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Forced to get a virus program . . .


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Forced to get a virus program . . .
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FilmProf
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
 
2006-10-31, 14:28

The IT people at the university tell me that my computer will not be authorized to access the campus network unless I install an anti-virus program on it.

Lots of people have recommended Intego, but then I see a lot of people on this forum have bad things to say about it.

I also have to install a Cisco Systems VPN program. On my PC, I was actually hacked over this network, because it forced me to turn off my firewall (I think I was running ZoneAlarm at that point).

So, while I know this question has been asked before, I'm asking it from the point of view of a person who has no choice but to install an anti-virus program. I'm also thinking perhaps I need an additional firewall, because the campus network is so unsecured.

Suggestions?

Just don't suggest Norton. I've used Norton on the PC, and it's been nothing but problems. Currently I use Kaspersky on the PC. If they had a Mac version, I'd probably buy it.
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chucker
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: near Bremen, Germany
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2006-10-31, 14:38

ClamXav might do the trick.
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Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2006-10-31, 14:42

Yeah, download the free ClamXav (the Mac OS X version of ClamAV) and tell them to clam up!

This is IT stupidity of the worst kind. Oh well.
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alcimedes
I shot the sherrif.
 
Join Date: May 2004
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2006-10-31, 14:52

The nice and equally bad thing about ClamXav is that it's not usually running all the time at a base system level. This means it doesn't cause a lot of the problems and stupidity that Norton does/will, but also means it's a bit less likely to actually catch something as it tries to infect you.

Now, considering that at the moment there are zero known viruses or worms for OSX I wouldn't let that slow you down at all, but something to keep in mind.

I usually just set it up to scan my desktop and downloads folders, and everything else is left alone.

Google is your frenemy.
Caveat Emptor - Latin for tough titty
I tend to interpret things in the way that's most hilarious to me
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FilmProf
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
 
2006-10-31, 15:30

I could tell tales of IT stupidity for days.

I'll ask them about ClamXav. When I talked to them, they tried to talk me into Norton, of course, since that's what runs on all the university computers. The guy on the phone didn't know what Intego was. I think we only have a few Macs on campus, and nobody really knows much about them.

I'm just worried ClamXav won't be a "serious" enough program for them. I suspect they want something that works on the same principle as Norton or similar programs.
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BarracksSi
BANNED
I am worthless beyond hope.
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Washington, DC
 
2006-10-31, 16:18

Just get a Norton box and put a Norton icon in the Utilities folder somewhere.



I suppose that they do have a point, hoping to prevent infected documents from being passed through your hands. I wouldn't guess that they thought it through that far, though.
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Jerman
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Siloam Springs, AR
 
2006-10-31, 17:09

The IT department at our school announced at the end of last school year that this year we would be required to use Anti Virus software. I helped set up some of the computers over the summer to make some cash, and talked to them about the requirement. Apparently the Norton license they had was botching their installs! So they abandoned the requirement. (Thank God!)
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rasmits
rams it
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Seattle
 
2006-10-31, 18:12

My school too requires anti-vrius software, but I don't own any. It's not like they'll check for it...

I don't know a single Mac using friend on a university network that has an anti-virus program.

And why do you "need" to install the Cisco VPN thing? Can't you just connect to a VPN with OS X? I bet it would work fine.

You had me at asl
.......
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FilmProf
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
 
2006-10-31, 18:22

I actually have to bring the computer to IT for them to check it out, or they won't authorize it to be on the network.

Amazingly, for a school that's so anal about some things, they have a zillion other problems that never seem to get solved.
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autodata
hustlin
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2006-10-31, 18:44

They don't offer a free-for-you site licensed anti-virus download?

You also probably do not need the Cisco VPN Client. You should try to set it up without it. You don't want to use some roundabout method to connect if you don't need to, especially considering how easy it is to use the native vpn client.
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alcimedes
I shot the sherrif.
 
Join Date: May 2004
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2006-10-31, 19:13

I know at our University the OSX VPN client won't work with our Cisco hardware.
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RowdyScot
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Join Date: Apr 2005
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2006-10-31, 19:43

What school is this, if you don't mind me asking?
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azcoder
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
 
2006-10-31, 19:52

From a security standpoint - rather than require you to install anti-virus software, they should simply not allow any windows machines on the network.
;-)

Imagine, a mac-only network. No need for anti-virus software.

