Apple to users: Please use antivirus utilities

[2muchcoffeeman]

Here's the announcement on the Apple support forums: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2550

Here's BBC coverage: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7760344.stm

You Mac people never saw that coming, did you? :D

There are several "proof-of-concept" Trojans out there that don't do harm, but were coded by Unixheads trying to see what they'd have to do to get one working. In terms of actual malware, not much (although AppleScript.THT and DNSchanger (follow link for more information and to download a free detection/removal utility) are notable exceptions). In addition to the usual reasoning about market share, there are strong technical reasons for that having to do with Mac OS X's Unix background. There are also some exploits out there that target cross-platform browsers, and Safari is a cross-platform browser these days. If you're using Firefox, the NoScript extension fends those exploits off quite nicely.

I think that rather than trying to combat Mac-based malware, Apple is hoping to cut down on e-mail-based Windows malware that its customers unknowingly forward to other people.

Apple recommends three commercial products -- Norton Anti-Virus, VirusBarrier X5 and McAfee VirusScan for Mac (used to be Virex). I would look at a combination of ClamXav (an open-source product, no cost) and MacScan ($30 anti-spyware utility) before using Apple's recommendations.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

More proof of the mainstreaming of Apple!

Hackers have flipped! Suck it PC!

 

[Cadet]

Thanks for the news and your insight, 2MCM. Very helpful.

 

[The Big Ragu]

I use ClamXav and it is good and free. I have it set up so I have to run a scan manually every so often. I can get a bit lax, but we have never detected anything harmful to any of the Macs.

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

Apple: On orders from our marketing department, we'd like to tell you that we really didn't mean that and we find the post offensive and we took it down.

http://blogs.computerworld.com/apple_ooops_macs_dont_need_anti_virus_software

Mr. Gralla's closing statement is solid: "Any operating system is potentially vulnerable to threats and the sooner Apple admits it, the safer Mac users will be." There are a couple of serious OS X-specific exploits out there, like this new one that targets Firefox and pretends to be the very useful Greasemonkey extension.

On the other hand, Mac users are still better off than Windows users.