Apple + MacDefender = Fixed?
Finally! Can you hear it iFans? Crickets in the break room over at Cupertino? Man, we Mac users have a lot to learn. So let’s begin.
I have been a Mac user since the mid-nineties. I’ve also had a few windows PC’s and Linux boxes in that time period; but we won’t ruin the mood by talking about Microsoft now will we?
A couple of weeks ago, it went viral that an oopsy has made it’s way onto the Mac platform by way of malware. I called it an oopsy because that’s what Apple called it. They poo-pooed the situation, “What! Macs don’t get viruses!” Well, not so fast there Apple.
A friend and I were having this very debate about the actual versus perceived level of security for the Mac computer. While you can break this debate down into several categories, we will stick to the basics. And that is:
You can’t secure stupidity!
There I said it. If you do not practice proper surfing, while plugged in, you can be a victim. Windows, Linux, OSX, it doesn’t matter. The MacDefender, however, is categorized as malware, or malicious software. It was designed to install a Trojan horse masquerading as an anti-virus program which targets computers running the Mac OS X operating system. The user is then prompted to “clean” the virus by clicking on the “Clean Virus” button when prompted.
STUPID!
Come on people, use your heads. And here’s my rant:
No one, not one person, has your best interests at heart. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Nothing is for free. Never. You might not be paying monetarily, but you’re paying some way. Believe you me.
There is hope!
Apple has just released their fix to the MacDefender trojan via a security update. You should be on version 10.6.7. To check this, you can click here.
So stop being stupid, question everything and be safe out their kiddies. I don’t want you all to catch a cold.
Posted on May 31, 2011, in Lifestyle, Social Media, Tech and tagged apple, jobs, mac defender, scanner, trojan, virus. Bookmark the permalink. 5 Comments.
Rants & Rage 
Well it is very tough out there. I too plan to switch to a Mac when money allows.
John
The biggest reason “Macs don’t get viruses” is because they’re still the least popular in terms of how havoc would be wreaked. In terms of user pool, Microsoft’s OS and products are used in 90+% of the world. If you create a big enough bad enough virus, you have more chance of causing a disaster. Most businesses run on Microsoft, most home PC’s are Microsoft, and so you have more probability of causing a big SNAFU. It’s like why is the Catholic Church so heavily attacked? Because the Catholic Church is the biggest religion on the planet. Why do folks around the world envy the US? Same reason.
Granted, graphics and fun things are better on a MAC, but I don’t rely on electronics for my fun…
Yes! You da man, John. Come over to the dark side. lol
Just joking. You’re making a good decision. You really are. You wanna know what you’re paying for, John? Quality. That’s it in a nutshell.
As an engineer who designs products for some really big companies, I can appreciate the work that goes into a really good design. And believe me when I say that ALL Apple products are placed on a rung above the rest when it comes to quality.
The laptops, desktops, etc. are machined out of solid aluminum. It’s beautiful. When you hold a Macbook, you feel like you are holding something expensive. And I’ve never heard of anyone complaining of a Mac that simply “broke.” These things are tanks.
So,yes, you will pay more for a Mac than a PC, period. But that same PC will be not only obsolete in a year or two, but the body will start to break down in only a year. You are then left with a “cheap” plastic box that you will eventually give to your grandchildren to buy a new shiny one; spending the same amount if you had bought a Mac from the beginning.
If I could give you one piece of advice for when you take the plunge: Leave what you know about computers at the door. Come to Apple with an open mind. You will be so glad you did. The ideologies between Apple and Microsoft are quite dissimilar. There are a few similarities; but trust me when I say that it’s best to start with a clean slate. Utilize you local Apple store’s Genius Bar and talk to the good folks there. Apple has the best customer service, period. Tell them the things you usually do on a PC and they will stear you in the direction of how to attempt these same things within your Mac.
Good luck to you, and feel free to ask me if you need help. I love sharing tech talk with people. I consider myself a sort of hybrid Nerd/Geek.
You couldn’t be more right, David. The big man in the room gets the most attention.
And I believe that Mac users are more at risk for viruses; not because the Mac computer is less secure, but because of the complacency of it’s users. The iFans out there are so smug and lax about security that it’s almost become a laughable situation. See my remarks about, “You can’t secure stupidity.”
Actually, the MacBook was the first computer to get hacked this year. Granted, the competition was a little skewed. The browsers of the event were Window’s Internet Explorer, Google’s Chrome, Mozilla’s Firefox and Apple’s Safari. No one even signed up to hack Chrome or Internet Explorer. Firefox was attempted and they eventually did succeed on a PC. Safari failed in under one minute. The hacker had been preparing for a few weeks for this event. Found an exploit within the calculator, visited his own site where the code resided, and this opened the door to install his own code – hacking the computer via the browser. Done.
So, yes, all computers are at risk, kiddies. Be smart about surfing. Stop visiting porn sites, crack sites, free software sites, torrent sites; get rid of your P2P software, torrent software, etc. If you didn’t buy it, you are stealing. I said it before: Nothing is free. All those free songs you downloaded, software, etc… guess what? Some hacker made that software free for you. He spent hours hacking the code. You think he did it cause he’s a really nice guy? He put code in there that does only god knows.
Be smart, be smart, be smart
Hey David
I am surprised that the fan boy did not correct you. The reason that Macs are not hacked is that it is based upon a Linux system and is infinitely harder to crack and a whole lot more work because of the much more sophisticated operating system. Lynn jump in here and correct me if I have misunderstood the system.
John