“Apple Macs running the Mac OS X operating system are just as vulnerable to viruses and other threats as Windows PCs are. That’s according to Symantec software architect Ollie Whitehouse,” James Rivington reports for Tech.co.uk.
“‘Apple has been demonstrated to suffer a number of vulnerabilities over the years,’ he said. ‘Suffice to say that Symantec and other software security vendors do produce anti-virus software for the Mac because we believe there is the potential of a problem,'” Rivington reports.
Full load here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “MT” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Take: FUD scare tactics to try to sell anti-virus software to Mac users. Your act got old years ago, Symantec. Please see related articles below.
Bah, ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,hah… Yea, then why are there absolutely NONE Symantec? ,FUD,FUD,FUD,FUD,FUD,FUD,FUD,FUD,FUD,FUD,FUD,FUD,FUD,FUD,FUD,FUD,FUD,FUD,FUD,FUD,FUD,FUD,FUD,,FUD,FUD,FUDFUD.
To “state” mw “the obvious”, Macs can only be as vulnerable to viruses as PCs when running Windows.
Let’s get Symantec to publish the list of OS X malware that it searches for every time it scans a Mac.
That will shut their pie hole.
We here at Symantec want to assure all Mac users that our virus development team is working hard to make you satisifed customers.
Just my $0.02
That’s the biggest bunch of shit there is and I’d tell it to his ugly damn face!
Twenty-three years and NO viruses, Ollie boy!
What a dumb ass! Where is his proof anyway?
I guess there is nothing better to talk about?
“Apple does have a relatively good track record . . .”
Relative to what? What a stupid statement.
Ollie Whitehouse should put up or shut up. Produce a virus and prove that OS X is in imminent danger. Not theory or vulnerability. Compromised computers running Mac OS X 10.4.10.
Greedy dumbasses.
@reclaimer:
Don’t jump to conclusions too fast. I had a virus on OS 7.X in the early nineties.
Yawn. Nothing more than trying to sell crap that isn’t selling. The more Macs sold, the less $ for them.
MDW = ‘straight’
BOGUS SPEIL…Symantec is the virus.
“Partly because if I sent out a million emails with a malicious attachment and it’s an executable for Windows there’s a good chance that a large proportion of those that receive it will be Windows users. To locate and target a lot of Apple Mac users is actually relatively hard.”
I suppose its hard cause we are smarter and we think before we click emails?
Granted you may have a minor point but I find that whenever I need help concerning my MAC there is always a fellow apple user that can not only help but also provide tips on how to improve, and that is priceless.
By the way “help and improve” does not mean “wipe clean and reinstall”
MW: Morning as in its a nice one!
First they say the Mac is “just” as vulnerable, then they say there is the “potential” for a problem. If the Mac is just as vulnerable, why aren’t there thousands of viruses out there for the Mac, just like there are for the PC? Why aren’t Mac’s slowed and crippled not by the viruses themselves, but by the presence of all that virus software and anti-malware software?
Let’s see, if I had a software company that wrote antivirus software what sort of things might I do or say to scare people and increase business, especially given Apple’s ubiquitous presence in the news lately?
I have had Virusbarrier X4—rated as Macworld’s favorite virus detection program a while back—on my Macintosh (a G4 400) for about eight months now and never has it found even a single virus – neither a system virus or a Microsoft Office virus.
As with any news, you have to take it from where it comes.
That’s bollocks.
My Mac got a virus once. I think it was about 1986. I used to download games and files from BBS systems on my Mac Plus using my 1200 baud modem. I think it was called nvir. It didn’t do anything to my computer. It put a picture on my screen of the grim reaper and said that I was infected. I was on OS 6, I think.
That may be all that Symantec is protecting us from.
Yeah, sure! Symantec is known to produce high quality software that is always compatible to the newest operation system versions (irony off).
Putting antivirus on a Mac is like wearing a seatbelt in the drive-in theatre.
Everyone I know caught the Autostart worm in the late 90s, but that’s the only malware problem in my 15+ years on the Mac platform. I run OS X with no antivirus software and I love telling my PC pals all about it.
PS: Mac Viruses By The Numbers – Word Macro: 553, Classic Mac: 26, OS X: Zero (as of 2003).
“Gee, Ollie, you gonna tell people that you think they are dumb enough to believe anything?”
“That’s right, Stanley. And we’re gonna make LOTS of money!”
“But Ollie, I don’t think..”
“Shut up, Stanley. This had GOT to be easier than selling ice to the Eskimos. Quitting that was another fine mess you got us into.”
