[Hidden-tech] Security: Mac vs. Windows is no longer an argument

[ATG Worldwide]

This week I contacted Yes Computers to ask this very question.  They  
indicate that they have not had any computers serviced for virus  
infection / spyware etc... and indicated that they believed that at  
this time this was not an issue.

I do not run any 3rd party apps to protect my system at the moment.

Michael Aronson
Consumer Exports Group, Inc.


On Dec 5, 2008, at 1:47 PM, Chris Hoogendyk wrote:

>  ** Be sure to fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's  
> area.
>  ** If you did, we all thank you.
>
>
>
>
> andrew bellak wrote:
>> okay, so here's a quick poll / survey question:
>>
>> if you run Mac, do you use 3rd party ant-spyware and/or anti-virus  
>> software?  Is anything built in into Leopard (OSX)?
>>
>> since I'm usually behind a modem, then a wireless router, I've been  
>> advised that it's redundant and just slows one's machine.
>
> Good replies from Roger and Robert.
>
> For some time I have not trusted the anti virus software sold for  
> Macs. They seemed to cause more trouble than they prevented. While  
> Virex was originally developed on the Mac many years ago (long  
> before Mac OS X), it was bought out by McAfee (a PC software  
> company). In such cases, Mac software doesn't fare very well.  
> Another prime example is Retrospect. That was once one of the best  
> software products anywhere. It was bought out by EMC several years  
> ago, and both development and support have seriously languished. It  
> seems to be dying the long slow death of neglect.
>
> I think that the primary threat on Macs is user behavior. The OS and  
> applications like Firefox try to provide protections, but the user  
> is the boss. So, download an executable from the web and the OS will  
> issue a warning when you try to run it. But, you can still say,  
> "yes, I want to run it."
>
> So, in the interest of user education and in parallel with the link  
> I posted the other day to the NSA Security Guides, those who want to  
> learn more about how to avoid risky behavior should check out the  
> CERT Security Tips -- http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ -- There is a  
> huge amount of stuff there. Since this is the shopping season, check  
> out particularly the tips related to Shopping Safely Online and  
> Browsing Safely. Whether it says so in those or not, I never do  
> activities that involve money or secure information on public  
> wireless networks.
>
>
> -- 
> ---------------
>
> Chris Hoogendyk
>
> -
>  O__  ---- Systems Administrator
> c/ /'_ --- Biology & Geology Departments
> (*) \(*) -- 140 Morrill Science Center
> ~~~~~~~~~~ - University of Massachusetts, Amherst
> <hoogendyk at bio.umass.edu>
>
> ---------------
> Erdös 4
>
>
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