[PCWorld]

Post your comments for 600,000 Infected Macs Found In Botnet here

[KLanD]

This is only going to increase as Mac gain more consumer traction.

[QUADICON]

KLanD, on 05 April 2012 - 05:32 AM, said:

This is only going to increase as Mac gain more consumer traction.

No it won't, because Apple/Jobs says so. Mac can't get infected so say the fans. There aren't any viruses for the mac in the wild. Any you do find, can't penetrate the OS because they require user interaction and a password to gain access.

I mean Mac OS X is the most secure OS on the planet, not because it built better than Windows, but becaus eit is only used by 122M known users. Security through obscurity...right? No need for Norton. I mean, since a person could pay $2100+ for a Macbook, it should be safe from anything. Right?!

[crankypaul]

The Mac OS is by design a more secure platform. While the sheer number of users has made it less attractive to viruses, it will never become as infected as the Wintel system is, and NOt because of the number of users. And while have have been seeing all the Wintel community chiming in with their comments dissing Mac's, all I read into them is a sigh of relief that they are no longer the only ones with a problem. There is still a real lack of understanding that even if the number of Mac OS unser equalled the number of Wintel users, the percentage of infected computers will remain substantially lower in the Mac OS.

[artzy65]

QUADICON, on 05 April 2012 - 05:54 AM, said:

KLanD, on 05 April 2012 - 05:32 AM, said:

This is only going to increase as Mac gain more consumer traction.

No it won't, because Apple/Jobs says so. Mac can't get infected so say the fans. There aren't any viruses for the mac in the wild. Any you do find, can't penetrate the OS because they require user interaction and a password to gain access.

I mean Mac OS X is the most secure OS on the planet, not because it built better than Windows, but becaus eit is only used by 122M known users. Security through obscurity...right? No need for Norton. I mean, since a person could pay $2100+ for a Macbook, it should be safe from anything. Right?!

Apple users currently live in a 'safer neighborhood' than Windows users; but (ignorance being bliss) the average consumer (read: lamer) feels safe because of clever Apple advertising... and consequently don't even lock their doors. Not every Mac user is an average consumer, however.

Btw, Intego VirusBarrier X6 is rated the best protection for OS X. I would also recommend dumping Safari, which is highly exploitable. Firefox is superior re security and provides excellent security add-ons. I just wish they would come up with an 'evercookie' killer.

This post has been edited by artzy65: 05 April 2012 - 07:03 AM

[nonseq]

Russian antivirus vendor Doctor Web ...

F-Secure, the antivirus vendor...

Vested interest? Do Russians wear vests?

[nonseq]

artzy65, on 05 April 2012 - 06:55 AM, said:

QUADICON, on 05 April 2012 - 05:54 AM, said:

KLanD, on 05 April 2012 - 05:32 AM, said:

This is only going to increase as Mac gain more consumer traction.

No it won't, because Apple/Jobs says so. Mac can't get infected so say the fans. There aren't any viruses for the mac in the wild. Any you do find, can't penetrate the OS because they require user interaction and a password to gain access.

I mean Mac OS X is the most secure OS on the planet, not because it built better than Windows, but becaus eit is only used by 122M known users. Security through obscurity...right? No need for Norton. I mean, since a person could pay $2100+ for a Macbook, it should be safe from anything. Right?!

Apple users currently live in a 'safer neighborhood' than Windows users; but (ignorance being bliss) the average consumer (read: lamer) feels safe because of clever Apple advertising... and consequently don't even lock their doors. Not every Mac user is an average consumer, however.

Btw, Intego VirusBarrier X6 is rated the best protection for OS X. I would also recommend dumping Safari, which is highly exploitable. Firefox is superior re security and provides excellent security add-ons. I just wish they would come up with an 'evercookie' killer.

I gave up on Firefox long ago on my venerable G4 Powerbook. Slow and way too bloated, to my way of thinking. Perhaps I wasn't using it correctly but so many extensions, addons, etc. make it very unattractive. As you may have noticed I have little interest in tweaking stuff.

I do run Sophos. Those who claim that OSX is invulnerable are just asking for trouble. The sad thing is the whole "OSX is immune to viruses" meme is really perpetuated by the anti-Apple crowd and not as much by Apple or Apple fans.

Even if meant ironically, repeating the "Macs don't get viruses" reinforces the notion the the minds of some users, in my opinion.