Jimbo,
Does this mean I’ll need to get my Mac SE out of storage, find a working modem and search high and low for 21 year old malware in order to get a harmless computer virus on a Mac?
That sounds like a lot of work but o.k. I’m in.
Also, I did get this virus recently:
This OSX virus works on the honor system.
Please delete random files on your hard disk, then forward this message to everyone you know. Thank you for your cooperation.
—–
MDN MW= Surface: it’s a big ass table!
” . . . wearing a seatbelt in the drive-in theatre.”
That depends on what you’re doing in the backseat.
nvir is the only problen I have ever had. It cam on a disk that I was given at a dev conference, passed around buy a fellow who had spent the last three years gaining trust so that he would be able to pass on his virus.
came
by
rats
Bring back VHS… oops sorry, wrong topic.
Trying to drum up some business again eh Symantec?
Macs just as vulnerable to viruses as Windows?
That implies Windows is vulnerable. Who writes this crap? We are all well aware how unstable and insecure MACs are. Many reputable blogs and top-level security experts have proven how easily Apple’s shoddy toys are compromised. Windows? Let’s face it, Windows is an impenetrable fortress. Try again, Apple.
Your potential. Our passion.™
Symantec: Macs just as vulnerable to viruses as Windows
Hmm, if that’s the case, then why have I been able to use a Mac for over 4 years now, running no anti-virus software that entire time, and I still haven’t had one solitary piece of malware ever impact my system? Sorry Symantec, but your FUD is total bullsh*t…
“‘Apple has been demonstrated to suffer a number of vulnerabilities over the years,’ he said. ‘Suffice to say that Symantec and other software security vendors do produce anti-virus software for the Mac because we believe there is the potential of a problem,'” Rivington reports.
First of all, he’s not referring to Mac OSX specifically, but to Apple in the past. Secondly, he states that they believe there is a potetial problem. That is a FAR cry from the MDN headline that they are JUST as vulnerable.
Of course Symantec is going to say that they don’t think they are fools for selling something no-one would need. But his statements are about as vuage as he can be — for legal reasons.
We all think there is a potential problem. It’s just so remote that we don’t give it another thought.
MDN: please don’t be sensationalistic. Don’t create news. Just report it. You have a great history, and we love you. Just want to help you when you get a little off track.
“‘Apple has been demonstrated to suffer a number of vulnerabilities over the years,’ he said. ‘Suffice to say that Symantec and other software security vendors do produce anti-virus software for the Mac because we believe there is the potential of a problem,'” Rivington reports.
Shouldn’t that read:
“‘Apple has been demonstrated… we believe there is the potential of a profit,'” Rivington reports.
That is just one man’s opinion
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mdn = mans (but I have to use correct grammer or I wil gt dumped n.
As a 23 year user of Macs and prior to that a Lisa – and no viruses in all of that time – a worm that was cuaght pretty quicky is ll that I have ever seen. BUT I am and always have been cautious with what email I open.
I remember when .mac offered anti-virus softare and then decided to no longer offer it because they found n need for it. That seems ot be message to me. Aye.
Dear Symantec:
Please name one (1) virus in the wild that has ever been acknowledged to have compromised any user’s OSX system. Anywhere.
Any version of OSX).
Go ahead. We’re waiting.
In years of developing software for OSX; running half a dozen different Macs, all with OSX and all constantly connected to the Internet; and also following all details of Apple via the “Mac” web, as well as the mainstream press, on a daily press: I have never – NEVER – read of a successful viral exploit of an OSX system.
They just want to sell software – opps I meant crap ware that clogs up your Mac and it takes forever to delete it after it has trashed your directory.
MJ
lmao @ZuneTang
hilarious man lmao
IN OTHER BREAKING NEWS…
Penzoil advises that you change your oil every 10 miles.
Was that the real ChrissyOne?
As soon as I read this I ran out and got the latest Antivirus softwarre from symantec…
but, now my computer takes longer to start up, and is sluggish.. and I get there annoying popup things like every two minutes
but I bought a Mac to feel safe, I guess I should buy AV software to feel “really safe” right?
Next time I need to wash my car I am going to drive it into a lake
If you ARE the real C1, what is the secret password eh?
I am the real Buster.
This article is real crap.
Why are people even commenting on it.
MW… fact,,I shit thee not….
Duh, I wonder if there’s a hidden agenda – duh…
Symantec won’t be happy until their software is slowing down computers on all platforms. Talk about a resource hog, oink.
