I suppose it is one of the major debates in the Mac world, "Do macs get viruses?" Now I am not going to debate on such a thing, but has anyone here ever gotten a virus on the Mac OS?
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Yes, I got a huge one the other day.
It automatically phones home with information about your computer and writes to your hard drive constantly. It starts taking up more and more space on your HDD for no reason as well and takes up a ton of RAM. There is no easy way to remove it, and once it's running on your system, your temperatures will start climbing as well. While it's on your system, it opens multiple security holes for others to exploit as well. It messes up your touchpad and ambient light sensors as well and remaps your Command key to something else entirely. Your F-keys will all be remapped to software implementations instead of hardware. Also, once it gets onto your system, it starts counting down even as it phones home automatically. After a set amount of time, it shuts down your computer for good and you can't run anything at all unless you manage to enter a long 40-digit passcode that probably won't work even if you entered the correct one. If you try this, it'll make you call a 1800 number that'll put you on hold for a few hours.
It's especially insidious because of its means of replication - not only does it move from host to host, but it manages to access your credit card and wallet and steal $400 from each person it replicates to. For the longest time, this was a PC-only virus, but since the past year or so, it's spread even to Macs. No one is safe! -
whaat? and whats the name of the virus?
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lol
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I got a virus a few months ago while browsing in Internet Explorer 6 in Parallels...oh wait. nvm.
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Cute, taelrak, cute.
And I'm just about to try out Vista too... -
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The July 2007 edition of Macworld had a story about a security researcher who in April managed to hack into a mac with an exploit he sent to a friend who was attending a security conference.
The article went on to say that any piece of code is going to have vulnerabilities and that much of the reason that PCs have been attacked more is that Windows is a more widely used operating system, an attractive target for hackers looking to get the most attention.
In the case in April, the hack was intended to identify weaknesses in the code and the researcher received a $10,000 prize. -
Well i got flu... does that count? lol
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hhahaha u guys are awesome and hilarious, makes me drool over MBP even more now!
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I suppose I could always get a Mac virus scan, just in case...
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http://www.clamxav.com/ -
If you are paranoid, you can always walk over to the Linux camp. Linux has even less viruses than even OS X. (Well Macs are based on BSD Unix).
VMware is going to be better than Parallels on OS X. VMware is already dandy on a Windows OS. If you happen to get a virus on a Windows guest, then you can always revert to the previous VMware snapshot. -
What's with people and reviving old threads lately?
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no virus here, but then I don't have a program to tell me that I have one either...ignorance is bliss!
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Try using an app called Little Snitch if you are concerned about attacks on your computer. It will alert you when applications are trying to access the internet.
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Yeah, I have a virus too. It includes a lot of fecal matter, yellow phlegm, and bodily fluids exiting through different orifices.
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I got a cold after using a mac lab last year.
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you know.. his question is really valid. why are you making a joke from it?
there are very little mac virus on the wild, but there is no reason for you to feel invincible.
i strongly suggest everyone regularly go to www.securemac.com
and probably it is a good idea to go to http://www.siteadvisor.com/ just to check if the website is completely secure. just to double check.
because if everyone is vigilant the chance of virus spreading is greatly minimised.
oh, and as for me, i haven't got a virus yet. at least i don't think i get one..... -
stealthsniper96 What Was I Thinkin'?
i think i might have gotten one. i woke thismorning, turned on my computer, all my songs- GONE, all my settings- GONE. so, i go and re-install all my songs on itunes, and check my disk space, i got around 8 gigs left. that makes me think that maybe my songs didnt get deleted but maybe they just got hidden and i couldnt find em. but im gettin my external drive soon so ill just do a re-install and everything will be fine.
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JimyTheAssassin Notebook Evangelist
On the virus front, I've never once seen mcaffee come up with anything, but I have seen some freaky stuff happen to a mac before, that only a virus could explain. Fortunately it wasn't mine. -
This question comes up all of the time. The are zero viruses in the wild for OS X, and the problem with all of the proof of concept viruses that have been written is they can't replicate themselves and get passed on. While it is true that OS X has vulnerabilities like any software, somehow Apple have been able to keep it keep it virus free. As for the marketplace argument, I don't buy it. Someone, somewhere would love to be the first to get a virus to spread on the Mac, the news would be everywhere.
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Right...
Windows viruses rarely make it to mainstream news, Mac viruses would never make it because no one uses Macs. The only place people would care would be on tech news websites. -
stealthsniper96 What Was I Thinkin'?
idk dave, i think if it was widespread enough it would make regular news.
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Apple knows how to use the media. New gadgets by Apple are frontpage news - considered more important than the latest Iraq violence and just important as the latest kidnapped female!
A Mac virus would be played down by the media because Apple would tell them to. -
stealthsniper96 What Was I Thinkin'?
yea, i guess thats true. apple is so bossy sometimes...
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relax a little cashmonee
ever since u've got that MBP you've been defending apple like you're defending your dignity
there are infact some in the wild, but if you're stupid enough to get it. you know mac has security holes, thats why there is security update. so at least be vigilant.
please mr. hacker, if you're reading this thread. please, please, please just leave the mac unharmed... you know, most of us is scare of one day getting virus on our beloved mac. i still use windows most of the time! so just hack that. just let mac be the oasis for us computer user -
Its like saying a thief has entered because the back door was unlocked. Well, yes, leaving the back door unlocked increases the chance of the thief getting in, but the thief hasn't gotten in yet. The security update, in another way, is the process of locking the back door.
