[Nico_from_Paris]

Going ot switch from wintel PC to powermac G5, the big question is: do I need an anti-virus soft on my G5 ?
Reading about mac OSes I think I do not need any, but why then are all soft companies selling mac anti-virus ? There must be a reason.

Thanks to all of you for your experience feedback with trojan and viruses on mac !

Nico

[Mac+]

If you sign up for .mac you get an anti-virus program as part of the package. (I think it is Virex)

As for s/ware companies still touting anti-virus s/ware - they could be out to make a buck or clinging to the success they had in protecting OS 8 and OS 9 perhaps!? (I believe OS X is robust and that currently there are no known viruses for OS X.)

On the other hand, prevention is better than cure - so maybe getting some form of antivirus s/ware (if it will help you sleep more soundly) could be a worthwhile investment.

Sorry I could not be more authorative in my response - but I thought I'd just point out a few things of which I was aware to help you with your decision.

[staph]

Yep, there are no known malicious viruses for OS X, although there is one known concept trojan, and one real trojan (a fake Office:2004 installer which deletes your files: lol). There are about 50-odd for Mac OS Classic (which, if you're new Mac user, you will probably never, ever touch).

I suppose I'd vote in favour of keeping a virus checker on hand because:

(1) there's no guarantee that OS X will remain virus free forever — other 'nixes haven't, I don't see why we shouldn't;

(2) they will root out files infected with Windows viruses and stop you spreading them on, which will help not make you unpopular with families and friends.

I wouldn't rush out and buy one if you don't have the money handy, however.

Virex does come with .Mac; unfortunately, to get it you need to pay for .Mac... although you can buy it as a standalone product.

Other options include Norton AV, Sophos AV, and Intego something-or-other.

[Brad]

What the above posters said about no viruses or trojans existing for Mac OS X is true. There are none active out in the wild.

One of the antivirus companies (Intego) made a proof-of-concept trojan to scare more people into buying their product, but there does not exist any such trojan like this that actually *does* anything.

Earlier this year when Microsoft announced Office 2004 for Mac, an installer for it appeared on one of the pirated networks that was actually an AppleScript designed to delete your files when you ran it. What's the lesson here? Don't be an idiot and don't play with illegally pirating software. Simple as that. This is the *only* noted case of a hidden malicious program for Mac OS X.

On a related note, there are no spyware or adware programs for Mac OS X (ala Gator, Bonzai, etc.) that secretly track your computing habits and report them back somewhere.

So, what's the point of a virus-checker on Mac OS X? Well, it offers future protection in the event that someone does figure out how to write an active virus for Mac OS X. More importantly, though, it makes you a "good neighbor". By this I mean that it will clean viruses meant for other computers off of your disks. If you have a file infected with a Windows virus or an ancient Classic Mac OS virus, it will be flagged and removed.

I have a copy of Virex that came free with my .Mac subscription. I've used it maybe twice in the past two years that I've had it. Each of those two times, though, was specifically to check a couple of e-mails a Windows-using friend forwarded to me to see what they were infected with.

I wouldn't waste my money unless you've just got wads of cash to spare (in which case, this poor university student would be happy to take a donation).

[Barto]

Brad, somehow I don't think "don't be an idiot" is going to be enough for the people who are willing to believe a 44k AppleScript really is Office 2004.

[DMBand0026]

Originally Posted by Barto Brad, somehow I don't think "don't be an idiot" is going to be enough for the people who are willing to believe a 44k AppleScript really is Office 2004.

Of course it's not. That's why I laugh at the people who pirate software They got what they deserved. Especially if they are stupid enough to think 44k is large enough to be Office '04

[Moogs]

That was kind of humorous. The Intego thing was pathetic. Guarantee you I'll never buy one of their products now, even though I've considered doing so in the past.

Virex is probably about as well as you're going to do in terms of keeping your system free of known stuff that you might spread to other systems and/or fighting off any new stuff that comes around for OS X.

[DMBand0026]

Originally Posted by Moogs That was kind of humorous. The Intego thing was pathetic. Guarantee you I'll never buy one of their products now, even though I've considered doing so in the past.

Yeah, that was one of the stupidest, most unethical, and utterly ridiculous things I've ever seen a company do. I hadn't ever considered buying an Intego product, I was indifferent about them. But now I go out of my way to discourage people form buying from them.

[staph]

Originally Posted by Barto Brad, somehow I don't think "don't be an idiot" is going to be enough for the people who are willing to believe a 44k AppleScript really is Office 2004.

Such cynicism in such a young man!

[synotic]

Originally Posted by Barto Brad, somehow I don't think "don't be an idiot" is going to be enough for the people who are willing to believe a 44k AppleScript really is Office 2004.

To be fair, I'm sure the actual download was of a reasonable "Office size" and that the installer looked just like the real installer. The only way you might figure it out is if you were to get info on the app and even then, aren't run-only AppleScripts marked as apps (or is it applets?). Even then, installers often are simply scripts (not necessarily AppleScript though) that are small and install files on the disk. I've never even heard about it but it might not have been as obvious as you're making it seem

As for protecting from future viruses... doesn't Apple already have a mechanism out there right now? Security updates. How is it any different than downloading an update for a virus program? And then the major problem is actually propogating the viruses... someone would actually have to manually forward you a virus and you would have to manually download and launch it. Serious yes, but a security update or virus definition update would offer you the same protection if you had downloaded them beforehand. If you hadn't, then the virus is going to infect you nonetheless. Or do the virus checkers actually fix the results of viruses?

As for being a good citizen... again, do you not have to manually forward a virus to another person to get it to work? I think that if you're aware enough to buy an anti-virus program, then you should be smart enough not to manually forward a virus to someone. And yes it is obvious which e-mails contain viruses. (hint, they include .pif, .exe etc... attachments). Those aren't smart enough will be bit regardless.

Are there any errors in my reasoning? As there are no current viruses, current anti-virus apps won't protect you from future viruses... you'll have to download the updates (I'm guessing this is pretty seamless though). But then you could simply rely on Apple's security updates. Until I personally see a reason to use anti-virus programs, then I won't waste my time on them.

[Henriok]

Originally Posted by DMBand0026 Of course it's not. That's why I laugh at the people who pirate software They got what they deserved. Especially if they are stupid enough to think 44k is large enough to be Office '04

Remember that the icon didn't look suspicious.

[Merovingian]

Originally Posted by Nico_from_Paris Going ot switch from wintel PC to powermac G5, the big question is: do I need an anti-virus soft on my G5 ? Reading about mac OSes I think I do not need any, but why then are all soft companies selling mac anti-virus ? There must be a reason.

Just remember that it's all to do with marketing. You've probably noticed those TV ads advertising some sort of lame indoor deodoriser, germ killing, anti-bacterial "Spray 'n Wipe" spray that "works wonders".

These ads are playing on human fears, and I think anti-virus software, (mainly for the Mac), is completely superfluous. If you turn on OS X's default firewall, (which is OK, but doesn't turn the computer into Fort Knox), you shouldn't have any problems.

If you encounter any on-line problems, it's likely to be spam. m.