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Q: If I have a mac, am I safe from Chinese spyware/malware?
12 years 20 weeks ago in Web & Technology - China
You are safe from about 95% of it. But like anywhere else, there is the odd bit out there that is targeted at macs. But after several years with a mac here, I have never had a problem from malware.
I've been here over a year with my Mac (in conjunction with a VPN) and have been problem free. But like Xpat John said, there is malware targeted specifically for Mac's. Make sure your firewall is up at all times and don't download any programs online unless they are trusted site's.
You don't read ZDnet much huh? Mac users are not smarter than the rest...
Trojans, viruses, worms: How does malware get on PCs and Macs?
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/trojans- ... -macs/3491
Judging from the reactions to my recent posts on OS X and malware, the Mac community has a pretty consistent collective understanding of how computer security works. Their worldview is based on opinions that might have been close to the mark in 2004 or 2005 but are just plain wrong in 2011.
They think, incorrectly, that Windows is inherently insecure. They assume, with no support, that large numbers of PC users are infected every year just by visiting websites or opening e-mails. And they believe, sincerely but also incorrectly, that OS X is inherently secure and that they are basically immune as long as they avoid doing stupid things.
Mac OS X has you covered ... really?
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/mac- ... ally/12968
As a Mac user, it sure doesn’t feel to me like Apple’s ‘got me covered.’ In fact, given that all we’ve had from Apple so far is a promise of some sort of patch that will find and remove Mac Defender, I’m beginning to feel that Apple is leaving me wide open to more and more malware. With new variants coming daily, how is Apple going to keep up? Are we going to get monthly patches? Weekly? Daily? Hourly?
Free anti-virus for your Mac - And why you need it!
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/free ... d-it/10191
Why do you need an anti-virus scanner for the Mac OS, after all, isn’t Mac OS immune to malware?
Think again!
Mac OS X targeted by Trojan and backdoor tool
http://www.zdnet.com/news/mac-os-x-targ ... ool/251586
Two pieces of malicious software affecting Apple's Mac OS X appeared this week: a Trojan horse with the ability to download and install malicious code of an attacker's choice, and a hacker tool for creating backdoors, according to security vendors.
Researchers spot new Mac OS X malware
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/rese ... lware/8241
Security researchers from Sophos have spotted a new piece of malware targeting Mac OS X users.
According to the company, the BlackHole RAT release is still under development, and appears to be using the source code of a popular Windows trojan horse known as darkComet.
The screen lock feature reads:
Hello I’m the BlackHole Remote Administration Tool. I’m a trojan horse, so I have infected your Mac Computer. I know, most people think that Macs can’t be infected, but look, you ARE infected! I have full controll over your Computer and I can do everything I want, and you can do nothing to prevent it. So, Im a very new virus, under Development, so there will be much more functions when I’m finished. But for now, it’s okay what I can do. To show you what I can do, I will reboot your Computer after you have clicked the Button right down.
Apple patches 13 Mac OS X vulnerabilities
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/appl ... ities/7221
Apple has shipped a new Mac OS X security update to fix 13 documented vulnerabilities, some serious enough to expose users to remote code execution attacks.
The patch includes fixes for security holes in several open-source components, including ClamAV and PHP.
Write a Mac virus competition halted
http://www.zdnet.com/news/write-a-mac-v ... ted/142056
"I have been stunned by Mac users writing to us who seem to prefer to live in fear and uncertainty, with their heads down, feeling 'lucky' for the moment, rather than to actually know the truth."
Apple: Mac users should run multiple anti-virus
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/appl ... virus/2242
Away from the television screen, Apple’s technical advice is different. Very different. Check out this recently updated technical note on Apple’s Web site:
Apple encourages the widespread use of multiple antivirus utilities so that virus programmers have more than one application to circumvent, thus making the whole virus writing process more difficult.
FYI, all above I have found online and I'm not anti-Mac. Security through obscurity has definitely been how Mac has been so strong in the anti-malware field until recently. The fact of the matter is that that golden age has come to an end and numbskulls using Macs will be filling their machines with Trojans etc. al just like the numbskulls using Windows have been doing all along.
There are viruses in Microsoft products such as Word / Excel, these won’t work on a Mac, but they can be passed on to others with PC's, so if you do a lot of work with PC files, it is recommended doing the occasional scan on documents with the free ClamAV for OSX.
freakboy:
I think most of the Mac users only feel they don't have any problems but if they looked they would find that they are as open to viruses as anybody.
Mac user for five years. Zero malaware/ trojan problem.
I think it depends on which websites you hang around.
like any computer junkie... you ought to know more than the basics to proctect your computer... disk clean up, clear borwnser cache, hdd defragment, remove files and suspicious softwares your don't use, registry scan and defragment.... use a good antivirus such as avast... sometimes trogan, virueses and malware are present but deeply hidden and inactive.. only way to remove it is just to backup your data first, then format your hdd, then reinstall windows or mac... that's basically routine, once a year is fine
No, I was at lunch with our usual group of expats today and was saying he is having no end of trouble with his email account which has been hacked, all on a Mac.
1.- Infections of malware into your computer comes mainly from either emails you open, downloads you made, sites you visit. It bears no relationship to the manufacturer of the computer. It also has a bearing on the fact that you have and are using a good and reputable anti virus program.
That said, I will go into something else for the benefit of all here. And that will be No 2.
2.- Lately, I have been receiving a lot of emails with either a Fed Ex, or UPS, or DHL or even USPS and a delivery failure notification. They almost go0t me with the first one, my anti virus program stopped it and moved it to the vault, and then I deleted it. I do not care if you are expecting a package from home, if delivery was attemped, a notification will be left at your door, not an email. Do not fall for it, the least you will get is a crashed hard disc if you open it. A slightly different one (but same infection) will be with a heading of FBI investigation, or Police Investigation, even Homeland Security investigation. I got one from New York Traffic Violations Dept, did not open it because my last visit to New York was over 6 years ago, and did not drive there. Emails with attachments only opened by me are from family members or real close friends, otherwise are deleted without opening. I do not open any emails from anyone I do not know personally. Maybe I am paranoid, but my business back home used computers heavily, and could not afford to get hacker or infested.
So, be aware, and good luck.