So security holes allows hackers to infiltrate OS X, yes, but they haven't yet. And the security updates are the process of securing holes in OS X.
EDIT: My post might sound a bit "confusing", so let's see if I can elaborate on what I meant.
Currently, there are no viruses targeting the Mac in the wild. Yes, the hackers could easily exploit OS X if they wanted, as there are security holes in the system, as with any other OS, but they haven't yet. Of course, there have been exploits of OS X. But they haven't spread to the level that Windows has. The one virus I have known to be written for OS X only infected about 50 Macs, which I don't consider to be a threat considering there are millions and millions of Mac users. -
SaferSephiroth The calamity from within
Microsoft has a lot of enemies and is one of the most hated companies in the modern world, lets all hope Apple doesn't get to that level.
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Seriosly though Macs are full of malware, they're just not affected by them, a friend was transferring work to my VAIO and after he plugged in his iPod my Malware Defense System (AVG, Trojan Hunter, Spybot) went to Defcon 3; 4 Trojans(one of them downloads more Trojans), 9 Spyware and a Virus.
I'm never letting a Mac into my LAN, ever. -
SaferSephiroth The calamity from within
Shh...you are supposed to keep that a secret. Apple made a secret alliance with the hacker community...don't attack Macs and we'll help you spread your stuff to the PCs
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Click me
Step 1: Ship iPods with malware
Step 2: Ignore the problem
Step 3: Swoop in, save the day, and blame your contractors/ Microsoft
Step 4: ???
Step 5: Profit! -
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SaferSephiroth The calamity from within
LOL, awesome.
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lol.......
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Making a real "Virus" is as simple as writing a program that sends itself to all your email contacts. Now all the people receiving the program who are stupid enough to run the program you sent will be "infected". Mass media will jump on it and CNN will do a breathless special report live from a Russian hacker-hideout.
However there are no viruses that make your machine a drone that joins a botnet, or steal your cc data, or do anything else that might be bad. It still remains to be seen if such a virus could be written. And I think it's probably possible but probably also way more difficult that on Windows where toolkits that do most of this automatically are readily available.
A final point I want to make: We can endlessly debate the reasons for why there are no Mac viruses, with everyone presenting their pet theory. But in the end no one could be proved right or wrong so it would be somewhat pointless. What we can state for a fact is that there are no Mac viruses out in the wild. Proofs of concept don't count. -
Who's worse, Apple zealots or Apple haters?
I think this post really takes the cake, 1:0 haters!
I recommend leaving the dungeon every once in a while and getting some fresh air. It might help!
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Sneaky_Chopsticks Notebook Deity
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I do believe that Macs have viruses but are simply not effected the same way PCs are ..... A friend of mine regularly transfers files to one of my PCs and once in awhile her files set of my AVG with trogan warnings ....
Virus makers want fame and or data so since PCs will give them the most of that the PC is the biggest target. -
I've had macs for about 5 years now and don't have anti-virus software or think about viruses. I think any mac user who does is usually a poor paranoid noob user coming from Windows. It's only natural. No brag, just fact. Let's get serious. Stop the spoof if you have no proof. If it doesn't fit you must aquit. Even if it passes Windows viruses to Windows machines; the OSX system remains untouched.
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http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/analyses/osxleapa.html
if i remember correctly there's a few more.. but i think they are just an engineering sample.
so just be vigilant just in case. there is nothing wrong for being safe. if you see any suspicious files/attachments/website/links don't click it. and i strongly recommend that you visit a website like securemac.com and/or siteadvisor.com at least once in a while. so when there is a virus break at least it will be contained and wont spread as much.
oh and there is really no need to get an anti virus as of now.
and i just recently remembered that if you use microsoft office for mac there is around 500+ macro viruses. so yes... enjoy your mac. but just don't be stupid.
edit: for the record i don't have an antivirus software installed. as i think right now its is just a hassle and a waste of money. and for the known fact they are just too intrusive and something like norton (or mcafee i can't remember) for macs known to actually break the OS it self. so, that defeat its purpose. -
If you have a Mac, never install Norton Anti-Virus. Heck, if you have Windows, never install Norton Anti-Virus. Norton is a virus if you ask some people.
Macs, Linux, etc., probably don't need an anti-virus program since they do not have rampant virus problems. Just because you have a Mac does not mean you do dumb crap. Linux is probably just as secure as Macs, but they are not invincible. There can be holes that have not been exploited yet (or at least not publicly known). Linux and Macs are both somewhat based off of Unix, and there have been holes in Unix.
Mac users can still be vulnerable to phishing attacks if the user is careless. You would not want to give away your social security and credit card numbers to a fake website. -
However, Leap/A was a very good thing for OS X users. Mac users are used to being cavalier with their machines, clicking and downloading, and installing without thinking of the consequences. OS X is not immune to viruses. Just because there are none actively infecting machines right now, does not mean you should not practice good habits. Don't download attachments, don't click links in email, don't go to nefarious web sites, etc. OS X users should still be vigilant. -
Vista incorporated a lot of the security features that OS X had. But its a little too late, in my opinion. XP should have had these features.
Has anyone ever gotten a virus?
Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by OneXero, Jul 17, 2007.