Symantec Says No Virus For Mac OS X
July 14, 2006 by Juan Magdaraog
Filed under Computers
Symantec has posted on their blog that as of the time they made their post there are no viruses for the Mac OS X. Whooopppeee!!
Before you protest and say that OX.Leap.A which made it to the news some time ago exists, it’s a worm and not a virus. Symantec explains the difference between the two here. In simple terms a virus infects files in one computer and does not intentionally spread from one computer to another. It’s usually human intervention that spreads a virus to another computer. A worm on the other hand is designed to spread from one computer to another over the internet or a network.
Compared to Windows, the Mac OS X is a much safer operating system. It doesn’t mean that it will be that safe forever. Precaution is always good no matter what OS you use. As the popular saying goes “an ounce or prevention is better than a pound of cure”.
While this is good news from our folks at Symantec, it’s always prudent to be careful when using a computer connected to the internet. Don’t open any email that you don’t know where it came from, don’t visit dubious web sites, double check the apps that you install and make sure it’s kosher. Stuff like that. If you can, it doesn’t hurt to install additional firewall and security software. While out of the box the Mac is a safe computer, it’s better to be safer than just be complacent.
So there you go.
That’s great news, I’ve converted a few friends to Macs not only because of its appearance and easy-”switchability” from Windows but also because of the absence of virus/malware/spyware etc. problems.
I was at a friend’s house yesterday doing a school project and good thing I had my Mac since his PC was bogged down by around a hundred pieces of spyware and a few viruses here and there; he had to run clean-up software while my Mac chugged along happily.
Apple rocks.
The After Mac rocks.
:)