Malware on an Apple Mac? Surely not!

A Facebook poster said this to me today ...


"I have been using Apple computers since the 1979 Apple II Plus, which I
still have. I travel around the world for my work, I never have used any
anti-virus tool, and I have never had any problems with viruses,
malware, worms or trojans on any of my Macs in all these years.

So I am very wary of anti-virus software manufacturers spamming me to
offer free scans of my systems. I never accept such things. That's why I
have no experience at all with programs like ClamXAV.

I do agree with you that there may be a certain risk in downloading an
anti-virus program, especially as it has been reported numerous times
that such programs tend to affect the performance of your Mac without
offering you any real advantages. But unfortunately that's the only
thing that I can contribute to this discussion.

Kind regards."

=

Just thought you might like to know. :-)

He was responding to my question asked in the 'comments section' after
this article:-

https://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/ma...e-3454926/#zzz

Btw, ClamXAV is *NOT* free!

Tell me, how can one be sure that if one downloads the "free trial" and
installs the software, one isn't, in fact, loading malware ON to one's
Apple computer?

Who checks to make sure that this doesn't happen?

The user of the computer might well remain totally unaware that anything
may be amiss.

Something to think about!

--
David B.

You can get a virus or mal ware on a Mac just as easy as a pc.
In fact hackers have been targeting the new Mac os 11

--
AL'S COMPUTERS
"David B." wrote in message
...
A Facebook poster said this to me today ...


"I have been using Apple computers since the 1979 Apple II Plus, which I
still have. I travel around the world for my work, I never have used any
anti-virus tool, and I have never had any problems with viruses, malware,
worms or trojans on any of my Macs in all these years.

So I am very wary of anti-virus software manufacturers spamming me to
offer free scans of my systems. I

On 30/01/2018 07:39, Andy wrote:
You can get a virus or mal ware on a Mac just as easy as a pc.
In fact hackers have been targeting the new Mac os 11

Really?

I thought I already had THE most up to date OS - 10.13.3

When was "the new Mac os 11" launched?

--
David B.

"David B." wrote

| I have never had any problems with viruses,
| malware, worms or trojans on any of my Macs in all these years.
|

I haven't had any trouble on my Windows
boxes, either, and I also don't use AV.
Smug Apple fandom is not a protection. It
will only be worse in the future if Macs become
more popular. Like AOL, Apple does a good
job of protecting their users from needing to
have technical expertise, but it's not foolproof.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/new...sing-campaign/

Crooks Created 28 Fake Ad Agencies to Disguise Massive Malvertising Campaign

"the group exclusively targeted desktop browsers, ignoring mobile traffic.
The user's operating system did not count, the group going after Windows,
Linux, Mac, or ChromeOS users alike."

As usual, the big risk here is allowing javascript
in the browser. The second biggest risk is the
assumption that you're not at risk.

In article , Andy
wrote:

You can get a virus or mal ware on a Mac just as easy as a pc.

nope. it's significantly more difficult.

In fact hackers have been targeting the new Mac os 11

there is no mac os 11.

there was a 10.11, but that's more than two years old and if they were
targeting it, they failed.

On 30/01/2018 14:07, Mayayana wrote:
"David B." wrote

| I have never had any problems with viruses,
| malware, worms or trojans on any of my Macs in all these years.
|

I haven't had any trouble on my Windows
boxes, either, and I also don't use AV.
Smug Apple fandom is not a protection. It
will only be worse in the future if Macs become
more popular. Like AOL, Apple does a good
job of protecting their users from needing to
have technical expertise, but it's not foolproof.

Don't shoot me. I'm simply the messenger!

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/new...sing-campaign/

Crooks Created 28 Fake Ad Agencies to Disguise Massive Malvertising Campaign

"the group exclusively targeted desktop browsers, ignoring mobile traffic.
The user's operating system did not count, the group going after Windows,
Linux, Mac, or ChromeOS users alike."

As usual, the big risk here is allowing javascript
in the browser. The second biggest risk is the
assumption that you're not at risk.

Thanks for sharing that tidbit, Mayayana.

The 'bad guys' are, indeed, sneaky!

On 2018-01-30 07:39:21 +0000, Andy said:

You can get a virus or mal ware on a Mac just as easy as a pc.

No you can't.

Just blinking your eyes are an "incorrect" rate with the PC turned off
aty the wall can cause Windoze to get infested with a ton of malware,
even if you've got anti-malware apps installed.

There have been ZERO legitimate reports of anyone ever having their Mac
infected with malware (other than when someone else has purposely done
it by having access to the computer). All the reports in the media are
simply scaremongering crap, usually posted by idiots who don't know
what they talking about or the selfish scum trying to sell you their
pointless anti-malware apps.




In fact hackers have been targeting the new Mac os 11

No they haven't. Nobody has even got it, so that would be exceedingly
pointless and stupid.

