can macs get viruses?

dogmaryxx

Apple Mac malware: A short history (1982-2010)

jaydeeuk1

I hope no virus / malware authors are reading this thread, they'll get the idea from redcar that all apple users are morons. Give it 5 years or so and they'll be far more reports on exploits being used on mac os compared to now. By then, windows in whatever form, will be so locked down, I won't be able to open notepad without filling out a certificate.

marleyboy

Isnt it about time MS thought of offering Windows as hardware, such as a slot card, this would render MS as being instantly available as well as faster and pretty much Virus free. to clean the infected OS, all it would take is a reboot.

redcard

23n1th wrote: »

They make money from antivirus and research. They unlike you know what they are talking about. But you are right you have no idea.

Wow. Obsessive much?

I'm always impressed when someone takes a big list of relevant points and answers them individually with one word.

Anyway, there's no need to insult me just because you disagree. You sound like marleyboy's little lapdog.

woofwoof

23n1th

redcard wrote: »

Wow. Obsessive much?

I'm always impressed when someone takes a big list of irrelevant points and answers them individually with one word, because thats all they deserve.

Amended (bold) for accuracy.

redcard

23n1th wrote: »

Amended (bold) for accuracy.

Your post gave the OP no additional information.

Please stop hijacking the thread and getting all angry.

marleyboy

Awwww, theres no need to be a sore loser, its really not your fault you aren't educated enough to have the ability to debate. Bebo is a good starting point for you, you might even make a friend or two on there, albeit I do have my doubts.

23n1th

redcard wrote: »

My posts gave the OP no additional information.

Please stop hijacking my hijacking of this thread, pointing out that my posts were irrelevant and posted just to gain a reaction and getting me all angry.

Again amended (bold) for accuracy.

warehouse

rockit99 wrote: »

I shouldn't really feed the trolls but that is just one of the most ridiculous statements I've ever seen. Clearly you have knowledge that's unknown to lesser mortals or indeed any virus writers or, in fact, any tech writers. Perhaps you'd care to elucidate with some fully verifiable examples of Mac viruses? Oh wait - is that your mother calling you in for your tea?

...and further proof, if it were needed, that those who resort to rudeness are almost always using that rudeness to cover up their complete lack of knowledge:

Oh dear...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17623422

More than half a million Apple computers have been infected with the Flashback Trojan, according to a Russian anti-virus firm.

Its report claims that about 600,000 Macs have installed the malware - potentially allowing them to be hijacked and used as a "botnet".

The firm, Dr Web, says that more than half that number are based in the US.

Apple has released a security update, but users who have not installed the patch remain exposed.

Flashback was first detected last September when anti-virus researchers flagged up software masquerading itself as a Flash Player update. Once downloaded it deactivated some of the computer's security software.

Later versions of the malware exploited weaknesses in the Java programming language to allow the code to be installed from bogus sites without the user's permission.

Remote control
Dr Web said that once the Trojan was installed it sent a message to the intruder's control server with a unique ID to identify the infected machine.

"By introducing the code criminals are potentially able to control the machine," the firm's chief executive Boris Sharov told the BBC.

"We stress the word potential as we have never seen any malicious activity since we hijacked the botnet to take it out of criminals' hands. However, we know people create viruses to get money.

"The largest amounts of bots - based on the IP addresses we identified - are in the US, Canada, UK and Australia, so it appears to have targeted English-speaking people."

Dr Web also notes that 274 of the infected computers it detected appeared to be located in Cupertino, California - home to Apple's headquarters.

Update wait
Java's developer, Oracle, issued a fix to the vulnerability on 14 February, but this did not work on Macintoshes as Apple manages Java updates to its computers.

Apple released its own "security update" on Wednesday - more than eight weeks later. It can be triggered by clicking on the software update icon in the computer's system preferences panel.

The security firm F-Secure has also posted detailed instructions about how to confirm if a machine is infected and how to remove the Trojan.

Although Apple's system software limits the actions its computers can take without requesting their users' permission, some security analysts suggest this latest incident highlights the fact that the machines are not invulnerable.

"People used to say that Apple computers, unlike Windows PCs, can't ever be infected - but it's a myth," said Timur Tsoriev, an analyst at Kaspersky Lab.

Apple could not provide a statement at this time.

Notmyrealname

The fact that such a big deal is being made about something that wouldn't even warrant being news in the Windows world shows how good OS X is.

And Apple released a patch the day after unlike Microsoft where you'd have to wait until Patch Tuesday the following month assuming one was released at all.