VirusTotal invites Apple fans to play in updated Mac malware sandpit Google's VirusTotal will begin executing Mac apps to test for malicious activity following an uptick in reports of malware targeting Apple's desktop operating system. The virus scanner is popular with black hats, white hats and everyday users and tries to determine if antivirus mechanisms will flag malware. The service's …
I'm sorry how is this a non story ?
The fact I use the virus total api to scan all attachments that come through,and now I know I can do the same with Mac based file types is a bonus as we run a mixed shop.
Maybe you are one of these people who are still spreading the fud that macs don't get malware etc.
Go back under your rock
Don't apple also claim iOS is more secure than Android, despite CVS being more than double so far this year (iOS 250+, android 97). The number of severe ones is also higher and the fix time much longer die to needing to be serviced by full OS updates ( Google are doing much patching via play store, openssl for example).
http://googlesystem.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/google-play-services-delivers-security.html
What do you mean, the internet told you something else??
despite CVS being more than double so far this year
Oh yawn, do we really have to go through all of that again? I stopped looking at stats only - that only tells half the story and they can be rigged (as MS recently demonstrated). What matters to me is:
- how does the manufacturer make their money? Hardware? OK. OS? OK. My data? Not OK.
- how easy is it for me to get a virus on a non-rooted, bog standard device?
- what do I have to do to prevent any other attack vectors? (drive by infections etc)
- what other controls does the platform have to protect my privacy?
- above all, just how much effort do I have to put in to keep it that way?
Massive caveat here: my decisions are predicated by what I do and how I know *I* use a device. That is in general quite an important remark: what is safe for me may be a risk to others, and what others get up to may not happen in my case. For instance, I rarely surf the Net on my phone (at best I look up something) because I have a tablet and a laptop for that.
After all that, I end up with a preference that is motivated and no amount of "my OS is better than yours" (sponsored or not) will make a difference because I know *exactly* why I made that choice, and I have years of experience in mining the truth out of vendor and vendor-sponsored statements and group-think inspired nonsense.
If I'm asked to recommend a device to OTHERS, the above still applies after I worked out what *they* do with a device and what their total electronic footprint is on the Net. That will again result in a motived choice or set of options and associated risks. It's not black and white, so spare me the single argument BS.
M'kay?
Good thing we're learning the truth from an anonymous commentard :-)
That's because I prefer to use a decent line or argumentation. I don't need a name for that.
You should try it, using good, logical arguments instead of group think statements and ad hominem. You may even learn some analytical skills, may come in handy when you eventually grow up.
I'm not sure stating that someone should stop using ad hominem arguments and then stating that they should grow up will convince anyone.
Personally I've never used an anonymous coward posting (apart from once by accident), the reason is in the 'anonymous coward' header. Also, perhaps, I have nothing noteworthy to say!
Personally I've never used an anonymous coward posting (apart from once by accident), the reason is in the 'anonymous coward' header. Also, perhaps, I have nothing noteworthy to say!
There are plenty who have nothing noteworthy to say who feel compelled to comment regardless, so you're one up there :).
Let me offer a different reason for anon posting: some of us are quite happy to share what we know, but a name may draw in all sorts of other issues that we don't want to deal with. I personally don't really care about handles, I care about the content of what is being written.
Anon is also quite fun because it annoys some people. My malicious streak very much enjoys that :)
"You should try it, using good, logical arguments instead of group think statements and ad hominem. You may even learn some analytical skills, may come in handy when you eventually grow up."
Oh the bitter irony… I humbly submit that you should try your own medicine first. :)
I do my banking and any other secure transactions in specially locked down VMs on my Mac. It does nothing else. I have one for my banking, another for the more trusted retailers and a final one for anytime I have to go near something new. My banking VM does nothing, and is allowed nowhere on the internet, bar updates to virus checker, OS and the bank itself. No links between VMs and OS and about as bolted down as I can get. Still, not 100% foolproof but as close as I can get without wearing a tin-foil hat.
Just because I've no proof that my base Mac OS has been hacked or compromised does not mean that it hasn't.
The one positive I can add here is that clean up has been pretty easy compared to the Windows side of things.
You want to be careful with those sort of statements, you may upset the Microsoft fan club :). It is, however, the reason I mainly run OSX (and Linux), it just saves time. I personally have never believed a platform to offer absolute security - Linux too has some things you need to be careful with - but there is a significant difference between platforms in how much time and effort you have to spend to keep them reasonably clean, and how you recover from malware making it through regardless.
Out of interest, what malware did she have on her machine, and any idea how it got there?
Out of interest, what malware did she have on her machine, and any idea how it got there?
And, in the case of claimed "viruses" for OSX, what was the self-replication mechanism, the sole unique attribute of a virus, as opposed to any other sort of malware?
Well it seems that Google is able to run virtual windows to scan those EXE's in a sandbox so this means they can also do this for Apple applications. Maybe google is close to running our crappy old legacy software in the goggle cloud as well.
So this means in the future no need for MS Windows OS or client access licenses. We are close to a change in how we use computers and applications. LOL I am sure Microsoft will fight this tooth and nail.
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