Viruses on OSX : It had to happen, Misc Options

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Comments about:

Viruses on OSX : It had to happen

[_stingerman_]

Well, it hasn't happened after all. It was a hoax to drum up sales of their security software:

http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,63000,00.html

[td3k]

Read this for more details of this "concept" as the call it. here:

http://macnn.com/news/24167

..."You will likely do more damage sending out a friendly email message politely asking people to move their home directories to the trash."

also Symantec does not report any occurances in the wild.

[lepetitmartien]

It's not an hoax, it's just someone proved a point on a possibility of threat told publicly a few weeks ago on relevant mailing lists. This thing (in fact inocuitous, just for pedagogy) gas NEVER been on the net. Now Intego move, a little ambiguitous (no real threat) can seem suspicious.

Now stop thinking your OSX mac are 1000% safe, they are not. Virii are just difficult to make under UNIX and some other options in the evil empire direction are just more fun for some. Also, as most virii right now are spamware at work, guess where is their interest, is it to annoy a platform counting less than 5% of all computers?

[sahara]

I got a copy of it. Potential problem, but not likely to become
serious. There have always been disguised applications and
AppleScripts, but nothing ever came of them. If anything, OSX is more
secure.

[peterkirn]

I agree that OS X is more secure, but at the same time, nothing is LESS secure than a false sense of security. Users should take precautions with OS X as with any OS, and it's best to apply the precuationary principle as Intego has.

[sahara]

Is that what I said? I think it's like the media...a little over reactive with some people. I have taken and continue to take all the precautions and hope to stay ahead of this virus, but back up daily for the work that I do is important to my clients. I guess I feel that I have had worse things happen in my life.")java script:emoticon(':rolleyes:')

[sahara]

April 13 - 00:04 EDT   Security experts and Mac programmers have slammed Intego for exaggerating the threat of what the company called the first Trojan Horse for Mac OS X. "They gave the impression that this is a threat, but it isn't," said Dave Schroeder, a systems engineer with the University of Wisconsin. "It is a benign proof of concept that was posted to a newsgroup. It isn't in the wild, and can't be spread in the wild. It's a non-issue." Rob Rosenberger of Vmyths told Wired that if anti-virus companies put out alarmist press releases, it's for one of two reasons: "Either they're delusional or they're trying to own the hysteria," he said. "This has been going on for 16 years now." Continued...  [ E
http://www.macminute.com/

[peterkirn]

Sahara -- my response was more to the naysayers above. Anyway, Apple has taken this seriously as a way to strengthen security on OS X.

And, yes, let's not lose sight of the fact that what most people need to do is BACKUP(!)

Best spin on this is, as usual, at Joy of Tech: (Monday's cartoon)

http://joyoftech.com/joyoftech/index.html

(might be a new one up there . . . look for the 'virus clubhouse')

And they're saying essentially what you're saying.

[sahara]

Sahara -- my response was more to the naysayers above. Anyway, Apple has taken this seriously as a way to strengthen security on OS X.

And, yes, let's not lose sight of the fact that what most people need to do is BACKUP(!)

Best spin on this is, as usual, at Joy of Tech: (Monday's cartoon)

http://joyoftech.com/joyoftech/index.html

(might be a new one up there . . . look for the 'virus clubhouse')

And they're saying essentially what you're saying.

Very good! I most likely needed less coffee that day when I posted this..my appologies:)

G