This post has been edited by nonseq: 05 April 2012 - 07:17 AM

[QUADICON]

artzy65, on 05 April 2012 - 06:55 AM, said:

QUADICON, on 05 April 2012 - 05:54 AM, said:

KLanD, on 05 April 2012 - 05:32 AM, said:

This is only going to increase as Mac gain more consumer traction.

No it won't, because Apple/Jobs says so. Mac can't get infected so say the fans. There aren't any viruses for the mac in the wild. Any you do find, can't penetrate the OS because they require user interaction and a password to gain access.

I mean Mac OS X is the most secure OS on the planet, not because it built better than Windows, but becaus eit is only used by 122M known users. Security through obscurity...right? No need for Norton. I mean, since a person could pay $2100+ for a Macbook, it should be safe from anything. Right?!

Apple users currently live in a 'safer neighborhood' than Windows users; but (ignorance being bliss) the average consumer (read: lamer) feels safe because of clever Apple advertising... and consequently don't even lock their doors. Not every Mac user is an average consumer, however.

Btw, Intego VirusBarrier X6 is rated the best protection for OS X. I would also recommend dumping Safari, which is highly exploitable. Firefox is superior re security and provides excellent security add-ons. I just wish they would come up with an 'evercookie' killer.

As you surely can tell, my post was being sarcastic. Factually though, Mac users do believe there own hype. Right? Windows users have been saying for years, if Mac penetration grows, surely the threats will too. You all laughed saying it won't happen that way, yet facts prove you wrong.

In the past I have said this: I personally felt Mac we’re not targeted because Mac's were not used in the types of business where valuable data as a target. Users who work for the military, banks and medical facilities where value data like bank account numbers, credit cards and more were use by computers running Windows. The landscape has changed. Now that mac’s run Windows, many businesses use them as an alternative and they boot both OS’s either by rebooting or using a VM. Windows has a 90%+ penetration. In a study about 10 years ago, it said 80% of Mac users also owned a Windows PC. Which means, now that Mac’s run Windows, the penetration of Windows is still higher, thus highly targeted. It’s simple math.

However, now that Mac's also run Windows and are being used in many of the same business, they are not a new attack vector. Here is another fact for you. Based on Microsoft own information 65% of Windows users are at work, while 35% are consumers. The vast majority of the Windows users will be running some type of protection at the server and user level. However they only work as well as the fool sitting in front of the screen. We use to use Norton Enterprise and it failed simply because users don't read before clicking. I finally pushed them to use Norton that has the full protection and we have hardly any issues now.

The best exploit is done on platforms that have high penetration to usable data. I don't know why some just feel it is how Windows is made that makes it a target. High penetration = High access to valuable data = worthy target. Mac = Low penetration - less access to valuable data = less of a target. It’s simple logical fact.

This post has been edited by QUADICON: 05 April 2012 - 07:53 AM

[QUADICON]

artzy65, on 05 April 2012 - 06:55 AM, said:

QUADICON, on 05 April 2012 - 05:54 AM, said:

KLanD, on 05 April 2012 - 05:32 AM, said:

This is only going to increase as Mac gain more consumer traction.

No it won't, because Apple/Jobs says so. Mac can't get infected so say the fans. There aren't any viruses for the mac in the wild. Any you do find, can't penetrate the OS because they require user interaction and a password to gain access.

I mean Mac OS X is the most secure OS on the planet, not because it built better than Windows, but becaus eit is only used by 122M known users. Security through obscurity...right? No need for Norton. I mean, since a person could pay $2100+ for a Macbook, it should be safe from anything. Right?!

Apple users currently live in a 'safer neighborhood' than Windows users; but (ignorance being bliss) the average consumer (read: lamer) feels safe because of clever Apple advertising... and consequently don't even lock their doors. Not every Mac user is an average consumer, however.

Btw, Intego VirusBarrier X6 is rated the best protection for OS X. I would also recommend dumping Safari, which is highly exploitable. Firefox is superior re security and provides excellent security add-ons. I just wish they would come up with an 'evercookie' killer.

You sound like a person who lives in a suburb where crime seldom happen...Seldom is not = to never. They then look all surprised when there next door neighbor gets killed. As if it can't happen where they live. That is simply a false sense of security. Times have changed. Less watch areas are easy targets now because stupid people live on blind faith. "It can't happen to me" for whatever the reason. It can, it will, it has on a number of occasions.

