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Mac Users Blast Symantec ... Again
An anonymous reader writes "Once again Symantec has spouted FUD about Mac OS X ... perhaps in an attempt to make more money as Microsoft pushes its own security products? A commentary on the issue entitled "Symantec 'scare tactics' don't rattle Mac users" says Symantec's latest Internet Security Threat Report continues to voice concern for the security and stability of the Mac operating system, Mac OS X in particular. However, there isn't proper evidence to back this claim. Also from the story, readers are asked: Do Mac users think they are immune to security problems or is Symantec and others fishing for a new revenue stream? Do you think Apple should start following Microsoft's model by rating vulnerabilities and patches?"
Do you think Apple should start following Microsoft's model by rating vulnerabilities and patches?"
Apple would be retarded if it followed any of MSFT's security policy.
perpetually dwelling in the -1 pits
Comment removed based on user account deletion
- Users all switch to platforms without security problems.
- Microsoft makes Windows Vista secure.
- Microsoft includes AV and a decent firewall with Vista.
This is a counter to the possibility of option one.On the Mac, as with most other platforms, there are periodically vulnerabilities that allow arbitrary code to be run. These are generally patched quickly, making them a poor vector for attack (except amongst the uptime-is-a-measure-of-masculinity crowd, who refuse to reboot for security patches). The only convincing things they have are things like opener. Opener itself is nothing more than a bash script - it runs, and if you run it as root then it will disable the firewall, etc. and run a server people can connect to. Of course, you then need some kind of social engineering attack to persuade people to download it, run it, and enter an admin password. This is, of course, possible - just find some stupid people. The problem is that a virus scanner won't do anything to protect you against this kind of thing.
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
That doesn't mean the Mac is more secure it just means that there are less windows for worms and virii to crawl through. Oh wait, I guess that does make it more secure.
I've hit Karma 50 and gotten a Score:5, Troll... I win!
... so they need to convince us there's a market.
Just like drug companies that release a cure for a disease you'd never heard of, just after 'credible' reports appear in the media showing that most of the poopulation suffer from it.
It's a scare tactic, pure and simple.
However, there is a small sting in the tail - Mac users have little to nothing to worry about today. Tomorrow may be another story entirely.
Just because a virus hasn't been written doesn't necessarily mean it's impossible to write one. There's a creeping feeling in the Mac world that we can't be touched by malware just because we're using Macs. That's a dangerous attitude in the long run.
Mac users need only take advantage of the built-in security, plus enable a few options.
The Firewall should be on by default, but clicking the 'Advanced' button reveals an option for stealth mode. That's always a good idea. In fact, while you're there, turn firewall logging on and come back to read the log in a week or two. That'll highlight any attempts at breaking in.
Keep the administrative account around, but use a non-admin one for day to day tasks. There's no reason not to, and it forces a password check before any files outside the user's directory are altered.
Turn off the option to open 'safe' files after downloading in Safari.
There's a guide from the US NSA out there somewhere that's heavy going, but shows what good security looks like. Read a site like http://www.securemac.com/ once in a while to pick up a few tips.
Mac users needn't be as worried as Windows users should be, but a few ounces of prevention still go a long way.
Symantec is trying to sell a product that doesn't really apply in the Linux/OS X environments.
I'm not saying Viri and Worms don't or couldn't exist on a *nix platform. What I am saying is that security patches are released within the same timeframes as virus updates, so why not just set your box to auto-update those patches and skip the Anti-virus software route all together?
On other vendor's platforms, there are both a greater frequency of attacks and longer delays between patches (probably due to the shear number) so Anti-virus software serves a market there.
So it isn't hubris that the Linux and OS X are imune, it is that the OSS community and Apple work quickly to patch any vulnerability ASAP.
I only came here to do two things; kick some ass, and drink some beer...looks like we're almost out of beer.
Because you can't just drag some Applications over. Those installers put files in directories a normal user can't touch.
After all, I am strangely colored.
However, why on earth would one think that Symantec is the solution to the problem? If there is a known problem, Apple will patch it. If it is an unknown problem, Symantec cannot fix it.