Virus protection and macs ... should I bother?

A.N.Other

A.N.Other

A.N.Other

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Right, I've got a MacBook Pro sharing the internet connection of my main PC (connecting to the university network). My windows PC has norton running, but currently, I don't have anything on my mac.

I'm aware that there are very few viruses for macs but that they can spread them about windows networks (correct me if I'm wrong here). So, who out their runs anti-virus software on their macs and what do you use?

I was looking at ClamXav, which now has a universal binary. Is this the best bet - I'm not really looking to spend any money.

Thanks guys.
 
I would say don't bother, I've had a mac for two years without anyproblems at all!!

I have heard that the Norton for mac is useless but I've not used it myself, I don't see the need :)
 
Thanks for you input. Yer I wasn't going to pay for anything, just I'm new to macs, so I'm not really sure what everyone does.

Any other opinions?
 
I would still get some kind of protection, there was an article i read a while back that mac people are far too gloating about lacking protection when there is stuff out there that can get them.

I run linux and use clamav, recommended.
 
I take this stance when ever the question of AV software and Macs is posed.

1) There are no viruses or malware that can effect Mac OS X so you do not need any AV protection. Period.

2) It is the Windows user responsibility to protect their machine from viruses and malware. It's their problem and they should fix it. :D
 
AJUK said:
I take this stance when ever the question of AV software and Macs is posed.

1) There are no viruses or malware that can effect Mac OS X so you do not need any AV protection. Period.

2) It is the Windows user responsibility to protect their machine from viruses and malware. It's their problem and they should fix it. :D
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1) wrong, there are viruses and holes in OSX

2) rather than just saying that - wouldn't it be nice to be safe?

As soon as there are more Mac based machines than there are now, trust me - you will need protection.
 
Never in my 4 years of using OS X have I neeeded any form of Anti-virus etc.

The chances of getting anything are very very very slim unless your a complete idiot and actually help it along the way.

So no, you don't need to bother.
 
I wouldn't bother, neither do most Mac users. Then again I don't use anti-virus on my Windows machines and havn't ever gotten a virus, it depends if your the kind of person to click on those "Porn.exe" type files though ;)
 
Big-Mac-Please said:
It is scary when you first change over and think o my good I have no AV software but thats the beauty of a mac! :)
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Gotta agree with you there Big-Mac-Please :)

Personally I don't use any on my mac's but I know i'll have too some day, with more and more people switching these days it won't be long until the need for more security will unfortunatly be a concern ... however though hopefully Apple will go with the flow and integrate automatic virus scanning work in a future OS so you won't even know its happening.
 
Vai said:
I wouldn't bother, neither do most Mac users. Then again I don't use anti-virus on my Windows machines and havn't ever gotten a virus, it depends if your the kind of person to click on those "Porn.exe" type files though ;)
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I once took on that attitude (before i switched), thinking the exact same as you but unfortunatly got riddled with viruses a few months later, as unsecure as Windows is there is just to many users to think you are invisible to that type of thing.
 
Hate said:
1) wrong, there are viruses and holes in OSX

2) rather than just saying that - wouldn't it be nice to be safe?

As soon as there are more Mac based machines than there are now, trust me - you will need protection.
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1) Not according to Apple. It is simply a lot harder to cause damage to a Mac. Of course they are not immune but they are as close as you can get. :)

http://www.apple.com/getamac/viruses.html

2) I am safe, it is the Windows users problem, not mine.

EDIT: I don't buy the argument about user number either. Apple sold in the order of 1.3 million Macs in the last quarter and that adds up to a hell of a lot of computers. Not only that, the prestige of being the first virus writer to take out the most number of Macs would be irresistible to the average ner'do'well out there in cyberspace. 80 pieces of malware in 20 years isa pretty good testement to how secure Macs are. :)
 
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Una said:
Yawn its just apple marketing crap.

http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/analyses/osxleapa.html

There are hundreds of *nix virus's that can effect ELF file types, its just because apple has no big market share that virus writers do not target it at the moment (read its easier to pwn windows boxs).
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Yet there isn't a single reported case of a Mac user having their files deleted. The Mac comunity is pretty incestuous and if anyone was affected it would be all over the forums and blogs. It is probably more Sophos marketing hype than anything else.
 
MagSafe said:
Gotta agree with you there Big-Mac-Please :)

Personally I don't use any on my mac's but I know i'll have too some day, with more and more people switching these days it won't be long until the need for more security will unfortunatly be a concern ... however though hopefully Apple will go with the flow and integrate automatic virus scanning work in a future OS so you won't even know its happening.
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Exactly!!! Well said megasafe :)

Lets enjoy our macs AV free for as long as we can!
 
AJUK said:
Yet there isn't a single reported case of a Mac user having their files deleted. The Mac comunity is pretty incestuous and if anyone was affected it would be all over the forums and blogs. It is probably more Sophos marketing hype than anything else.
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Just because it is not wide spread does not mean they do not exist.

I don't expect you to understand it but here is the proof of concept for one worm,
http://www.digitalmunition.com/InqTanaThroughTheEyes.txt

I got plenty of other proof and example code if you so wish.
 
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Una said:
I got plenty of other proof and example code if you so wish.
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No thanks because the likelyhood of me ever coming into contact with anything harmeless is just about zero. ;)
 
If mac's market share becomes more prevelant, more people will start coding malware for it. Right now its not worth the trouble/research when windows is so much easier to exploit. Just narks me when mac users think they are untouchable from malware which is simply not true. No OS is.
 
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