When I was in Florida, many communities that were targted for theft were gated communities where they have 24/7 security and the fools would leave windows, garages and even front doors unlocked or standing wide open. In one case a families homw was totally emptied because the guy took his van several times into the garage and closed the door and loaded it up and made off with all the valuable furniture and electronics.

Being "safer" is such a bad word...you're not safer. Flying may be "safer" way to travel vs driving...but fact is, if something goes terribly wrong the results will be the same, you will die. If a car crashes, maybe only a few people will die...if a plane crashes...300 people could die. Safer based on statics is very misleading.

[DrejXArmy]

crankypaul, on 05 April 2012 - 06:27 AM, said:

The Mac OS is by design a more secure platform. While the sheer number of users has made it less attractive to viruses, it will never become as infected as the Wintel system is, and NOt because of the number of users. And while have have been seeing all the Wintel community chiming in with their comments dissing Mac's, all I read into them is a sigh of relief that they are no longer the only ones with a problem. There is still a real lack of understanding that even if the number of Mac OS unser equalled the number of Wintel users, the percentage of infected computers will remain substantially lower in the Mac OS.

Actually thats a belief as well. MAC OS isnt more secure then a Wintel OS. MAC is just a "closed" OS, which means Apple wont let anyone mess with their code unless they approve it. Wintel is more "open", which means, MS will allow you to do things that will make your life easier. Does it open more holes, YES, but it isnt any less secure then a MAC.

[alshawwa]

"The Mac OS is by design a more secure platform"

define design , and says who its more secure? , compared to what unix/linux/windows?

[TechConc]

QUADICON, on 05 April 2012 - 05:54 AM, said:

KLanD, on 05 April 2012 - 05:32 AM, said:

This is only going to increase as Mac gain more consumer traction.

No it won't, because Apple/Jobs says so. Mac can't get infected so say the fans. There aren't any viruses for the mac in the wild. Any you do find, can't penetrate the OS because they require user interaction and a password to gain access.

I mean Mac OS X is the most secure OS on the planet, not because it built better than Windows, but becaus eit is only used by 122M known users. Security through obscurity...right? No need for Norton. I mean, since a person could pay $2100+ for a Macbook, it should be safe from anything. Right?!

Not very surprising to see the Apple haters stirred up in frenzy over such things. Still, a dose of common sense along with things pointed out in the article itself should put things in perspective... ex.

Quote

“However, given that the company reporting these numbers is in the business of selling antivirus software, I think we need to see their claims corroborated before we get too excited,” he added.

Seriously, when the people creating they faux hysteria are the ones to gain from it, the entire matter can probably be taken with a grain of salt. I'm not seeing any real outbreaks of this just yet.

Also Quad, there is a difference between a Trojan and a Virus and no, there aren't any actual Viruses in the wild for the Mac. Even this Trojan seems to require user authentication, etc. Yes, malware exists on all platforms, but the mere existence of malware on each platform doesn't even remotely mean the threats and levels of exposure to malware is even close between these two platforms. Again, the points I'm making shouldn't be new to you. A dose of common sense and actual statistics should make that point clear enough.

[TechConc]

DrejXArmy, on 05 April 2012 - 08:36 AM, said:

crankypaul, on 05 April 2012 - 06:27 AM, said:

The Mac OS is by design a more secure platform. While the sheer number of users has made it less attractive to viruses, it will never become as infected as the Wintel system is, and NOt because of the number of users. And while have have been seeing all the Wintel community chiming in with their comments dissing Mac's, all I read into them is a sigh of relief that they are no longer the only ones with a problem. There is still a real lack of understanding that even if the number of Mac OS unser equalled the number of Wintel users, the percentage of infected computers will remain substantially lower in the Mac OS.

Actually thats a belief as well. MAC OS isnt more secure then a Wintel OS. MAC is just a "closed" OS, which means Apple wont let anyone mess with their code unless they approve it. Wintel is more "open", which means, MS will allow you to do things that will make your life easier. Does it open more holes, YES, but it isnt any less secure then a MAC.

I'm not going to get into a debate as to which OS is more secure. I think it's fair to suggest that both Windows and Mac OS have become significantly more secure with recent updates and they are relatively on par with one another.