Send Mr Ollie Whitehouse an e-mail:-
http://www.norton-online.com/uk/component/option,com_contact/Itemid,35/
But please don’t be abusive and give the Mac community a bad name.
When will Symantec just stop with the FUD? Are they being paid big bucks by Microsoft? Or are they just trying to make up for the lack of sales for AV to PC users?
@ Big Al, Buster
Oh it’s me alright. The password is:
Beleaguered
MW: ‘says’ (it all)
“… historically the user base of Apple products are more technically knowledgeable – they’re a bit wiser,”
…But he did predict that as the iPhone raises the profile of Macs among PC users and gains market share, Mac OS X could begin to suffer from similar security issues as experienced by Windows users…
Summary. Mac users smart, PC users stupid. As more PC users use Macs, they become smarter but kill the Mac platform.
@C1…You are the real deal. I am content again
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Ever notice that Symantec puts out a similar advisory about this time every year – just in time for the back to school shopping wave?
I’ve been using Macs since they came out, and an Apple II before that. About 26 years. I’ve had ONE virus, back in 1997. Autostart, like most Graphic Designers I know (we got it from our print service). Sorry Symantec, I ain’t buying.
I’m tired of seeing this kind of warnings and alerts from Symantec. Some time ago I made a decision, I won’t have an antivirus software eating up processing cycles in my Macs until there’s a reason to have it.
So far, no Mac viruses out there, so no money going to Symantec or any other antivirus company. I just let Windows users make their own cleaning.
@ ndelc
AUTOSTART!!! ha ha, those were the days. When I was working in the production department as Photodisc, all our Macs got that one, and before we caught it, we mastered it on to some CDs and distributed it to our customers! WOOT! Good times.
If you’re wondering why most graphic designers got that one, blame PDI.
OH! And blame Symantec. We were running (drumroll please…) Norton at the time.
Payback is indeed a bitch.
-c
If you sell mouse traps, it behooves you to convince people that their homes are susceptible to mice infestation.
What I’d like to know is what Symantec’s AV products are searching for. The most effective AV products search for known viruses. If there are no known viruses, what is the the software doing aside from looking for virus-like behavior (which is usually ineffective).
Agreed, dismissed as FUD and marketing propaganda.
“at” Photodisc, sorry.
BRING. IT. ON.
If the Mac is “just as vulnerable” to viruses, then I’m REALLY liking the kind of “just as vulnerable” that Mac OS X provides, because it’s obviously doing something right seeing as there are still ZERO viruses spreading in the wild after SEVEN YEARS.
The only way a Mac can ever become as vulnerable as a PC running Windows is if, and ONLY if that mac just so happens to be running Windows on it. Solution? Use the Mac hardware for Mac software ONLY, and dump Windows forever. That’s why most people buy Macs in the first place, right?
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They spew forth about vulnerabilities as if they were actual attacks.
This is like comparing Market Share but not touching on actual profits as attested to by the grossly underwhelming price that Acer paid for Gateway, which according to Market Share is virtually the same as Apple.
If it was that easy to infect OS X, then you would at least think someone would have done it just for bragging rights.
Surprise! More fear-mongering out of “the Whitehouse”.
LOL
The most telling line of this being “…there is the potential of a problem.”
Meaning: Although we know there isn’t a problem, you should be scared (like Windows users are), so buy our software now (even though you don’t need it)
Surprise! More fear-mongering out of “the Whitehouse”…
LOL
Did nobody else not notice that the system requirements on the Symantec site for their Mac products say “Macintosh® system with PowerPC G3/G4/G5 processor only?”
So, they are committed to developing for and severing the Mac users, who are 18 months or so into using Intel chipsets, are they?
Of course, that should have read “serving” but it must have been a “Freudian typo.”
Funny the magic word to post this was “high” as in that’s what Ollie must be to make this statement.
Echo?
Ever wonder if it’s the supposed virus protection companies that are actually creating the bulk of the malware out in the wild? Seems like that’s just a great way for them to remain in business.
Further spin: whose to say Apple isn’t helping in funding them to keep those windblows viruses coming… might be why there’s no Mac viruses in the wild. Muah ah ah ahah aaaah
MW: needs… as in Symantec “needs” to get a life. Norton/Symantec anything sucks on a Mac!
> Apple has been demonstrated to suffer a number of vulnerabilities over the years
“Vulnerability” does not equal exploit. That’s the difference. What the hacker can gain through a Mac OS X vulnerability is not worth a hacker’s time and effort. Maybe access to the user’s directory, if they work hard enough, but by definition, a “virus” has to self-propagate. There have never been any Macs that turned into spam-spewing net-bots, unless those Macs were running Windows.
