Spyware and Virus Protection

Question

Spyware and Virus Protection

Before the latest system upgrade to my Power Mac G4 I would like to run programs to rid the computer of any spyware and viruses it may have picked up. What programs are best recommended and where can they be obtained? Thanks.

Power Mac G4, Mac OS X (10.2.x)

Posted on Jan 15, 2006 2:50 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Jan 15, 2006 6:33 PM in response to Cornelia Shields

People are saying there are no spyware or viruses for Mac OSX. This was one of the reasons a friend of mine purchased it. My friend would like to know, if no such spyware or viruses exist, how is it that a certain computer user could tell when my friend visited a certain website? Is there some identifying code on the computer itself? My friend is thinking of changing ISPs and emails, using a different name on the email account, and wants to know will this be enough or is there some way the Mac itself can be traced, so that the entire computer must be replaced? Thanks.

Reply

Answer 2

Jan 18, 2006 4:31 PM in response to Cornelia Shields

Since everyone I've asked seems to think there are no known viruses or Spyware for Mac OS, I'm marking this as solved.

Reply

Answer 3

Feb 14, 2006 6:17 AM in response to Cornelia Shields

Okay, so the reply is a little on the late side, but I just saw the question.

There are no known virus/spyware/adware/evil stuff for macs that I have been able to find, or have encountered. Most likely what your friend saw was a tool that logs the IP of the computer and reports who has visited that site...

A perfect example of this is fingerprintx.com they have a tool for the blog site xanga.com that lists not only the IP of the computer on the site, but the screen resolution and if you are a xanga member your username with a link to your profile. It's really quite ingenious how it is setup, tends to scare people though such as your friend.

Reply

Answer 4

FangSuede

Level 4

2,195 points

Feb 16, 2006 4:40 PM in response to Jason Pruim1

Hi,
IP addresses are easy to read from any computer. That is not Spyware or a Virus. Mac's currently do not suffer from the plague that PC users confront. It may happen some time, but right now we're clean.

There are a few Email type hacks that can act like a simple Virus floating around. Some are mentioned here, these require you to Open an Email and a picture to become a problem. Simple rule: Dont open Email from places/people you don't know - ever.

See this for info:
http://www.ambrosiasw.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=102379
http://www.macintouch.com/#tips.2006.02.16
http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20060216075452766

Regards,
Dave

Reply

Answer 5

Feb 17, 2006 1:46 AM in response to FangSuede

Thanks for the answers. I've also heard tell of a program which can disguise a Mac address as some other kind of address.

Reply