malware Myth
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/01/29/the-mac-malware-myth/
The Unavoidable Malware Myth
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/...-apple-wont-inherit-microsofts-malware-crown/
Definitely not the first trojan horse for the Mac. And the scale of it is so small... I'm surprised to see it make such high news. It was the top item on the CNN morning report e-mail that I get every day.
If you're downloading illegal software from bittorrent -- well, then I don't feel bad at all if your computer gets wiped out.
Show me an exploit that replicates itself across a network and then I'll start paying attention.
Here in lies the problem, the general assumption is Macs don't get viruses, so the uninformed users think they can go anywhere, download anything and not have anything to worry about. So the myth that they are completely immune makes users more succeptable to infection when something really truely does get in the wild.
Agree with you though, downloading stuff of limewire etc and I don't feel sorry for you if your machine needs to be wiped completely.
Reminds me of a proof of concept thing I wrote. A simple shell script that renamed the system folder. I managed to fool my brother to install it on my iBook (bundled it with a piece of freeware) and I could have (but didn't) made it send itself (with that freeware) to everybody in my address book and manage to make their computers unusable. I sent it to my brother in a email titled "I found this cool program" with a modified installer that set it to run on shutdown as root (the installer asked for the root password). It tricked a non savvy user to install it.
It was my computer that I did this on (he uses PC's)
It would have worked on unix/linux if I bundled it with linux/unix freeware
This proves anybody can write a Mac Trojan. just requires a little fooling of the user to install it.
Still no PC style virus for Mac though (I could make one that spread by ssh if the admin user did not have a password and the web server was on.)
I am good with Mac related computer pranks. Shutting them down, sounding alarms, putting them to sleep, making them talk to the user, making fake error messages asking to reboot or quit the program they are using, even remotely formatting the HD(I did this to my brother when he was looking at bad stuff on my computer).
It was my computer that I did this on (he uses PC's)
It would have worked on unix/linux if I bundled it with linux/unix freeware
This proves anybody can write a Mac Trojan. just requires a little fooling of the user to install it.
Still no PC style virus for Mac though (I could make one that spread by ssh if the admin user did not have a password and the web server was on.)
I am good with Mac related computer pranks. Shutting them down, sounding alarms, putting them to sleep, making them talk to the user, making fake error messages asking to reboot or quit the program they are using, even remotely formatting the HD(I did this to my brother when he was looking at bad stuff on my computer).
Like I have said
http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/140226
Most mac users have a false sense of security...
http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/140226
Most mac users have a false sense of security...
OS X will never be as bad as Windows as far as security goes. UNIX is stronger than Windows, especially in regard to virus resistance.
There have never been any viruses for OS X, only trojans, which can be protected against by common sense.
OP: I agree with your point of view, though. It irks me to see Mac users saying things like "well if you pirate software you deserve a trojan." One day, someone will slip them a trojan into more "legitimate" software, and the users won't even know it until it's too late.
There have never been any viruses for OS X, only trojans, which can be protected against by common sense.
OP: I agree with your point of view, though. It irks me to see Mac users saying things like "well if you pirate software you deserve a trojan." One day, someone will slip them a trojan into more "legitimate" software, and the users won't even know it until it's too late.
When Mac's get infected via drive-by downloads from infected websites.... then you can gloat. In the meantime you can ponder this. Any system where the user can install software can be infected with a bot, that does not make it "insecure".
Most computer users have a false sense of security, it's not in any way limited to Macs. 99% of joe public doesn't have a clue how their computer works, less how its security works or how to bend the security.
Windows isn't unsafe on its own anyway, it's only the stupidity of computer users that lead to problems.
Windows isn't unsafe on its own anyway, it's only the stupidity of computer users that lead to problems.
Most - means over half. So, over half of Mac users have a false sense of security. Not true.
"only a few thousand Macs are thought to be infected to date".
First paragraph is more or less correct.
The bold part isn't. Windows is unsafe after a fresh install. OS X isn't particularly strong, either, because some of Apple's default settings (e.g. Safari automatically opening files after download, weak firewall which is off by default.)
it does not matter if OSX is intrinsically safer than windows.
because its not much better, even if it is better.
the most important thing is that most OSX users KNOW how to handle it when their machines got infected. this need large scare re-education by influential organizations such a Apple Inc.
But apple is so soaked in its lame attack on windows' security, it wants to pretend that OSX is 100% safe.
Its extremely irresponsible, and this not only affect those whose machine got infected, it affect other people as well, since infected zombie machines are attacking the internet servers.
Simply ask mac users, see how many of them know what to do if they got infected? 1%, 2%? Its dangerous, not only to them, but also to me!
because its not much better, even if it is better.
the most important thing is that most OSX users KNOW how to handle it when their machines got infected. this need large scare re-education by influential organizations such a Apple Inc.
But apple is so soaked in its lame attack on windows' security, it wants to pretend that OSX is 100% safe.
Its extremely irresponsible, and this not only affect those whose machine got infected, it affect other people as well, since infected zombie machines are attacking the internet servers.
Simply ask mac users, see how many of them know what to do if they got infected? 1%, 2%? Its dangerous, not only to them, but also to me!
I agree also. I'm not saying Macs are perfect or 100% secure, but I never believe things like this completely if there's a compromised party involved in getting the results (including the surveys Apple does).
I'm read a few times on various sites posts like "New Virus Targets Mac! Macs Are Insecure! Macintosh is Unsafe!" and then the article reads "...people who downloaded the cracked Creative Suite 4 fell victim to the virus." - Dont go download illegal software. Sheesh.
Ah, but if you're so stupid that A. You'd go download pirated software, and B. You blindly assume that Macs are entirely immune, it serves you right that you toasted your system. If you're so dumb you think you're immune or so greedy you download illegal stuff with a virus, back at 'cha.
If (and it's a big "if") you were capable of educating users on good security practices, why not just teach them how not to get infected in the first place?
EDIT: And why is this suddenly Apple's responsibility?
Duff-Man says...I've never seen a topic get brought up and flogged to death countless times over in countless threads like the whole virus/mac/malware/trojan etc etc etc....the same replies over and over again....oh yeah!
Because they released such a buggy and inferior product that's been responsible for millions of computers becoming infested worldwide.
...... oh, that's right, they haven't. A few thousand people picked up some malware when installing bootleg software and suddenly the sky is falling.
Kind of jumping on at the end of this thread, but...
When installing a new program, I'm used to "blindly typing" my password. Seems like standard installer behavior, and something I would expect to do when installing iWork. I doubt there is any clear sign of something different when installing one of these trojan-infested apps. I don't think it's fair to call people dumb when they are used to typing in an admin password to install a program.
When installing a new program, I'm used to "blindly typing" my password. Seems like standard installer behavior, and something I would expect to do when installing iWork. I doubt there is any clear sign of something different when installing one of these trojan-infested apps. I don't think it's fair to call people dumb when they are used to typing in an admin password to install a program.