Apple advises Mac users to use protection

cornbb

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/12/02/apple_mac_av_advice/

Apple tells Mac users: Get anti-virus

Bragging rights diminish by 12% in face of growing threat

For the first time, Apple is recommending the use of anti-virus tools to protect Mac systems.

Long something of a phantom menace, strains of malware capable of infecting Mac machines have gradually been increasing in prevalence over recent months. In addition, VXers are making more use of web-based attack and applications specific vulnerabilities to infect PCs whatever their underlying operating system might be.

Windows-specific malware attacks are still orders of magnitude greater than assaults on Mac machines, but the risk to Apple fans is now enough for the Church of Jobs to admit a risk exists.

The admission that security scanner software was a good idea for Mac users came in an unheralded update to Apple's support site made on 21 November, first picked up by Brian Klebbs at Security Focus on Monday.

Apple goes further than just recommending the use of one scanner to advise the use of multiple tools. "Apple encourages the widespread use of multiple anti-virus utilities so that virus programmers have more than one application to circumvent, thus making the whole virus writing process more difficult," it said.

Quite aside from the expense, the use of multiple anti-virus scanners could affect system performance and smacks of overkill. Users who use one anti-virus scanner, a personal firewall and keeping up to date with patching would be safer than just relying on two anti-virus scanners to bail them out of trouble, according to general security best-practice.

Using multiple scanners on mail gateways and servers makes sense, but on the desktop the advice is a lot more questionable.

Apple suggests Intego VirusBarrier, Symantec Norton Anti-Virus 11 for Macintosh and McAfee VirusScan for Mac as possible security options. All these packages come at a price, while AVG is well known for supplying a basic version of its anti-virus software to Windows consumers at home at no charge. Avast! Home Edition and Clam AV provide similar options for Mac users. ®

This advice from Apple is a bit of a watershed, and a sign that perhaps the Macintosh platform's increasing success may have a dark side. Not entirely unexpected, but a sign of the times anyway.

What are your thoughts on this? Is anyone using AV protection already?

penderphoto

Not using any AV software yet but it has been on my mind. Looking forward to hearing some advise on which AV would be best.

toomevara

penderphoto wrote: »

Looking forward to hearing some advise on which AV would be best.

+1, sign o the times, bloody annoying though....

Passenger

Is this the official viewpoint from Apple or just hearsay being hyped up by so-called AV developers looking for a segue into the Mac market??

I'll wait for an official statement from Apple.com first.

aidan_walsh

Passenger wrote: »

Is this the official viewpoint from Apple or just hearsay being hyped up by so-called AV developers looking for a segue into the Mac market??

I'll wait for an official statement from Apple.com first.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2550

mickoneill30

How do bragging rights diminish by 12%. How do you measure bragging rights?

cornbb

mickoneill30 wrote: »

How do bragging rights diminish by 12%. How do you measure bragging rights?

The Register have a good sense of humour/satire like that. See also references to "Church of Jobs", "Jesus Phone" and plenty of other running jokes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Register#In-jokes

mickoneill30

cornbb wrote: »

The Register have a good sense of humour/satire like that. See also references to "Church of Jobs", "Jesus Phone" and plenty of other running jokes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Register#In-jokes

Ah OK. It really annoys me when I read statistics like that in newspapers without numbers to back them up. It's humerous in the Register. Not so much so when it's in the Independant or Herald.

cornbb

mickoneill30 wrote: »

Ah OK. It really annoys me when I read statistics like that in newspapers without numbers to back them up. It's humerous in the Register. Not so much so when it's in the Independant or Herald.

I hear ya. "Your hair will have 30% more vitality!" My arse!

J-blk

Apple suggests Intego VirusBarrier, Symantec Norton Anti-Virus 11 for Macintosh and McAfee VirusScan for Mac as possible security options

I'd rather poke my eyes out with searing hot needles rather than install Symantec or McAfee crapware on my Macs... And since we're making up statistics anyway, those two antivirus programs account for 38.76% of all Windows-related problems so I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole .

440Hz

J-blk wrote: »

I'd rather poke my eyes out with searing hot needles rather than install Symantec or McAfee crapware on my Macs...

Wise man!! Im with you on this one

Gerard_Smith

Its a shame the mac version of Avast isn't free. Its not the best at removing infections but installed on a clean system the Windows versions real time protection is 96% bulletproof.

projectmayhem

Nothing to see here.

Gerard_Smith

Even still if avast release a free home version for the mac I may very well install it.

cornbb

projectmayhem wrote: »

Nothing to see here.

Hmm, well spotted!

Ham'nd'egger

I am taking precautions and installed anti virus; very handy as it is handy for when I'm having cyber sex

Breezer

Hamndegger wrote: »

I am taking precautions and installed anti virus; very handy as it is handy for when I'm having cyber sex

And I thought I was the only one picturing Steve Jobs giving sex ed classes

cabrwab

I've used ClamX. Its ok but doesn't run real time. I suppose its only a matter of time until we have people actually writing virus for macs with there popularity at the moment