Get rid of windows. Solve the problem.

Oh well. It'll never happen. At least not this year.
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chucker
 
Join Date: May 2004
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2006-10-31, 19:54

Quote:
Originally Posted by azcoder View Post
From a security standpoint - rather than require you to install anti-virus software, they should simply not allow any windows machines on the network.
;-)

Imagine, a mac-only network. No need for anti-virus software.

Get rid of windows. Solve the problem.

Oh well. It'll never happen. At least not this year.
Disallowing Windows users will miraculously also disallow inconsiderate users?
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FilmProf
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
 
2006-10-31, 22:11

Quote:
Originally Posted by RowdyScot View Post
What school is this, if you don't mind me asking?
I'd rather not say. Employers have a nasty habit of Googling, and my remarks about our IT people and policies might get me in trouble--or at least mean that the next time I have a problem, I'll go to the bottow of the list. My user name would make it easy to narrow down the suspects.

But we have the worst computing technology of any campus at which I've worked or been a student.

I'm under the impression that I will not be able to connect to the network without the Cisco software, Mac or PC. I'm not sure exactly what installing this does to my computer, particularly in terms of security. Like I said, I was hacked on my PC almost immediately upon logging in for the first time. Files went missing--by their names, they looked like they contained important information, but they didn't. Whether or not the firewall in OS X will prove incompatible, I don't know. I don't know enough people on campus using Macs to ask.

I think I can use the wireless network without having them look over the computer, but I still need the Cisco program to log in. And only parts of the campus are wireless; my office is in a building that isn't, so I have to plug in directly. And that requires the computer be verified.

Sigh.
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adamb
Formerly “adambrennan”
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Northern Ireland
 
2006-11-01, 07:37

I found this quite funny last night, talking to a guy that hates Macs for no real reason, its a transcript of a MSN convo:

him: 1 thing about windows: its shit when an antivirus program is running
him: and i mean ...HORRIBLE
me: lol
me: whats a virus?
me: :P
him: do u not need antivirus ?
me: well yes, but only to stop me passing on viruses
me: so I dont bother with one
me: lol
him: lol
him: cunt
me: simple solution
me: you know what it is
him: fuck off

I have ClamXav installed on my iBook, and the few times I've used it I have had no problems. To be honest if they said ClamXav wasnt good enough, I would ask them why in the hell are they using Norton
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sunrain
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Portlandia
 
2006-11-01, 10:16

Here's what I would do: Install whatever it is that they ask you to and then get rid of it after your lappy passes the "test."

Uninstalling programs from OS X isn't nearly the chore it is with Windows. Merely, take an app and drop it in the trash. With a pernicious program like Norton, there might be some leftovers, so use a program like AppZapper to clean up the mess.

"What a computer is to me is it's the most remarkable tool that we've ever come up with, and it's the equivalent of a bicycle for our minds."
- Steve Jobs
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chucker
 
Join Date: May 2004
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2006-11-01, 10:21

Quote:
Originally Posted by sunrain View Post
Here's what I would do: Install whatever it is that they ask you to and then get rid of it after your lappy passes the "test."
And violate the terms? Sounds needlessly risky to me.
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zippy
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Unknown
 
2006-11-01, 10:58

Quote:
Originally Posted by chucker View Post
And violate the terms? Sounds needlessly risky to me.
Especially considering that if you are using Norton in a parent-client distribution mode, they can keep tabs on the status of your Norton install from the Symantec Console(s). If you delete it, they'll notice.

So far, though, it sounds like they said the computer has to have a virus program on it, not necessarily that they have to install it, so hopefully the ClamX will work.

This is where I kind of wish Apple would just go ahead and make an antivirus app. I know it would seem to counter their message that they don't have virus problems, but maybe they could market it as something intended to screen Windows viruses. Of course, I have no idea how much resources it would take for Apple to keep something like this up to date, but at least I would be confident that it wouldn't bork up the system.
Oh well, not gonna happen, and maybe it really shouldn't ??

Do you know where children get all of their energy? - They suck it right out of their parents!
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Barto
Student extraordinaire
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Canberra, Australia
 
2006-11-01, 11:18

I reckon Apple would do much better improving Mac OS X, fixing the Finder, than writing a (for now) pointless Mac AV program.
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sunrain
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Portlandia
 
2006-11-01, 11:37

Quote:
Originally Posted by chucker View Post
And violate the terms? Sounds needlessly risky to me.
Bah. They don't sound with it enough to know the difference. They're probably just registering his MAC address after they deem his computer 'safe.'

