Posted on 05/18/2009 1:24:44 AM PDT by Swordmaker
Especially when it is an ignorant alternative view that takes its information from the breathless press publishing reports of three-day wonder proof-of-concept attempts at writing malware for OS X. As of now there are ZERO self-replicating, self-transmitting, self-installing viruses and spyware in the wild for OS X Macs.
A good example of one of those three-day-wonders was reported just last month when two Symantec security "experts" published an article in an obscure on-line journal called Virus Bulletin claiming they had found malware for the Mac that was released in January that made the world's first Mac based BotNet. They further claimed this BotNet was comprised of 20,000 Macs that were mounting a denial-of-service attack on ONE (1) website. However, these guys did not even tell Symantec, their employer, about their "discovery," choosing instead to reveal it in a $175 per year subscription private journal that no one can check, and worse yet, NO ONE has found even one Mac compromised with this so called BotNet or the supposed target website. Symantec still reports the original Trojan horse, a supposedly pirated bit-torrent copy of iWork'09 Trial (a package freely available from Apple with the malicious rider, that the two BT sites where it was found report downloads in the "dozens") had infected ZERO to 50 computers. 0 to 50? How does that translate into 20,000? Others who have tested the supposed malware found it just simply did not work. Although this "malware" report was picked up and repeated by computer punditry and even the MSM, no one has found any secondary, independent sources other than Virus Reports. It made great FUD news... but apparently is just that: FUD.
The real discrepancy that needs to be pointed out between security on the Mac and Windows is that while Microsoft has recently invested more into building a fancy security infrastructure in the Vista version of Windows that most Windows users don't actually use, Mac users continue to both feel safer and to actually be safer in the sense of being "free from danger or threat,"Thanks SM. Virus writers are the scum of the Earth, so naturally they don't own Macs. ;') ;') ;')
COOL.
Does it run?
Windows made computers easy, that’s why we have one in nearly every home and most work desks.
That’s ok, you need it more that I. Fairly common for mac users.
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Losing what war? MAC users are the only offensive thing I see around here.
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Which is why you expend so much time and effort to come to a Mac thread and piss.
Still waiting for your PC to reboot?
Didn’t realize only mac users were allowed to make comments regarding mac security. Very 1984 of you
No it isn't.
is there anything on the Macs worth stealing?
You would target OS X because of the instant worldwide recognition. You would forever be known as the first person to create a self replicating virus/malware/spyware etc. for OS X. People could google “virus and OS X” and your name would receive thousands of hits. New software products would immediately start selling in large numbers because of you. You would probably be paid large fees for your consulting services. So fame and fortune alone would cause someone to target this market. Creating a virus for Windows is like making a Big Mac at McDonalds, with a very small amount of training anyone can make one.
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Didn’t realize only mac users were allowed to make comments regarding mac security. Very 1984 of you
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Yeah. That’s exactly what I said.
Typical democrat troll.
In addition to that, I’m not sure the “market share” argument is relevant at all.
At least not as far as software goes. Other than games (and there are more and more games written for Macs now anyway), I don’t know of any significant program (like the suite of Adobe programs, such as Acrobat and Photoshop, or the Office suite, etc) that isn’t also written for a Mac.
Even as few as 5-7 years ago that may have not been true. And this was because of the small “market share” that Mac had.
Even though it may be arguable that Macs still don’t have much more of a share than back then, any significant program that’s widely used can be found written for a Mac as well, today. I’d challenge anyone to find a significant program that can’t run on a Macintosh. Which really, is the only valid argument when talking about “market share”.
So this “market share” argument is *little more* than a question of “popularity”. And who really cares about that? Like the old adage your parents told you, “If everyone wanted to jump of a bridge, would you?”
That’s about the only “reasoning” behind the “market share” argument anymore.
Two words for you, my Windoze loving FRiend:
market value (Mkt cap)
Apple Inc.
Open: 123.84
High: 126.70
Low: 121.57
Volume: 16,268,573
Avg Vol: 18,718,000
Mkt Cap: 113.00B
********************************
Microsoft Corporation
Open: 20.33
High: 20.60
Low: 20.24
Volume: 45,440,230
Avg Vol: 68,277,000
Mkt Cap: 183.33B
******************So, lowly Apple is only worth 2/3 of what the giant Microsort is worth, and their shares are only 600+++% of MS....
Yep, they are doing something wrong at Apple! /sarcasm
Maybe, maybe not.
I don't like to get into the argument that "Windows made computers easy". Why? Because the whole subject is a matter of opinion anyway. Besides, even if Windows had never been written we would still have a computer in nearly every home and office. :)
If you wanted to maximize chaos and hurt lots of people, tainting Big Macs would be a good way to do it.
“I don’t like to get into the argument that “Windows made computers easy”. Why? Because the whole subject is a matter of opinion anyway.”
Opinion? The vast majority are windows. Apple was going downhill and of little use.
” Besides, even if Windows had never been written we would still have a computer in nearly every home and office. :)”
You call the fact that windows mnainstreamed computers to be opinion but then state we would have computers everywhere even without windows.
Prove it.
So says the guy using a liberal icon.
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So says the guy using a liberal icon.
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As opposed to that stalwart conservative, Bill Gates?
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