12-21-2007, 07:29 PM

Hi all,

Can someone please explain why virues arent rampant like they are on the PC platform?

I find it interesting that there are very few, if any out there.

Regards

Mailman

12-21-2007, 08:12 PM

Mac users only account for 6% of the computing population. Virus writers aren't really interested in such a small group. Widespread damage is easily inflicted on Windows because 90+% of the personal computers out there run Windows.

That... and they don't know how to write them for OSX.

12-21-2007, 08:20 PM

Originally Posted by Cherokee

Mac users only account for 6% of the computing population. Virus writers aren't really interested in such a small group. Widespread damage is easily inflicted on Windows because 90+% of the personal computers out there run Windows.

That... and they don't know how to write them for OSX.

Don't be so sure. I've heard our day is coming sooner than most think.

There are zero known viruses in the wild, and one known (legitimate) trojan regarding OS X. Without your Mac admin password, there's not much this trojan can do.

Actually, the reason as to why we haven't been plagued with viruses and trojans is due to that fact (regarding admin passwords), and not simply because of our small number, as user's.

12-21-2007, 08:36 PM

What I listed are certainly two valid reasons why we don't see viruses.

My list wasn't meant to be all encompassing.

I don't doubt that our day is fast arriving. However, I don't really worry about it. I have run Windows boxes with no AV software and haven't had any issues. You just have to be cautious of what you're doing online.

12-21-2007, 08:52 PM

I think people are so accustomed to typing their admin password for all kinds of things that most wouldn't think twice about typing it in if a virus triggered it.

I think the true reason is the small market share. OS X has had its share of security holes and vulnerabilities.

12-22-2007, 06:59 AM

Mac users only account for 6% of the computing population. Virus writers aren't really interested in such a small group. Widespread damage is easily inflicted on Windows because 90+% of the personal computers out there run Windows.

6% is still 15 million machines. The market share argument doesn't add up. Linux is similarly unaffected and is a massive OS in industry.

Windows is rife with viruses because the structure is basically unchanged since Windows 95 was created. The registry is malware's friend and virtually every piece of software digs itself into it. There have been many rewrites of Windows over the years, but the structure is basically the same. Rather than make it secure from the ground up, MS take a different approach in order not to alienate developers. Add-ons such as 'Windows Defender' and user account control are sticking plaster fixes, rather than features to make it inherently secure.

Internet Explorer is also a source of security problems. Using Firefox is one way to help security.

12-22-2007, 01:16 PM

I don't think there is any one reason. As has been pointed out, Linux has not suffered and Unix has far bigger market share (not on the desktop) than OSX and still dominates the server world. Yet neither, like OSX, suffer from the security issues of Windows.

While there is something to be said said for the old "Security through Obscurity" answer, it is not the only answer.

For those who preach that "our day is coming", there are those of us who have been hearing that for the last 10 years. Maybe it is, but it will be nothing like the Windows onslaught when and if it does come.

I also can't imagine how anyone who comes from the security paranoid world of Windows would be willing to simply just enter their password blindly for a download. I think it we long time Mac users who are much more likely to do that. I almost did when I encountered the Trojan that's out there and had it not been for info about it posted here and in other forums I probably would have.

12-22-2007, 01:32 PM

thanks baggss for at last mentioning the "Security through Obscurity" myth

Back in the 1990s when apple market share was even smaller there were a few viruses going around that infected OS7, 8 and 9

In fact, some quick research shows there might have been 500 plus viruses for the classic OS, But most of those were macro viruses that were activated by microsoft software on the mac

http://www.macobserver.com/editorial/2003/08/29.1.shtml

Turns out there might have been 26 viruses, so someone at least was trying to infect the mac back then.

So why aren't there 20-50 OS X viruses? OS X must just be a tough nut to crack. Maybe all the virus writers don't want the kudos of being the first to write one, or they are just a little lazy and prefer to spread through a much easier route, MS Windows.

04-29-2008, 05:44 PM

help someone?!>!

i just got my macbook pro in the mail. brand new. i tried installing ms office and it said i needed to know a password. admin pasword. however, i don't know it. i looked up info online and in my manual, and it tells me to restart with the OS X install disk and hold down C. then click on utilities and then reset password... WHERE is the utilities? can't find it. Thanks a ton.

Luke

ps how do you maximize a window??? very very new to macs....

04-29-2008, 06:39 PM

Well first off try the password that you use for logging into your user account, you are the administrator of the computer correct? Utilities should be up in the menu bar one or two choices in you may have to select the language first. The menu bar is that bar at the very top of the screen. Macs do not have a "Maximize" button, it has a "Zoom" button that will make the window as big as needed which sometimes may be full screen, and the button is the third button in on a window in the top left.

04-29-2008, 06:51 PM

Originally Posted by Cherokee

Mac users only account for 6% of the computing population. Virus writers aren't really interested in such a small group. Widespread damage is easily inflicted on Windows because 90+% of the personal computers out there run Windows.

That... and they don't know how to write them for OSX.

Linux has a far smaller market share than OS X does, yet has quite a few more viruses/malware. How do you account for that?