On Wed, 31 Jan 2018 08:53:37 +1300, Your Name
wrote:


On 2018-01-30 07:39:21 +0000, Andy said:


You can get a virus or mal ware on a Mac just as easy as a pc.


No you can't.



I know next to nothing about the Macintosh, so I have no idea which of
you is correct ...



Just blinking your eyes are an "incorrect" rate with the PC turned off
aty the wall can cause Windoze to get infested with a ton of malware,
even if you've got anti-malware apps installed.



... but that's such a nonsensical statement that I don't believe
anything you say, and as far as I'm concerned Andy is much more likely
to be correct than you are.

For the last umpteen years, I have run almost every version of
Windows: 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, 3.1, 3.11, WFWG 3.11, 95, 95B, 95C, 98, 98SE,
2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, and 10. I have *never* been infected.

In article , Ken Blake
wrote:

You can get a virus or mal ware on a Mac just as easy as a pc.

No you can't.

I know next to nothing about the Macintosh, so I have no idea which of
you is correct ...

then you're not in a position to comment.

Just blinking your eyes are an "incorrect" rate with the PC turned off
aty the wall can cause Windoze to get infested with a ton of malware,
even if you've got anti-malware apps installed.

... but that's such a nonsensical statement that I don't believe
anything you say, and as far as I'm concerned Andy is much more likely
to be correct than you are.

yet you did anyway.

it's obviously not meant to be taken literally.

the point is that it's *significantly* more difficult to write mac
malware and for it to propagate on its own than it is for windows,
leaving the only viable option is trick the user into installing
something.

For the last umpteen years, I have run almost every version of
Windows: 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, 3.1, 3.11, WFWG 3.11, 95, 95B, 95C, 98, 98SE,
2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, and 10. I have *never* been infected.

that you know of.

it's quite the claim that you've *never* been infected in 30 years
using multiple versions of windows. how is it you know for sure?

you almost certainly had anti-malware installed, something macs do not
need and which can cause its own set of problems.

the more puzzling question is why anyone would willingly run windows 2.

nospam

it's quite the claim that you've *never* been infected in 30 years
using multiple versions of windows. how is it you know for sure?

you almost certainly had anti-malware installed, something macs do not
need and which can cause its own set of problems.

the more puzzling question is why anyone would willingly run windows 2.


8-) Laughing in agreement!

--
biblioholic medievalist via iPad

On 2018-01-30, Andy wrote:
You can get a virus or mal ware on a Mac just as easy as a pc.

Not nearly as easily, no.

In fact hackers have been targeting the new Mac os 11

No such thing as macOS 11. And people have been attacking macOS since
the first release back in 2001, yet there are ZERO viruses in the wild
for macOS in all that time. Most macOS malware are trojans that require
the user to actively download, and supply administrator credentials to
install.

--
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my ravenous SPAM filter.
I often ignore posts from Google. Use a real news client instead.

JR

On 2018-01-30, Your Name wrote:

There have been ZERO legitimate reports of anyone ever having their
Mac infected with malware

You keep repeating this lie. There's plenty of macOS *malware*, mostly
in the form of trojans, adware, and so on; but there are ZERO macOS
*viruses*.

--
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my ravenous SPAM filter.
I often ignore posts from Google. Use a real news client instead.

JR

On 2018-01-30 20:10:11 +0000, Ken Blake said:

On Wed, 31 Jan 2018 08:53:37 +1300, Your Name

wrote:



On 2018-01-30 07:39:21 +0000, Andy said:



You can get a virus or mal ware on a Mac just as easy as a pc.



No you can't.



I know next to nothing about the Macintosh, so I have no idea which of

you is correct ...


Me, since I'm the one who actually uses Apple computers and have done
since long before there even was a Mac ... not mention that I know how
to actually spell "malware".



Just blinking your eyes are an "incorrect" rate with the PC turned off

aty the wall can cause Windoze to get infested with a ton of malware,

even if you've got anti-malware apps installed.





... but that's such a nonsensical statement

It's called "exaggeration". :-\

But it is far easier to get Windows infected than it ever has been (or
will be for the foreseeable future) a Mac. The only realworld way a Mac
can be infected by malware is if someone has physical access to the
computer, knows the admin password, and purposely installs the malware.




that I don't believe anything you say

It doesn't really matter what you beleive since you "know next to
nothing about the Macintosh" anyway.

In message Andy wrote:
You can get a virus or mal ware on a Mac just as easy as a pc.

No, there are *no* viruses in the Mac. There are literally hundreds of
thousands on Windows.

In fact hackers have been targeting the new Mac os 11

There is no Mac OS 11.



--
Always be sincere, even if you don't mean it.

From what my mac friend have said it has or soon will.


--
AL'S COMPUTERS
"David B." wrote in message
...
On 30/01/2018 07:39, Andy wrote:
You can get a virus or mal ware on a Mac just as easy as a pc.
In fact hackers have been targeting the new Mac os 11

Really?

I thought I already had THE most up to date OS - 10.13.3

When was "the new Mac os 11" launched?

--
David B.