Gasp! A major and unknown threat for OSX

This is about security and antivirus, but since no one is likely to get any usable info from it, I have put it in the lounge.

My physical internet provider has become less than optimum lately, so I have begun to explore other options, one being terrestrial wireless.

I hit a local franchise shop for a wireless company, got the scoop and pricing from the salesman, made notes and prepared to leave. Then he said, "Oh, yes. One other thing. The company requires that you run a current antivirus program."

"No problem," I said. "I run OSX and it is always current. No viruses for it." It went downhill from there.

He immediately came back with some heavy technical info that I was unaware of. (Paraphrased, of course - I didn't make a recording, although I wish I could have) "Sir! You are wrong on that. Apple is based on Linux, and there are far more viruses for Linux than Windows ever had. I know that for a fact - Linux is what we run here and we are always having to update our antivirus."

In vain did I try to point out that OSX is on top of BSD, and BSD is Unix, not Linux, and neither have any actual and active viruses in the wild. Didn't help. If I went with them, an antivirus would have to be installed.

So, as I left (for the last time) to find another dealer, I decided that one of two things were in play here.

1. The salesman was blowing false information on purpose. (Anybody ever hear a salesman lie?)

2. The level of his ignorance was such that precluded any sane person from dealing with him.

Anyway, just to be a good netizen and to pass along his warning, be advised that for any of you that are running a Linux based OSX, you are at extreme risk of malware.

That's a fun conversation you have there, good for you on standing your ground, but also realizing that some people JUST cannot be taught..

When I went with Comcast previously, they insisted that the setup be done by them as opposed to them just sending me all the stuff to set up. I told them I didn't need their help but basically it was a take it or not have the service installed at all kind of option..

Needless to say I wasn't going to give them access to any of my real machines and since I had an old computer lying around, I installed whatever the latest version of Windows was and gave it to the tech to install. He comes in and does his thing and then looks at all the other machines and says that he has to "install them" too, to which I said no way bucko! You were given a machine to install to, you did what you have to do and can report back that you did that and move on. The rest I take care of..

Since then I've switched to FiOS who asked me if I wanted to do the install myself and when I said yes, they just sent me everything. Don't have any pre-req on what I run and are fine with my own routers and OS X machines..

Simply put, the salesman was both lying and ignorant.

If this salesperson wasn't so difficult to deal with…it would be great to ask them where they got this Mac Virus info.

Of course dealing with difficult folks logically sometimes doesn't help. Since many times they're driven more by emotions/ego (I'm right…you're wrong)…rather than facts & figures.

- Nick

Maybe time to change service provider and advise them why!

Raz0rEdge said:

That's a fun conversation you have there, good for you on standing your ground, but also realizing that some people JUST cannot be taught..

When I went with Comcast previously, they insisted that the setup be done by them as opposed to them just sending me all the stuff to set up. I told them I didn't need their help but basically it was a take it or not have the service installed at all kind of option..

Needless to say I wasn't going to give them access to any of my real machines and since I had an old computer lying around, I installed whatever the latest version of Windows was and gave it to the tech to install. He comes in and does his thing and then looks at all the other machines and says that he has to "install them" too, to which I said no way bucko! You were given a machine to install to, you did what you have to do and can report back that you did that and move on. The rest I take care of..

Since then I've switched to FiOS who asked me if I wanted to do the install myself and when I said yes, they just sent me everything. Don't have any pre-req on what I run and are fine with my own routers and OS X machines..

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Interesting. I had the exact opposite happen to me. Verizon insisted on installing the FIOS crapware, which I let them to on an old Win box so he could check the box on the install form, but Comcast/Xfinity just sent me the modem and a set of instructions. When I did the first connect to their network, they offered the free A/V which I declined. Done.

I guess there are no "standard" installations anymore.

I've had nothing but good experience with Verizon - at least around here. They even came over and updated my equipment to the latest FIOS interface box (in the garage) and gave me a brand new router with multiple antennas. The router was already setup for WPA2 which was another pleasant surprise. They installed several new wireless cable boxes for FIOS TV and Music. That was nice because it no longer required the small box that was attached to the cable box. Oh, and they re-wired all the coax from the main FIOS connection in the garage to the outlets in my home. All that for no cost. They said it was customer service.

