*Huggles Linux*

NOD32 or AVG Free if I absolutely have to.

CC, in business, you just can't afford not to check for viruses.

If you start sending your customers and business partners viruses, they aren't going ot work with you for much longer...

That is fair enough. If I were in the kind of business where it mattered then there are packages that update their definitions every hour or so. I would get one of those. But I'm not so I am just not going to bother.

I fully agree but not every AV program catches every threat. They all have their weaknesses.

A little hand grenade-ette of my own.

Least we forget it's now technically easier to write Viruses for the Mac as they now use identical hardware to recent windows machines so there is less stuff to learn as far as the underlying hardware architecture is concerned. Plus a Mac can of course now run Windows either through virtualisation or directly via boot-camp so the chances of your mac harbouring a virus is significantly higher than it was when PowerPC ruled the roost.

I use AV software on my Mac (currently Intego VirusBarrier X5) and I always have. TBH I can't say I've ever really noticed any problems with the AV software. Different people seem to have vastly difference experiences.
I use AV software specifically to minimise the risk of me passing on virus software to Windows users (like my work for a start).
If you aren't part of the solution you're part of the problem.

Dons fall-out jacket and heads to bunker.

I have ClamX but do not run it all the time. When I send stuff to Windows users I actually send links rather than docs.

*rubs chin*

So you expect the first Mac virus when exactly? I know OS X has only been out since March 24, 2001 so it is a little soon but I expect that you are right.

In the meanwhile there are thousands every day being added to the list for the poor old Windows user.



Though as you say "lest we forget"…

Though aren't these all XP viruses? I do not know if Vista or Windows 7 has been compromised yet.

i would like to add this ...
i have been banging this drum about shared security on all OS's for years and on the most part been ridiculed and derided for doing so
and i don't mind one bit as it brings this security issue to the attention of the user even on other systems that do not run windows

the internet which we all here use has become our home, its the way we work and interact with each other.

and just by doing a basic check on all downloads can stop an infected file from being passed on then i will check that downloaded file
as i do not want the scum that write this crap to win, this internet is and has become a major part of my life and i will not allow them to sh!t on my front lawn

basic AV should be installed on all computers that are used by all operating systems
this should also be a requirement for all ISP's and servers that they use for internet access
this may not be the best way forward but its a start to clean the net and then move forward

but its going to take every legitimate user and provider of the net to do the same regardless of OS
as one very famous man stated, 'i have a dream' i try to live that dream, but i know full well that i can not do it alone ...

edit
while writing this i did a scan of my home folder it took 5 minutes

I don't see this as the responsibility of the user. As long as it is then the mess will continue. There are too many out there who don't have the expertise to know good AV from bad. Poor AV with even one weakness renders your model useless as the sense of false security will allow that weakness to be totally exploited.

Also as soon as one AV maker fails to keep their product up to date do you cut everyone that uses it off from the internet?

I believe it is the responsibility of the manufactures of an OS to keep their own systems secure. If they can't do it then their products should be withdrawn from the market or badged as "unsafe". Then we would see some REAL expertise brought to bear on the problem. Till then we will always have sticking plasters applied to gaping wounds.

i did not state responsibility for the install of AV
only a requirement that AV be installed

how that requirement is achieved is another question that will require thought …

True, you did not.

If as I suggest the writer of the OS has responsibility for security then we could have a compulsory badge system. Here are some off the cuff ideas as to how it could work.



"Warning this OS is security class 3 It is highly prone to malware. Do not use without a Grade B or higher security install from a reputable vendor"

"Warning this OS is security class 2 malware exists but is not common for this OS. A Grade B or higher security install from a reputable vendor is recommended"

"This OS is security class 1 it does not require additional AV software as long as the system updates are enabled."

"This OS is security class 0 it is authorised for secure business applications. Some browser features may be disabled."


What do you think?

Woah there's a legal minefield right there!

Microsoft should put a link to MSE in the start menu much like they do with Live Essentials. Either that or grow a pair and tell AV companies to piss off.

I can't trust some people I know to install AV, let alone keep it up-to-date and run scans. For this reason I put them all onto Ubuntu and tell it to install security updates without user intervention and only update to LTS releases. They all chug away quite happily.

I did the same with my mum and a macbook. Very few problems in supporting her, and she is not computer literate.