“How safe is your computer? You may not know it, but here’s a group of malicious, devious people out there who get their kicks wreaking havoc on vulnerable computers,” Al Gibes writes for The Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Every personal computer is a potential target, but there are some simple steps you can take to make it harder for the viruses, worms, spam and other bugaboos to weasel their way into your system and network.”
“I recently joined the world of Windows XP, although I still do the majority of my home and office computing on Apple Macintosh machines. My Macs are much smaller targets for viruses and other demons, as the authors of these programs generally go for the bigger, easier target, machines running Windows, which continue to hold more than 90 percent of the market share,” Gibes writes.
MacDailyNews Take: If by “generally,” Gibes means that the malicious software authors have not yet once sucessfully attacked Mac OS X with a virus in over 5 years and counting, then he is correct. Otherwise, he is “generally” misleading his readership by not pointing out that there are zero, none, nada, zilch Mac OS X viruses and, with over 20 million users, Mac OS X is hardly an obscure platform. Mac OS X is not secure because there are less users compared to Windows. Mac OS X is simply secure.
Gibes continues with ways to try to protect a Windows PC on the Internet in his full article here.
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Smithers, release the hounds!
The thing is, this security by obscurity thing doesn’t hold water at all for one reason. People always say that hackers want to inflcit a lot of damage so they go for the biggest market share. But the thing is, people who do this are sociopaths to begin with. There are plenty of PC users with the know how to do PC viruses who certainly hate Mac users and their so called snotty cult.
You cant tell convince me there aren’t plenty of virus and malware writers who hate Mac users to the point where they wouldnt at leat try to do damage to the platform.
What is worse, trying to surf the web with an spyware and adware infected windows box, or trying to surf with a beige box that has spyware, adware and virus protection, (which slows it down to roughly the same speed)?
Security through exclusivity: most spotty teenage virus writers can’t afford to buy a PC for gaming *and* a Mac on which to write viruses.
Something tells me the writter of the article will not be waiting to long to get computer users exeriences of viral nasties and the opinions of those of Mac users who don’t get viruses.
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There’s a reason why he hedges is statment, that journalists must do. They should not speak in absolutes – ultimate terms – unless they know for a fact to a certainty that what they are saying is true. Like “Bush is an idiot.” “Rush Limbaurh is a demigogue.” “Liberals are an endangered species.”
When he doesn’t have time to confirm such absolute claims (he can’t just to go Wikipedia after all, or even MDN, to get complete assurance, he has to hedge his language in a way that makes the point without making absolute claims he cannot be sure about without extensive research.
Thus is the way to use ambiguous langauge to avoid absolute statement when one isn’t absolutely sure.
So cut him some slack.
Good night, and good luck.
Ah yes, Reality Check. However, if you take a look back at the virus writers that have been caught, the majority are not spotty teenage virus writers. The teens that have written viruses (and been caught) have mostly copied someone else’s virus and modified it to do stuff. Script kiddies don’t invent, they just modify.
email him with REASONS and LINKS and a COURTEOUS approach.
insults help nobody. they just give Mac users a bad rep.
Duh?
MW = children. Like in MS users are children.
I’ve been OSx Mac’d for 4 years now…
Not a virus, not a bit of data lost. Zero downtime running 6 machines 12 hours a day.
Really, that says it all.
Of course, some people create the most interesting television commercials on a Mac…
New Coke Ad: Sexy Priest Blesses Using Coke Light…
Wow, Macromancer, that’s the best argument against “security via obscurity” I’ve ever heard. You’re right — quite a few in the PC-hacker crowd hate our guts. Just read a Windows-fansite or Slashdot for proof.
What’s lost in this “Windows is a bigger target” argument is that most Windows exploits are not particularly clever. Hackers wait for a vulnerability to be announced, then throw together a quick-and-dirty worm or trojan to take advantage of it. That kind of quick-and-dirty hack will probably never be possible on a Mac, since practically all of the vulnerabilities for OS X have required the intruder to have access to the machine already.
