View Full Version : Mac users beware....
creacom
17th February 2006, 17:56
As you might have seen on the news Mac users have been warned about a possible virus heading our way.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4723390.stm
We have 4 in the office and I just wanted to hear from other Mac users about it.
Do you think this is going to be the start of a wave of viruses ?
Jacqui :D
Eagle
17th February 2006, 18:17
*
As forecast. :)
The bigger the market share Macs have, the more people will write viruses for it - and the Macs' day is coming!
That's what cracks me up when I hear people waxing lyrical about the "virus-free" Mac. It doesn't exist!
Mac Yeti
17th February 2006, 18:20
Pleased to read that it's not done by exploiting anything in the OS X System though.
As for the future, surely Mac users are to cool for viruses?
Jayne
17th February 2006, 18:42
Hi Jill,
Did you know, if you stare at your avatar for a while, it reads love-t-u :lol:
Just thought i'd share that!
Jayne
Mac Yeti
17th February 2006, 18:56
I think you've been putting too much sugar on your doughnuts?
creacom
17th February 2006, 19:39
As for the future, surely Mac users are to cool for viruses?
Of course we are Jilly ! '8)'
Jacqui
Coding Monkey
17th February 2006, 19:58
*
As forecast. :)
The bigger the market share Macs have, the more people will write viruses for it - and the Macs' day is coming!
That's what cracks me up when I hear people waxing lyrical about the "virus-free" Mac. It doesn't exist!
Erroneous! You forecast a virus, this is not. First of all, the user (if an Administrator) has to actually execute the file. Yet, if they are not an administrator, they have to enter their password to execute the file. Furthermore, Safari informs you that the file is an application, not an image.
This would never have received any publicity had the file not been posted on a highly popular Mac forum, where it seems its spread to cause great confusion over what actually it does.
WelshPixels
17th February 2006, 20:06
Its always confused me how Mac and Linux users can claim there systems are 100% secure from viruses simply because no one has written for a virus for them yet.
I have nothing against either systems, (I am currently looking at taking up Linux) but I do not believe any of the hype that they are 100% safe simply because no one can be asked to write a virus for them.
creacom
17th February 2006, 20:13
Its always confused me how Mac and Linux users can claim there systems are 100% secure from viruses simply because no one has written for a virus for them yet.
Exactly ! Noone has written a virus for Macs so therefore we are safe ! If something that can harm you doesnt exist....surely you are safe from it ?!
:wink:
Jacqui
WelshPixels
17th February 2006, 20:36
But isnt it just a matter of time?
creacom
17th February 2006, 21:36
Well thats what some people have said for the last 7 years and still no virus ! There have been threats like this one before but nothing has come from it.
Jacqui
DuaneJackson
18th February 2006, 00:48
My home hasn't been burgaled yet - but I wouldn't call it burglar proof.
Tom, re the virus, how does the fact that it's got to be executed change anything? Isn't that the case with the majority of windows viruses/virii?
Coding Monkey
18th February 2006, 07:02
Yet wouldn't you say you're resistant to the black death? That doesn't exist. I wouldn't call it virus proof - I could create one for you with 2 hours of my time, but the fact that no virus' exist makes it the most safe bet, as the operating system isn't being jepordised.
From the BBC site: "Installing and running the worm requires users to go through several stages and this, along with bugs in Leap-A's code, have led security firms to play down the threat it poses.". As it does not exploit any holes in the OS, and the user has to actually do all that the program asks, I wouldn't exactly compare to the Blaster Worm which you had no choice in the matter.
Rob Holmes
18th February 2006, 07:10
I think we all need to be sensitive to Mac owners at this time...
I think this is just the start of a whole mac virus think - the challenge has been set by one writer and they've seen the publicity it gets (which is what the virus writers like) - the others will follow now.
Puts on sandwich board with "The End Of The Virus Free Mac Is Nigh"
Theres no OS thats inpenetrable Windows, Mac or Linux.
Rob
creacom
18th February 2006, 08:51
I think we all need to be sensitive to Mac owners at this time...
I think this is just the start of a whole mac virus think - the challenge has been set by one writer and they've seen the publicity it gets (which is what the virus writers like) - the others will follow now.
Puts on sandwich board with "The End Of The Virus Free Mac Is Nigh"
Theres no OS thats inpenetrable Windows, Mac or Linux.
Rob
:cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry:
Jacqui :D
DuaneJackson
18th February 2006, 10:23
Fair enough, didn't realise it was a worm.
CG Effect
18th February 2006, 14:25
Does anyone know if the new Intel Macs will be in more danger from viruses?
Mac Yeti
18th February 2006, 14:34
No, they'll be just as vunerable as they are now, the processor won't make a difference.
Coding Monkey
18th February 2006, 15:31
They'll be less vulnerable, cos so many bloody applications don't work on them, says he typing on a new Intel iMac without PHP internally installed.
Coding Monkey
20th February 2006, 06:40
Just to verify what this program actually does.
It works to exact specifics and will only work by following a very rigid pattern
1) You MUST have Bonjour enabled chat for it to spread via iChat, which means only about 1% of Mac users will actually be able to spread it
2) You must be logged in as an administrator
3) It will alter your applications by doing a Spotlight check for the last 4 applications that have run. This means you will not be able to open them. However, and this is the big but, it will only alter applications that you have the privileges to. So, Safari, Mail, iPhoto, iMovie, System Preferences, Utilities etc will not be affected, as you are not the owner of these. Only programs that you either install as the administrator (whilst logged in as the administrator) or those you drag-and-drop.
crus
21st February 2006, 11:02
Hi All,
I agree that unix based threats are present and have the potential to cause issue. However the custom ownerships within the OS X environment help prevent anything naughty happening, as demonstrated in this case.
However I do feel that a move to intel bases processor commands will open up some of the most real world 'mal ware' problems of changing the system kernel so that it acts in a different way. Until now this has been avoided by the PPC code, but as soon as this swaps to intel not onlly will the app writers find it easier, but the virus coders will have a larger pool of available code from which to dip. This will end up with only the OS writers skills preventing the system being abused and not the intrinic safety of the non standard foundation it is built on.
D
Coding Monkey
21st February 2006, 11:07
Crus, OS X has been Universal since 10.0. This has been planned for a long time. Intel processors have done nowt. It is the software, not the hardware that will make it easier. UNIX will be responsible, not Intel, as UNIX gives the user the ability to destroy their own system. It only takes 2 lines of code to screw it up, and that is what is appearing. You cannot protect the user from themselves.