That said, I'm not sure what you mean by "MAC is just a "closed" OS, which means Apple wont let anyone mess with their code unless they approve it. Wintel is more "open"..." Does that mean that Microsoft will allow you to mess with their code without approval? I don't believe that's the case, nor do I believe that would make a platform more secure. Just the opposite actually.

Finally, your last line, "Does it open more holes, YES, but it isnt any less secure then a MAC." was just priceless. Thanks, I was having a rough day and needed a good laugh.

This post has been edited by TechConc: 05 April 2012 - 09:32 AM

[gfink2]

QUADICON, on 05 April 2012 - 05:54 AM, said:

KLanD, on 05 April 2012 - 05:32 AM, said:

This is only going to increase as Mac gain more consumer traction.

No it won't, because Apple/Jobs says so. Mac can't get infected so say the fans. There aren't any viruses for the mac in the wild. Any you do find, can't penetrate the OS because they require user interaction and a password to gain access.

I mean Mac OS X is the most secure OS on the planet, not because it built better than Windows, but becaus eit is only used by 122M known users. Security through obscurity...right? No need for Norton. I mean, since a person could pay $2100+ for a Macbook, it should be safe from anything. Right?!

Pretty cynical... as a life long Mac user (I've owned PC's, but let's face it, there's no comparison, they suck compared to Macs for lots of reasons) I can say that I've never heard anyone categorically state that Macs can't get infected. That's you and only you. What I've heard is most of those in the business of creating viruses want to cause maximum chaos and spread of their creation, and spending time on viruses for the Mac is pretty much a waste of time. Unless you've got some beef with Apple, it's more effective to write it for Windows.

Steve Jobs is dead btw. He's not saying much these days.

[artzy65]

QUADICON, on 05 April 2012 - 08:00 AM, said:

artzy65, on 05 April 2012 - 06:55 AM, said:

QUADICON, on 05 April 2012 - 05:54 AM, said:

KLanD, on 05 April 2012 - 05:32 AM, said:

This is only going to increase as Mac gain more consumer traction.

No it won't, because Apple/Jobs says so. Mac can't get infected so say the fans. There aren't any viruses for the mac in the wild. Any you do find, can't penetrate the OS because they require user interaction and a password to gain access.

I mean Mac OS X is the most secure OS on the planet, not because it built better than Windows, but becaus eit is only used by 122M known users. Security through obscurity...right? No need for Norton. I mean, since a person could pay $2100+ for a Macbook, it should be safe from anything. Right?!

Apple users currently live in a 'safer neighborhood' than Windows users; but (ignorance being bliss) the average consumer (read: lamer) feels safe because of clever Apple advertising... and consequently don't even lock their doors. Not every Mac user is an average consumer, however.

Btw, Intego VirusBarrier X6 is rated the best protection for OS X. I would also recommend dumping Safari, which is highly exploitable. Firefox is superior re security and provides excellent security add-ons. I just wish they would come up with an 'evercookie' killer.

You sound like a person who lives in a suburb where crime seldom happen...Seldom is not = to never. They then look all surprised when there next door neighbor gets killed. As if it can't happen where they live. That is simply a false sense of security. Times have changed. Less watch areas are easy targets now because stupid people live on blind faith. "It can't happen to me" for whatever the reason. It can, it will, it has on a number of occasions.

When I was in Florida, many communities that were targted for theft were gated communities where they have 24/7 security and the fools would leave windows, garages and even front doors unlocked or standing wide open. In one case a families homw was totally emptied because the guy took his van several times into the garage and closed the door and loaded it up and made off with all the valuable furniture and electronics.

Being "safer" is such a bad word...you're not safer. Flying may be "safer" way to travel vs driving...but fact is, if something goes terribly wrong the results will be the same, you will die. If a car crashes, maybe only a few people will die...if a plane crashes...300 people could die. Safer based on statics is very misleading.

You did notice that I said Macs are currently safer, right?... implying that the sh*t is eventually going to hit the fan for Macs as well.

I don't live in suburbia. I live in a large city in Canada. Also, there is crime around my area, as evidenced by police yellow tape, at times. I even came across an ETF (Emergency Task Force) team, armed to the teeth, dressed like SWAT/SAS/Black Ops dudes, positioned on a street near my residence.

