10-30-2009, 11:54 AM

Sorry to mention P2P song downloading but I have a load of songs on my old laptop (vista) and want to put them onto my iPhone. The problem is that I will be connecting my iPhone to my iMac for software updates etc and might even transfer some songs from my iPhone to my iMac. The songs I have downloaded aren't from the healthiest places so I'm wondering if they could have Mac trojans (I have been told they do exist) or Windows viruses that could affect my iMac in any way at all, even as minor as just simply slowing it down a little. I think I am being a little over-cautious here but is it possible for iPhones to catch anything from dodgy sites and then spread it to the Mac?

Cheers.

10-30-2009, 11:59 AM

Windows files can't execute or run in OSX, so no they can't do anything on a Mac.

10-30-2009, 11:59 AM

Originally Posted by Mint

I'm wondering if they could have Mac trojans (I have been told they do exist) or Windows viruses that could affect my iMac in any way at all, even as minor as just simply slowing it down a little.

Sticky Thread:

The Official Mac AntiVirus and Firewall FAQ

Originally Posted by Sticky Thread

...your Mac can't be infected by a Windows virus...

And be sure to read the Community Guidelines regarding discussion of Illegal Activity as well as other Sticky Threads and Announcement threads.

10-30-2009, 01:23 PM

Originally Posted by Mint

...they could have Mac trojans (I have been told they do exist)...

A trojan isn't something that accompanies a media file (or any other file, for that matter). A trojan is a non-desirable application disguised as a desirable one. For example, the 2 or 3 trojans that are geared toward OS X, are simply DNS redirector programs that are disguised to look like a media player, when in fact, no media player exists (or ever did).

Viruses, on the other hand, can co-opt a normal file and make that file harmful. But there is a difference between a Virus and a simple trojan.

Any idiot can write a trojan. In fact, the only ingenuity in writing a trojan is in baiting the user to execute and install it.