TheSDavies93

Q: Any discussions of Apple protecting us!

Does anyone know if Apple are going to protect us because of malware coming to our computers?

Mac Pro

Posted on Apr 29, 2012 4:14 PM

Close

Q: Any discussions of Apple protecting us!

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by Radiation Mac,

    Radiation Mac Radiation Mac Apr 29, 2012 4:39 PM in response to TheSDavies93
    Level 5 (4,656 points)
    Safari
    Apr 29, 2012 4:39 PM in response to TheSDavies93

    We, the fellow Users of Apple products, like yourself, have no way of knowing what Apple is or isn't going to do in the future.  And the Terms of Use of these Forums specifically forbid "speculation" of any sort of what they will do.  That said, I personally feel that Apple, which happens to be the most successful business monetarily and in customer satisfaction surverys on the planet, might see its way clear to continue to innovate and improve its products.  Just a guess...

     

    Hope this helps

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Apr 29, 2012 4:43 PM in response to TheSDavies93
    Level 10 (208,005 points)
    Applications
    Apr 29, 2012 4:43 PM in response to TheSDavies93

    Mac OS X versions 10.6.7 and later have built-in detection of known Mac malware in downloaded files. The recognition database is automatically updated once a day; however, you shouldn't rely on it, because the attackers are always at least a day ahead of the defenders. In most cases, there’s no benefit from any other automated protection against malware.

     

    The most effective defense against malware is your own intelligence. All known malware that affects a fully-updated installation of Mac OS X 10.6 or later takes the form of trojans, which can only work if the victim is duped into running them. If you're smarter than the malware attacker thinks you are, you won't be duped. That means, primarily, that you never install software from an untrustworthy source. How do you know a source is untrustworthy?

     

    • Any website that prompts you to install a “codec,” “plug-in,” or “certificate” that comes from that same site, or an unknown site, merely in order to use the site, is untrustworthy.
    • A web operator who tells you that you have a “virus,” or that anything else is wrong with your computer, or that you have won a prize in a contest you never entered, is trying to commit a crime with you as the victim.
    • “Cracked” versions of commercial software downloaded from a bittorrent are likely to be infected.
    • Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, must be downloaded directly from the developer’s website. No intermediary is acceptable.

     

    Disable Java (not JavaScript) in your web browser(s). Few websites have Java content nowadays, so you won’t be missing much. This setting is mandatory in Mac OS X 10.5.8 or earlier, because Java in those versions has bugs that make it unsafe to use on the Internet. Those bugs will probably never be fixed, because those older operating systems are no longer being maintained by Apple. Migrate to a newer version of the Mac OS as soon as you can.

     

    Follow these guidelines, and you’ll be as safe from malware as you can reasonably be.

     

    Never install any commercial "anti-virus" products for the Mac, as they all do more harm than good. If you need to be able to detect Windows malware in your files, use ClamXav — nothing else.

  • by etresoft,

    etresoft etresoft Apr 29, 2012 4:57 PM in response to TheSDavies93
    Level 7 (29,325 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 29, 2012 4:57 PM in response to TheSDavies93

    TheSDavies93 wrote:

     

    Does anyone know if Apple are going to protect us because of malware coming to our computers?

    Yes. Gatekeeper in the forthcoming Mountain Lion will provide an additional layer of protection. With Gatekeeper, you will have to work much harder to infect yourself.