"Um, yeah...you have a Mac? Okay, you're gonna have to install some anti-virus software on there."

An IT dept. that has their shit together would already know which program they want their Mac users to install...and wouldn't require it in the first place.

"What a computer is to me is it's the most remarkable tool that we've ever come up with, and it's the equivalent of a bicycle for our minds."
- Steve Jobs
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Wyatt
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Near Indianapolis
 
2006-11-01, 12:20

Quote:
Originally Posted by sunrain View Post
Bah. They don't sound with it enough to know the difference. They're probably just registering his MAC address after they deem his computer 'safe.'

"Um, yeah...you have a Mac? Okay, you're gonna have to install some anti-virus software on there."

An IT dept. that has their shit together would already know which program they want their Mac users to install...and wouldn't require it in the first place.
I agree. Any IT people who know their ass from a hole in the ground would realize that it's not necessary to have an AV application on a Mac. I highly doubt they have any way of monitoring the AV software, so the only way they'd find out is if you got a virus. Since that isn't going to happen any time soon...

Twitter: bwyatt | Xbox: @playsbadly | Instagram: @bw317
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rasmits
rams it
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Seattle
 
2006-11-01, 16:20

Was Virex not made by Apple? I got it with my .Mac subscription a long time ago, but I tossed it after months of no viruses. I don't think it's even supported anymore.

You had me at asl
.......
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chucker
 
Join Date: May 2004
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2006-11-01, 16:25

No, Virex was by McAfee.
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FilmProf
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
 
2006-11-01, 16:57

Okay, got some on campus advice, which is to install something like ClamXav and then uninstall it once they've checked the computer over. Since no one in IT knows anything about Macs, they'll only see that there is an anti-virus program installed and that it's up-to-date.

I have to use the Cisco software, though. The VPN in OS X won't let me connect, though this is apparently an issue that Mac users are trying to correct.

The computers provided by the campus are using Norton in a parent-client mode, but you have a choice as to which anti-virus program you use on your own personal computer.

So problem solved, I think.

The computer is still in Shanghai. Apparently, it reached Fed-Ex too late to go out on 11/1 China time, though it may go out later today U.S. time.

Thanks for all of your help. Doubtless, I'll be back asking more questions and playing the irritating n00b.
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kretara
Cynical Old Bastard
 
Join Date: May 2004
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2006-11-01, 17:05

The University that I work for was also stupid enough to do something like this (for wireless users). I told them that I was running AVG on my Mac's (back on 10.3). They just blindly accepted it.

Of course, it helps that I work in a fairly large and respected IT department of a division of the University (thankfully not the central IT department, what a cluster fuck that is) and can ignore stupid shit like this.

Just install clam. It is an easy install and will not bog down your computer like the windows AV stuff does. Oh, don't use norton products for any reason!!!!
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jimdad
Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Scotland
 
2006-12-03, 11:43

I'm in pretty much the same boat as filmProf. The IT people at our school are contemplating letting us use Macs on a limited basis again ( after 6 long years!) They have a Macbook for checking just now. i'm pretty sure they'll come back and tell me that with Boot Camp I can log into Windows on my Macbook if I want onto the network but they've already said none of this will happen if I can't suggest good antivirus software for the Mac. I'm guessing this is in case we pass on something by using Mac on Internet at home, coming into school and somehow passing virus onto PC partition of hard disc and thereby onto network ?

If this is so, and I'd be grateful to know how to respond (other than by saying there are no Mac viruses in the wild etc. - remember they are kinda accepting of this and are mainly worried about the PC side), what would fit the bill ?

Would, for instance, ClamXav be enough to persuade them that there is no danger? I've already suggested that they set up non-admin accounts for other staff using Macs to use - apart from mine that is
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atomicbartbeans
reticulating your mom
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
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2006-12-05, 15:54

Wow... Mac users being forced to use an anti-virus program, 3rd-party VPN client, or any third-party program by a university is just asinine.

Does anyone know if SUNY schools (specifically Binghamton University and University at Buffalo) follow this inane practice? Those are the two places I applied for next year... I want to know what I'm getting into.

You ask me for a hamburger.
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