You can have all sorts of theoretical discussions about this, but it’s just plain silly to claim that a system with no known infections are as vulnerable as a system with a hundred thousand known infections. One would wish that companies like Symantec issued statements that were rooted in the reality their consumers live in.
Just in case Symantac is reading the comments on MDN:
Gentlemen. Your claim that the Macintosh OS is “just as vulnerable to viruses as Windows” had forced me to conclude that your company operates without the benefit of integrity. Telling lies and spreading FUD to sell your product is inexcusable. I will not purchase your products and I will advise my friends and coworkers to ignore you as well.
NAV is the only OS X malware available in the wild, but you have to be tricked into installing it on your system to be affected by it.
“One would wish that companies like Symantec issued statements that were rooted in the reality their consumers live in.”
You can’t get board approval for those. It wouldn’t make it past their legal dept. either.
<b>@MuzoInOz
FYI: re McAfee’s Virex + .Mac
Apple <u>did not</u> drop anti-virus protection from .Mac because there was “no need for it”.
Virex was dropped from the .Mac lineup about 3 years ago, because McAfee didn’t seem able to write a version of Virex (v7.5) that didn’t screw up OS X <u>10.3 Panther</u>. The problems made by Virex were worse than what any virus would have caused.</i>
OS X is probably more vulnerable to being bogged down and messed up by crappy antivirus software (as with any OS) than it is to any real virus attacks, barring user stupidity (such as downloading software from torrents).
After all, the antivirus will want to run with root-level privileges. Even if I execute a virus like an idiot by downloading and double-clicking it, it won’t have that level of access.
And speaking of “vulnerabilities,” what about the ones that have cropped up in Symantec’s software?
I quit using Symantec products years ago on Windows. I had been using AVG for the past couple of years, and PC Cillin before that.
Symantec software is written in the grand, bloated tradition of Windows…
MW=change – I got my change on and bought an iMac (24″ and I LOVE the glossy screen).
This is a riot. What Symantec means is that a Mac is just as vulnerable to slow downs and crashes once you install Symantec software as a PC is.
@Dan
MDN has at times written sensationalist headlines, but in this case, they have not. The article they have reported on contains the same exact headline as written by Rivington. You quoted the 2nd paragraph, but the 1st paragraph reads:
“Apple Macs running the Mac OS X operating system are just as vulnerable to viruses and other threats as Windows PCs are. That’s according to Symantec software architect Ollie Whitehouse who made the claims in an interview with Tech.co.uk.”
In fact, Rivington’s headline is embedded in the URL for the article:
http://www.tech.co.uk/computing/mac/news/macs-just-as-vulnerable-to-viruses-as-windows?articleid=1249719608
There is no other written source here, as Tech.co.uk IS the primary source, from an interview with Symantec’s Ollie Whitehouse. If you happen to have the original recording from the interview, please share it, pray tell!! Otherwise, we’ll have to take Rivington’s integrity at face value regarding what Whitehouse said and/or implied.
Full LOAD here: Indeed!
Full LOAD here, indeed!
“Full LOAD here” indeed!
Oops – didn’t notice page 2 – redundantly – Joey
Come see all other Mac viruses like me:
http://www.mininova.org/sub/27/seeds
Random third party software from the internet. Same thing that happens on Windows. Virus attacks on OSX are very real. Mac users never use detection to spot bad files that can install.
The great thing about the security of Macs is that there is no argument against it. The security through obscurity argument is nonsense even if you were to accept it were true. If an OS had to have a large user base to become a target, what level is that? 10%? 20%? More? Even at 10%, based on the Mac market share trotted out by the media of 3-4% that’s an awful lot more Macs that need to be sold before we need to worry. Even with Apple’s phenomenal growth we’d be secure for years.
If people spout the STO myth then why even argue? Who cares? I’ll go on using my secure, powerful, beautiful and easy to use OS and everyone else can use Windows and be plagued with security issues, but at least they can tell themselves that they’re in the majority because that really makes a difference when you’re one person sitting at your computer.
Symantic! I used to be a faithful user for years.
Had it on as many as 20 Macs I was dealing with.
Now – you couldn’t pay me enough money to install it on a Mac or a PC for that matter.
What a bunch of CRAP!
FYI – I did have a virus back in the 90’s. It was a worm and I got rid of it with a freeware virus killer. No biggie!
T!
thats like asking a barber if you need a hair cut…of course their gonna say that. they want to sell you software wether you need it or not!!