If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
Posted on 12/06/2007 9:59:43 AM PST by driftdiver
After years of relative safety, the Apple Mac is becoming an increasingly tempting target for malicious computer hackers, according to a new report published this week.
Security researchers have been aware of the threat to Apple since last year, when they detected the first piece of malicious code – or “malware” – specifically designed to target Apple.
Over the past few months, however, the number of malicious programmes has increased, according to a report published this week by F-Secure, an internet security company.
“Over the past two years, we had found one or two pieces of malware targeting Macs,” said Patrik Runald, an F-Secure security researcher. “Since October, we’ve found 100-150 variants.”
(Excerpt) Read more at ft.com ...
LOL!
If I had to use Windows, I would leave the industry.
Me too, though I prefer Linux.
Wow. Do you realize you had to reach back almost 20 years for an example?
1) Are you arguing that the architecture of Unix has changed in the past 20 years? The post I was replying to claimed that the architecture of Unix prevented malware from causing damage w/o humans giving permission.
2) Ease up. I like Unix/BSD/Linux systems but that doesn't mean I have ignore incorrect statements about these types of systems.
Back in the system 7 days my wife had a Mac at work and it crashed every time she overran the keyboard, which given that she was a good typist was a lot until she learned to slow down (that damn thing pulled strokes off the keyboard at a painfully slow rate). I don’t even know what you mean by “annual and even semi-annual attention for software issues” if what you have on your PC works then you don’t have to do anything, the only time you have to give them regular attention is when you’re changing stuff, which can be so for Macs too, new software or hardware has an unfortunate habit of requiring patches or driver updates for not so new OSes. Sorry but in the real world Macs have problems too, they always have and the always will, maybe fewer problems, maybe less annoying or damaging problems, but they are not God’s perfect computer.
I used to get occasional virii that would shut me down, even while using Mcaffee. After I started using the AVG free program I have not been bothered again on my w2k machine.
My first was a Sinclair.
Being .bat .com or .exe doesn’t innately make a file executable on Windows either. .com and .exe have to have certain stuff in the beginning to run, and .bat needs to be a plain text collection of recognizable DOS commands. And if I’ve setup my Windows security correctly I’d get a bunch of permission denied error deleting files with a batch file too and of course if I’ve hosed my Unix permissions it’ll delete important files easily, the primary difference on that front is that in Windows you have to go out of your way to set permissions correctly and in Unix you have to go out of your way to set them up badly.
The truth of the matter is that Macs are vulnerable. But for reasons unknown—the lack of popularity of Macs is utter tripe as a reaaon for the lack of hacking—the worm and trojan crowd find it less than worthwhile.
I’ve been running Macs since 1989. I have never had a single virus. I’ve been online since using Prodigy & AOL in 1992. I went onto the true internet about 1996. Never had a firewall. I used to run Norton’s AV, but it seemed like a waste of cash.
Knock on wood.
“The truth of the matter is that Macs are vulnerable. But for reasons unknown—the lack of popularity of Macs is utter tripe as a reaaon for the lack of hacking—the worm and trojan crowd find it less than worthwhile.”
Probably because most hackers are in it for the money. With MS being in the vast majority its just easier to focus on them.
Try that again but this time do it as root.
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
Not only is OS X Unix;
it is based on BSD Unix which was built to be hack proof
starting in the late '70s under a DARPA(DOD) contract.
Wow, I think I’ve read this article at least twice a year.
C’mon fellow Freepers, join your Mac brethren like Rush Limbaugh and the rest of us on the Mac Ping list!
It will free you up so you can spend time on some good conservative causes!
And besides, Microsoft donates to lefties — and Billie G and wife are some of the major contributors to Planned Parenthood.
With all the FUD flying around, I feel justified in asking: How many “you know whats” have you financed with Windows?
Hey, what’s fair is fair.
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2003/may/03050902.html
“NEW YORK, May 9, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a lengthy interview with Bill Moyers released today, Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates reveals the inspiration for his funding of pro-abortion population control measures. Responding to a question by Moyers on how he came to fund “reproductive issues” Gates answered, “When I was growing up, my parents were always involved in various volunteer things. My dad was head of Planned Parenthood. And it was very controversial to be involved with that. And so it’s fascinating. At the dinner table my parents are very good at sharing the things that they were doing. And almost treating us like adults, talking about that.”
I don't understand your logic. My experience with Apple users is that 90+% use no more protection than comes out of the box when they buy their computer.
Theoretically, Macs are wide open to a virus. With users that are generally unsophisticated when it comes to recognizing and dealing with viruses. What that means is that if someone could figure out how to hack a Mac, overnight they could pwn 5-10% of the working computers in the world. It would make the smallpox ravages of the Indians look like a head cold.
The only way your logic could be correct is if Microsoft virus writers typically infected more than 10% of all the computers out there. I know of a few that might have achieved that kind of penetration, but not many.
Would you like to know the dirty little secret? Microsoft puts in hooks to let developers take control of the processor, mostly for game developers. It is these hooks that the virus writers are targeting. Apple doesn't even let root commands override the kernal. As a result Microsoft has all the games and viruses (and market share) Apple has few games and security and much less market share.
Now that the processors are getting fast enough, gamers are less concerned about taking control of the processor. It will be interesting to see the next round of marketing.
Yes. I switched to Macs when I worked for a co. that had 130 people in one location. 90 used Win; 40 used Mac. The support staff consisted of 5 Win techs and 1 Mac tech. The Mac tech was as lonely as a Maytag serviceman, but the Win techs were always busy.
True no matter what OS you use.
;)
Say what?! Mr. Jones, it is really bad form to call a whole group of people "ignorant" and then show the world you don't know what you're talking about.
OSX Leopard is a certified UNIX. It is compliant with SUSv3 and POSIX specifications C API, Shell Utilities, and Threads. It can compile and run all UNIX code.
Good question! I asked it of myself fourteen months ago. That's when I turned off my Mac's firewall and, as an experiment, went bare into the cruel Internet. My G5 Tower has been operating without a firewall since then and nothing has succeeded in invading it. I am an IT professional and have regularly checked my system. It is clean.
I operate as a "regular user" and have freely surfed the web with no problems. Websites designed to test the security of a visiting computer do not even see my system and find nothing responding to their tests probes.
Indeed.
Funny thing is, after I ran that demo, I did the same thing with sudo and completely toasted the box. Of course, it was a vmware server, that I'd already backed up to DVD a few minutes before, but it was fun nonetheless.
Z
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