Open???? Seriously? ‘Open’ is an option for a file that ‘will damage your computer.’ Also, ‘Move to Trash’ … again, is this for real? How about a ‘nuke it from orbit’ option instead?

Bottom line, Apple users can’t rely on Apple to protect them. Instead they should download and install a third-party malware scanner.

The File Quarantine feature has also been beefed up to automatically check for known malware definitions and apply these updates when necessarily.

“The system will check daily for updates to the File Quarantine malware definition list. An opt-out capability is provided via the “Automatically update safe downloads list” checkbox in Security Preferences,” Apple explained.

For Mac users who already fell victim to the MacDefender scam, Apple shipped a malware removal tool to handle post-infection clean up.

Modern Mac owners need to ignore the dinosaurs and get protection

I have to agree with Mr Kingsley-Hughes on this point. If it knows it is malware, why does it still offer the option to open it?!?!

The best protection is the simplest - don't run as admin. If you take that step, none of the variants of MacDefender so far can harm you unless you specifically let them.

Modern Mac owners need to use a modicum of sense in what they do online, surely?

Because there is such a thing as a false positive. They've set 'move to trash' as the default option - if you want to run whatever it is, you specifically have to elect to do so. Frankly once you do that whatever the consequences are, they're your own problem.

And as for having a 'nuke from orbit' option, I for one wouldn't install any OS that even considered putting that in a dialogue box. It's an option from idiot shareware written by people whose ego outstrips their talent, not serious software written professional coders.
And, aside from the whole issue, that many question marks at once is the sign of a diseased mind.

TBH, I don't see how a third party app is going to be any different. The system is matching a signature to the downloaded image and presenting a warning with a choice of options. That's pretty much what every 'active' AV software does. The signature will update this evening and the new variant will be caught. It will then change again and so on and so on. This is exactly what third party AV software does. I'm not sure how getting a third party AV program on your mac would provide any greater protection than this does.

The best protection is the simplest - don't run as admin. If you take that step, none of the variants of MacDefender so far can harm you unless you specifically let them. I'd make a small bet than when we see Lion go RTM it will have this as part of the setup procedure.

Yes. I have this update installed and yet it has not detected any probelms. I have open safe files unchecked, just in case.

I’ve yet to experience a virus on my Macs. I think common sense rules apply here.

Looking at the mess of windows Apple’s check does, I’d say that they need to clear those up. Close the Safari window for a start. It’s a red herring.

Also, I would argue that at the end of the day, it’s your machine. If you want to open the file, then you have had sufficient warnings and responsibility is now handed to you. Unlike iOS, Mac OS X offers you more degrees of freedom, and part of that includes being able to run crapware.