Any real need for virus software with Mac OS X Panther?

Hi, as explained in earlier posts, my household has just switched over from PC (Win 98 platform) to eMac & iBook OS-X Panther equipment. We're newborns in the Mac world.

Up to now, we've used Norton Pro for the PCs. I hear different things about Macs: the OS-X operating system does not lend itself to anyone devising viruses for it; there are virtually no virus problems. There is virutually no interest among nefarious hackers in producing viruses to attack Apple machines and software.

On the other hand, some people feel that v software IS a good idea.

So what is the truth here,and what would you advise me to do?

Big Thanks!

Happy New Year,

Joel

Norton for PC sucks.

You don't need antivirus for Mac.

I'm a new user also and absolutly have become a fanatic for mac. Do a search in this forum on norton problems and you might reach the conclusion I did that many report that it slows down the machine and is not necesary. As for me I think its is not necessary. Opening junk mail attachments even with an antivirus program is a no, no. but its up to you.

Id tell you if your realy concerned, buy a .Mac, enjoy the website making capabilites and the included version of Virex. Thats what i got, and i love .Mac

In truth, theres not alot of virus' for mac out there. I think only 2 big ones, and that rare to find. But look in comparison to Windows, which has numerous virus'

Ill put this in a comparison:
Lets say your naked out in New York City in the winter. Disease is everywhere. - this is you using windows without virus protection.
Then you put all your clothes on and a big coat - this is your virus protection

now for the mac.
lets say your out snowboarding and you have all your clothes on and a big coat. - this is you using OSX panther
and you put a scarf on just to make sure you wont get sick - this is mac virus protection.

kinda understand it? you can put the make with the windows virus' because they dont get the same virus'

there is no need to worry about viruses on mac, unless youre networked with other PCs,
besides that, norton screws up your mac, and as a company and brand has gone to crap over the last few years and isnt even good on pc.

)(* said:

Id tell you if your realy concerned, buy a .Mac, enjoy the website making capabilites and the included version of Virex. Thats what i got, and i love .Mac

In truth, theres not alot of virus' for mac out there. I think only 2 big ones, and that rare to find. But look in comparison to Windows, which has numerous virus'

Ill put this in a comparison:
Lets say your naked out in New York City in the winter. Disease is everywhere. - this is you using windows without virus protection.
Then you put all your clothes on and a big coat - this is your virus protection

now for the mac.
lets say your out snowboarding and you have all your clothes on and a big coat. - this is you using OSX panther
and you put a scarf on just to make sure you wont get sick - this is mac virus protection.

kinda understand it? you can put the make with the windows virus' because they dont get the same virus'

Click to expand...

2 Big ones?

There aren't ANY real viruses out for OSX as far as I know...
There have been security bugs that COULD have been exploited by a virus, but apple patched those up and a virus has never emerged.

I would simply not bother, to stick with the analogy:

Windows without virus protection is naked in the snow.
Windows with virus protection is wearing socks with holes in them on broadway in the snow.
Mac without virus protection is snowboarding with all the gear.
Mac with virus protection is snowboarding with 2 coats, 3 hats and 6 vests - will probably slow you down more than any potential virus.

I agree with Aptmunich's little interpretation there. Installing anti-virus software on a Mac (that isn't connected to a PC) is overkill and will just slow it down unnecessarily.

I'm quite concerned with all of your apparent flippancy over the possibility of getting viruses. If you all keep on insisting that you don't need virus protection you will, eventually, get infected. And as there are no real small viruses on the Mac but a couple of truly fatal ones, isn't it better to be safe than sorry?

Hackers will create viruses to wipe the smile off our faces if the mac community continue to be so smug about the fact that we get very few viruses, if any at all.

johnnyluu said:

I'm quite concerned with all of your apparent flippancy over the possibility of getting viruses. If you all keep on insisting that you don't need virus protection you will, eventually, get infected. And as there are no real small viruses on the Mac but a couple of truly fatal ones, isn't it better to be safe than sorry?

Hackers will create viruses to wipe the smile off our faces if the mac community continue to be so smug about the fact that we get very few viruses, if any at all.

Click to expand...

Creating a virus or worm for OS X is fairly difficult, technologically speaking. OS X, like all Unix systems, has a permissions system that's very difficult to get around. To put it simply, in order to install itself on a system, a program (virus, etc.) would need access to an admin password. I'm not saying it's impossible to get around, but it's nowhere near as easy to create a virus for OS X as it is for Windows, which has a tendency to automatically install unknown programs without so much as a warning.

At present, Virex and the other Mac anti-virus programs can scan for PC viruses. If you regularly forward attachments from PC users to other PC users, Virex (etc.) might be a good idea. But Virex, with its current definitions, provides no protection against any Mac virus -- because there aren't any.

The day someone discovers a Mac virus, it'll make headlines on all the Mac sites. I'll read about it, and if necessary, I'll install Virex, probably before they update their definitions to cover it. Until then, I'm not worried.

Ok, so what if i want to protect my PC buddies but don't want to spend any cash. Any FREE virus checkers that run on mac but check for PC virus'?
I'm not worried about my mac, virus wise, but don't wanna unknowingly spread anything nasty to any of my friends.

Cheers
Mike

well, none are free that Ive seen, virex comes free with a .mac account, though the best Ive seen and what I use is intego virusbarrier.

Is Virex worth the download if you have .Mac? Does it slow you down like Norton's?