As has been (correctly) noted by Windows apologists, those who patch their PCs immediately have little to fear from most malware. Hackers are able to get in because many home users don’t patch, and many businesses can’t afford to (because patches can break critical apps). If an up-to-date Windows can be this secure, just how much more secure is a Mac, where the vulnerabilities are less serious, and practically everyone updates immediately?
I don’t fear viruses and worms on my Mac. Not now, and not in the future. It’s just not likely ever to be an issue.
I agree with the 8th post above. Afterall, this guy uses the Mac as well. No need to make us look bad simply because he overlooked a simple fact.
MW: girls. Now girls (and boys), let’s play nice.
“protect a Windows PC on the Internet” ??
That’s like the knights on the crusades trying to protect their ladies back home with chastity belts. Nay, sir, they will be violated!
Mature Take, MDN! that was much better than your usual, overexagerated stabs at fools like this one. Great Job!
Now Macs are on the intel chip. I’m sure they will be getting more viruses like us. Ha ha
MDN your loosing your edgy, hardcore attitude. What gives?
I know it’s tiresome to have to deal with the same inane dribble from so called “tech writers”. But come MDN, let’s have some of the old stuff, that old MDN grit. Otherwise, we might as well go watch Seinfeld reruns.
PC Guy said: “Now Macs are on the intel chip. I’m sure they will be getting more viruses like us. Ha ha”
Ah, PC Guy it’s not the CPU dude. It’s the shit excuse for an OS you use from Mafiasoft. Can you name a specific “Intel worm”?
Have a seat, give your head a shake and then think about it.
Good luck!
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>>Mature Take, MDN! that was much better than your usual, overexagerated stabs at fools like this one. Great Job!
That’s just a template MDN cuts and pastes into every story like this.
Windows is secure. It is unpatriotic to say Windows is insecure.
By saying Windows is insecure, you are giving aid and comfort to our enemies. I believe that my father in heaven will smite you.
Isn’t that right Condi? Condi, please stop masturbating to that picture of Paris Hilton and support me here.
I tell ya. First I gotta deal with Cheney continually inviting that gay prostitute, fake reporter up to his office for hours at a time, now I got this lesbian dominatrix Secretary of State who can’t stop touching herself.
God, I miss those days when I could just spend my daddy’s money on cocaine and relax with my cheerleader buddies….
MW = increase. As in: Bush could increase his IQ by 200% if two of his brain cells functioned…
To the liberal low life, GB poster,
You look like the idiot dude. Everyone knows George Bush is the best thing to happen to this world. Get used to the fact that you are wrong and you lost. Bush is genious!!!!!!!! Hopefully his brother will run in 08.
OK. HERE IS THE ANSWER TO THESE IDIOTS PROMULGATING THE SECURITY BY OBSCURITY MYTH:
If you were a virus writer, which category of computer user would you attack?
1) Those who are well aware of virus attacks and therefore install anti-virus software and update it monthly
or
2) Smug bastards who don’t think they can be infected because they haven’t up ’til now and don’t even bother with antivirus software?
Well, the latter is …the Mac user. Most of whom, to my knowledge, don’t use antivirus software.
So, just where are the viruses for this easy, unprotected market? There are almost certainly more unprotected Macs out there than WinXPC’s…
Might it be that its just too darned difficult, and would be a complete waste of time?
Let’s pose the question. Any answer to this one Reality Check, Mac and PC Guy, …Sputnik?
Macaday, I like your reasoning.
Andrew:
Trust me. It is you who looks like an idiot.
That, or your sarcasm is so subtle that I’m unsure of your joke.
If the latter is true, then well done.
If the former is true, then you can look forward to the day when W’s image will hang right next to Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, and all the other great Fascist leaders.
No ‘informed’, you are the idiot. Of the three people you mention, none were elected, none gave the vote, all murdered their own people and all murdered other people FOR THEIR OWN BENEFIT AND POWER. None of which equates with George W.
He took the decision -with other free democratic nations- to give the opportunity to 25 million Arabs to govern themselves rather than be ‘governed’ by a dictator as bad as any of the 3 you mention.
I really do despise people who hold and express the views you do. I hope one day you need rescuing. And when no-one comes to your rescue you will know that it will be because they have all become like you.
The free world would never have come about if it were left to the little shits like you to make the choices.