Of course I'm paying through the nose for all this in my monthly bill.....

(No free lunch Jake!)

A home visit by an ISP? Wow that beats all.

And what do you call 'through the nose' Charlie? Here rural Down Under $50 a month for slow old 8Mbps and limited 20GB allowance pretty normal.

It's $120 / month for 50 down, 25 up. That price also includes TV and music channels. Not any worse than other ISPs but the price keeps going up every two years or so.

chas_m said:

Simply put, the salesman was both lying and ignorant.

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Frustratin' aint it?;D

harryb2448 said:

And what do you call 'through the nose' Charlie? Here rural Down Under $50 a month for slow old 8Mbps and limited 20GB allowance pretty normal.

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Wow. SLOW? I will swap with you. Try $79 a month and 1 meg down and 200k up. No limit, however, but at these speeds what ISP would bother?

harryb2448 said:

Maybe time to change service provider and advise them why!

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Well, they aren't my provider, just one that I was exploring. But here in rural East Texas, it isn't like you have pages of providers to choose from. Other than satellite, you Might have a local cable access, or you Might be in range of one of the scattered terrestrial wireless towers. Or, if close enough to a town, you Might have access to Uverse, which has been reported to work on occasion.

Or you can use dial-up, which (to improve the customer experience, the notice said) AT&T has locked down to 26k max.

cptkrf said:

Wow. SLOW? I will swap with you. Try $79 a month and 1 meg down and 200k up. No limit, however, but at these speeds what ISP would bother?

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Wow, that's some pretty horrendous speeds right there..I'm currently at $60/month for 75 Mbps up & down. I was at $40/month 50 Mbps down/25 Mbps up and recently upgraded..

chas_m said:

Simply put, the salesman was both lying and ignorant.

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Well, we can certainly ascribe ignorance based on the story related, but intent is a little harder to discern.

Raz0rEdge said:

Wow, that's some pretty horrendous speeds right there..I'm currently at $60/month for 75 Mbps up & down. I was at $40/month 50 Mbps down/25 Mbps up and recently upgraded..

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That sounds less expensive than what FIOS is costing us here in the Dallas Fort Worth area of Texas. Of course I have a lot more on my account than hi speed internet, but I'm thinking if I remove the HD TV and music channels, I would still be paying around $60/month for 50/25.

cptkrf said:

...there are far more viruses for Linux than Windows ever had ...

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I'm sure, I would have missed everything else he had to say after that, as I'd be laughing way too hard to hear anything

MBP17•David said:

I'm sure, I would have missed everything else he had to say after that, as I'd be laughing way too hard to hear anything

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I didn't laugh (probably too stunned by such an asinine statement) but after that came out, anything else he said immediately went to my /dev/null as useless.

This is not Virus related but funny ISP story none the less.

AT&T DSL. My connection at the time was 3Mbps down and 1 up. One day it was going like an old Dial Up modem. I called them and made the large mistake of saying I was at the time on my iBook,. They gave me to a so called Mac tech who informed me that Macs do not get on the Internet as they do not have a BLUE E! (Internet explorer) but he said Blue E!

I argued with him and then finally after 2 more so called TECHS telling me the same thing,I demanded to speak to Level 2 support. They sent a tech out and SHE determined I was 100% right and it was on their end! She got to the bottom of it, an overloaded router at the CO! So after that all was well!

One thing I forgot to post is I told them I had 24 computers with different OS's on each ranging from Many Linux versions to Windows and OSX. I also told them I had tried 10 different routers and 10 different DSL modems all of which is 100% true! They went on to tell me that all 24 of my computers were having the same issue and same with all my routers! WOW!

ISPs are am amazing bunch sometimes.

I pay $89.00 a month for NO specified or guaranteed speeds form Comcast in SA-PA (Pottstown). This also includs modem rental. Without this, you are told its your modem, or lines. Get good service from the techs over the phone.

insanity

A very wise psych professor once told me, "Don't try and understand crazy. Just find a way to cope. Only other crazy people truly understand."