virus check

wayne1

Anybody know how to run a virus check on imac

Breezer

Download ClamXav, it's a free antivirus app. What makes you think it's necessary though? Unless you don't want to transmit Windows viruses to people there isn't a huge amount of point, Mac viruses are very rare and it's likely whatever problem you have is due to something else.

crosstownk

wayne1 wrote: »

virus check on imac

I've been using Macs for years and never loaded any anti virus software. Never had a virus either.

K.O.Kiki

I'm extremely certain that there hasn't been a single documented Mac virus for OS X... ever.

Breezer

There has been malware though, if you try hard enough to install it. And there are network admins who want (and who want all their network's users) to be extra careful.

Soundman

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

I'm extremely certain that there hasn't been a single documented Mac virus for OS X... ever.

http://www.sophos.com/pressoffice/news/articles/2006/02/macosxleap.html

uncle_sam_ie

Soundman wrote: »

http://www.sophos.com/pressoffice/news/articles/2006/02/macosxleap.html

Give me a break, anti virus will not protect you on any system if your reckless. If you don't run in admin, don't open unknown attachments, and don't freely enter your name and password you'll be fine. Also, keep your Mac up to date and look on the many Mac websites for any news on attacks. From there you'll learn how to deal with it. Apple is usually quick in plugging major hole's. If you have to have anti virus software because of your work or school go with ClamXav, it's free.

Breezer

http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/02/17/leapafollow/index.php

Mac OS X isn't bullet proof, sure, but Leap.A itself wasn't particularly devastating, was more malware than a virus and has long-since been patched anyway. If you're concerned about this kind of thing, and don't trust yourself to take the necessary precautions (examining strange attachments to discover that they are not pictures, but executables), there are anti-virus products available as stated above.

Oriel

crosstownk wrote: »

I've been using Macs for years and never loaded any anti virus software. Never had a virus either.

If you've never used an Antivirus, how do you know you've never had a virus?

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

I'm extremely certain that there hasn't been a single documented Mac virus for OS X... ever.

There have been thousands. I used to work for Symantec in their live lab, I had a CD of hundreds/thousands of Mac viruses. But I like your blind confidence.

Oh, and look up the word "hubris".

Peteer

Oriel wrote: »

Oh, and look up the word "hubris".

hubris |ˈ(h)yoōbris|
noun
excessive pride or self-confidence.
• (in Greek tragedy) excessive pride toward or defiance of the gods, leading to nemesis.
DERIVATIVES
hubristic |(h)yoōˈbristik| |(h)juˈbrɪstɪk| |-ˈbrɪstɪk| adjective
ORIGIN Greek.

uncle_sam_ie

Oriel wrote: »

There have been thousands. I used to work for Symantec in their live lab, I had a CD of hundreds/thousands of Mac viruses. But I like your blind confidence.

Oh, and look up the word "hubris".

That's not true, there were less then a hundred in the wild Mac viruses pre Mac OS X. There have been no in the wild viruses for OS X. Yes, there are many proof of concept one's most of which need the users careless to do anything.

babypink

Oriel wrote: »

There have been thousands. I used to work for Symantec in their live lab, I had a CD of hundreds/thousands of Mac viruses. But I like your blind confidence.

Oh, and look up the word "hubris".

OSX/Inqtana-A
OSX/Inqtana-B
OSX/Leap-A
OSX/RSPlug-A
OSX/RSPlug-Gen

All essentially proof of concept malware requiring user input for anything to happen. i.e. accept a download and execute the downloaded file. These have neither, to my knowledge, exploited security holes in the OS, nor been found in the wild.

Until documented I refuse to accept that there have been "hundreds/thousands" of Mac viruses.