When I was a kid living in a small Northern community, people wouldn't even lock their doors, including my parents....wtf!

Anyway, although I have a number of formidable countermeasures installed on my Macs, I realize that no computer is 100% protected. The baddies are always a few steps ahead.

This post has been edited by artzy65: 05 April 2012 - 10:47 AM

[artzy65]

QUADICON, on 05 April 2012 - 07:48 AM, said:

As you surely can tell, my post was being sarcastic. Factually though, Mac users do believe there own hype. Right? Windows users have been saying for years, if Mac penetration grows, surely the threats will too. You all laughed saying it won't happen that way, yet facts prove you wrong.

You need to read my posts more carefully.

[artzy65]

nonseq, on 05 April 2012 - 07:12 AM, said:

artzy65, on 05 April 2012 - 06:55 AM, said:

QUADICON, on 05 April 2012 - 05:54 AM, said:

KLanD, on 05 April 2012 - 05:32 AM, said:

This is only going to increase as Mac gain more consumer traction.

No it won't, because Apple/Jobs says so. Mac can't get infected so say the fans. There aren't any viruses for the mac in the wild. Any you do find, can't penetrate the OS because they require user interaction and a password to gain access.

I mean Mac OS X is the most secure OS on the planet, not because it built better than Windows, but becaus eit is only used by 122M known users. Security through obscurity...right? No need for Norton. I mean, since a person could pay $2100+ for a Macbook, it should be safe from anything. Right?!

Apple users currently live in a 'safer neighborhood' than Windows users; but (ignorance being bliss) the average consumer (read: lamer) feels safe because of clever Apple advertising... and consequently don't even lock their doors. Not every Mac user is an average consumer, however.

Btw, Intego VirusBarrier X6 is rated the best protection for OS X. I would also recommend dumping Safari, which is highly exploitable. Firefox is superior re security and provides excellent security add-ons. I just wish they would come up with an 'evercookie' killer.

I gave up on Firefox long ago on my venerable G4 Powerbook. Slow and way too bloated, to my way of thinking. Perhaps I wasn't using it correctly but so many extensions, addons, etc. make it very unattractive. As you may have noticed I have little interest in tweaking stuff.

I do run Sophos. Those who claim that OSX is invulnerable are just asking for trouble. The sad thing is the whole "OSX is immune to viruses" meme is really perpetuated by the anti-Apple crowd and not as much by Apple or Apple fans.

Even if meant ironically, repeating the "Macs don't get viruses" reinforces the notion the the minds of some users, in my opinion.

Yeah, Firefox 3.. that's a long way time ago, eh? I currently run Firefox 11 on my desktop Mac. It's the browser's security add-ons that rock my world. I'm utilizing NoScript, BetterPrivacy, DoNotTrackPlus, and a couple of others. Safari has diddly-squat by comparison.

This post has been edited by artzy65: 05 April 2012 - 11:19 AM

[waldojim]

BBBBBBBBBBBBBWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Sorry guys, I needed a good laugh. A website based, drive-by attack common to Windows users who don't think, hitting up the impenetrable Mac. Where is EvilDave in all this!? I want to laugh in his face, complete with spittle. All those "Windoze bot-net" comments, and here we are! Enjoy your EXPENSIVE fruit flavored bot-net dave!

[TheOldTopkick]

There are a big group of people who seem to be living in a dream world. There are less attacks on Apple computers because there are more Windowa OS than Mac OS, no other reason. Anyone who believes his conputer is immune from attack desrerves exactly what he gets. A vector merely points in a direction anything else that points in that direction is a new vector in my book. I have only used one Russian anti-virus program and I found it quite satisfactory. Apple is increasing its advertising. Wouldn't you if you thought you could get out of second place. Lay the blame where it belongs. Generally it is public indifference that is to blame for these attacks. Nobody moves until they are hit.

[Evildave]

Macs get one or two big 'security threats' a year. Apple will patch it into extinction in a few weeks, as they always do. I am not impressed at all.

The greater threat, as always, is people being tricked into installing trojans that claim to 'fix' a threat.

Don't run the default browser that comes with the OS (IE/Safari), and close the browser if web site claims to have 'discovered' an infection.

Oh, and enjoy your MILLIONS of new kinds of infections per year, windoze users.
http://www.gdatasoft...er-viruses.html
http://www.networkwo...ort-256316.html