Windows virus on Mac?
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From: FromTheRafters on 26 Jan 2010 06:13 "Mr. Strat" <rag(a)nospam.techline.com> wrote in message news:250120101828125524%rag(a)nospam.techline.com... > In article <hjkd7p$d7a$1(a)news.eternal-september.org>, FromTheRafters > <erratic(a)nomail.afraid.org> wrote: > >> There is nothing standard about limiting the definition of virus just >> to >> suit your argument. >> >> It is a virus for the Mac - and runs on OS-X > > The point is...OS X cannot become infected without "help." Can't say > that about Windows. Yes, I can. If a program runs, it is because the user supplied power to the machine. The OS or related programs can invoke other (infected or otherwise malicious) programs to run. Whether or not user interaction is required, is *not* part of the definition for virus or worm. Many definitions do (wrongly) make a point of whether or not user action is required, but that is a red herring.
From: Mr. Strat on 19 Feb 2010 09:49 In article <4b7ea282$0$3599$9a6e19ea(a)news.newshosting.com>, Wolf K <wekirch(a)sympatico.ca> wrote: > But if you want to do it yourself, Google on "Mac anti-virus software", > you'll find quite a few. (Macs are _not_ immune!) For advice on which is > best, go to a newsgroup for Mac users. You can also ask there about how > to change the permissions on any file so that you can delete it, which > in this case may be the best way to go. I've posted questions on > seattle.users.macintosh and received courteous replies. it's not a very > active group, though. There are not now nor have there been any OS X viruses in the wild. Any infections depend on physical access, special rights, or PEBCAK.
From: Wolf K on 19 Feb 2010 10:29 Mr. Strat wrote: > In article <4b7ea282$0$3599$9a6e19ea(a)news.newshosting.com>, Wolf K > <wekirch(a)sympatico.ca> wrote: > >> But if you want to do it yourself, Google on "Mac anti-virus software", >> you'll find quite a few. (Macs are _not_ immune!) For advice on which is >> best, go to a newsgroup for Mac users. You can also ask there about how >> to change the permissions on any file so that you can delete it, which >> in this case may be the best way to go. I've posted questions on >> seattle.users.macintosh and received courteous replies. it's not a very >> active group, though. > > There are not now nor have there been any OS X viruses in the wild. Any > infections depend on physical access, special rights, or PEBCAK. That's nice to know.... OTOH, I found this: http://www.clamxav.com/ and this: http://www.macforensicslab.com/ProductsAndServices/index.php?main_page=document_general_info&products_id=174 NB the last paragraph. (The date of the post is early 2008, since it references items dated 2007-12-31.) Quote: Mac OS X (Including Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard) All successful, and most plausible, malware attacks on Mac OS X have occurred in the last 2 years with the last quarter of 2007 being particularly prolific. Market penetration and overall sales of the Mac OS X system have directly mirrored development of malware, a phenomenon also demonstrated with other operating systems such as Microsoft Windows. Based on this data there is no reason to believe the trend will not continue as Apple continues to increase their market share. The concept of the economy of scale has historically meant that malware authors have not previously considered the Mac a viable target. This protection is being eroded by the increase in size of the Mac user base. IDC analyst Chris Christiansen is warning Mac users of the growing threat. "Most Mac users take security too lightly. In fact, most are quite proud of the fact that they don't run any security at all," Christiansen said. "That's an open door; at some point it will be exploited." http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/12/31/mac.os.x.a.growing.target/ Apple users, your days of worry-free web surfing could be numbers. A Mac internet security and privacy software maker has discovered what is believed to be the first professionally crafted in-the-wild malware targeting the Mac Operating system. http://www.scmagazineus.com/Trojan-targets-Mac-users/article/58290/?source=PSGL1SCM1001&gclid cheers, wolf k.
From: FromTheRafters on 19 Feb 2010 11:10 "Mr. Strat" <rag(a)nospam.techline.com> wrote in message news:190220100649304736%rag(a)nospam.techline.com... > In article <4b7ea282$0$3599$9a6e19ea(a)news.newshosting.com>, Wolf K > <wekirch(a)sympatico.ca> wrote: > >> But if you want to do it yourself, Google on "Mac anti-virus >> software", >> you'll find quite a few. (Macs are _not_ immune!) For advice on which >> is >> best, go to a newsgroup for Mac users. You can also ask there about >> how >> to change the permissions on any file so that you can delete it, >> which >> in this case may be the best way to go. I've posted questions on >> seattle.users.macintosh and received courteous replies. it's not a >> very >> active group, though. > > There are not now nor have there been any OS X viruses in the wild. Yes there has. http://threatinfo.trendmicro.com/vinfo/virusencyclo/default5.asp?vname=OSX_LEAP.A > Any infections depend on physical access, special rights, or PEBCAK. Excluding malware that exploits software vulnerabilities, and malware that requires exploiting user's bad habits (mostly worms and trojans), then "yes" perhaps there aren't any of those for OS-X in the wild up to and including this point in time. However, you seem to be implying that this trend will continue due to some sort of "security" built into the OS. It might be worth noting that "viruses" do not depend on any functions other than what users are normally supplied by the OS. http://vx.netlux.org/lib/afc08.html Having a secure OS (and adhering to safe computing practices) is a good thing, but it won't stop "viruses" from being able to spread on that platform or any other.
From: Mr. Strat on 21 Feb 2010 17:25
In article <hlmd6k$rk4$1(a)news.eternal-september.org>, FromTheRafters <erratic(a)nomail.afraid.org> wrote: > Yes there has. > > > http://threatinfo.trendmicro.com/vinfo/virusencyclo/default5.asp?vname=OSX_LEA > P.A PEBCAK > Excluding malware that exploits software vulnerabilities, and malware > that requires exploiting user's bad habits (mostly worms and trojans), > then "yes" perhaps there aren't any of those for OS-X in the wild up to > and including this point in time. However, you seem to be implying that > this trend will continue due to some sort of "security" built into the > OS. It might be worth noting that "viruses" do not depend on any > functions other than what users are normally supplied by the OS. Software maybe...but the operating system, no. I wasn't implying anything...maybe there will be an infection in the future...but nine years is a pretty good record, far better than any version of Windows. And it has nothing to do with market share; it has everything to do with the basic design of the operating system. |