Re: Anti-Virus Software for Mac
On Apr 10, 2012, at 7:08 PM, Dan wrote: > > 4. Right now, the primary vectors for OS X-targetting malware are Flash, > Java, and MS Office. So glove up and pay attention. Crush Flash. And give up things like browsing the 1940 Census records, the ones that were just released? and a host of other useful and fun tools on the web. Much better to use Click to Flash to just turn off the blinky blinky ads, which are the vectors for most drive-by infections. > Kill Java. In your browser, unless, of course, you're dependent on a particular web application. Were I to "Kill Java" I would suddenly find myself without vital tools for my job, namely DBVisualizer (only one of the very best multi-platform database management tools in existence) and a handful of others, like ImageJ, the descendant of the venerable NIH Image for the Mac, the best photometric and graphimetric tool in existence for the Mac. A blanket admonition to "Kill Java" is not a good one. > Destroy MS Office. That's MUCH easier said, than done. > Then date the sexy robot. Eww, tmi, I think?:-) Dan left off a very important one: When some random website tells you to update something like Flash or Quicktime, etc, they may be absolutely correct and you need a newer version of the software, but don't just accept their download, go to the source and get it yourself. If the site STILL tells you need a newer version of Flash they're either trying to infect you or they're incompetently programmed. (BBC I'm looking at YOU!) -- Bruce Johnson University of Arizona College of Pharmacy Information Technology Group Institutions do not have opinions, merely customs -- You received this message because you are a member of the iMac Group, a group for those using Apple iMacs and eMacs. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/imac/list.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to imaclist@googlegroups.com To leave this group, send email to imaclist+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/imaclist
Re: Anti-Virus Software for Mac
On Apr 10, 2012, at 6:04 PM, Al Poulin wrote: > In view of the Flashback trojan, is now the time for average home and > student users to install an anti-virus package? I notice that there > are two free pachages, ClamXav 2 and Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac Home > Edition. ClamXav 2 is donationware and the Sophos seems to be a total > freebie. Does one have particular advantages over the other? ClamXAV works, Sophos is old, and while it's up-to-date insofar as virus defs, it's still has significant limitations, I'm using ClamXAv. However, as Dan mentioned, ANY AV software is reactive, not proactive. -- Bruce Johnson University of Arizona College of Pharmacy Information Technology Group Institutions do not have opinions, merely customs -- You received this message because you are a member of the iMac Group, a group for those using Apple iMacs and eMacs. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/imac/list.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to imaclist@googlegroups.com To leave this group, send email to imaclist+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/imaclist
Re: Anti-Virus Software for Mac
At 6:04 PM -0700 4/10/2012, Al Poulin wrote: In view of the Flashback trojan, is now the time for average home and student users to install an anti-virus package? I notice that there are two free pachages, ClamXav 2 and Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac Home Edition. ClamXav 2 is donationware and the Sophos seems to be a total freebie. Does one have particular advantages over the other? We've covered this a number of times over the past year on the various LEM lists. ClamXav and Sophos are our two favs. Currently, I prefer Clam. It seems less intrusive. (Yes, both have a full set of definitions to catch all the Flashback variants). But keep in mind... 1. All these AV products work by sniffing at files as they're dropped onto the HD. If the browser keeps the object in memory - eg: a tiny cached java object, no AV will see it. So just because you have an AV installed doesn't mean you're actually protected. 2. No AV catches things for which it doesn't already have definitions. So just because you have an AV installed doesn't mean you're actually protected, even if you just updated it! 3. Even tho there are a few trojans out there that target OS X, the majority of malware still targets Windoze. So the main reason for using an AV on your Mac is to identify Windoze malwarez so you don't pass them on to a "friend" that uses Windoze. 4. Right now, the primary vectors for OS X-targetting malware are Flash, Java, and MS Office. So glove up and pay attention. Crush Flash. Kill Java. Destroy MS Office. Then date the sexy robot. HTH, - Dan. -- - Psychoceramic Emeritus; South Jersey, USA, Earth. -- You received this message because you are a member of the iMac Group, a group for those using Apple iMacs and eMacs. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/imac/list.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to imaclist@googlegroups.com To leave this group, send email to imaclist+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/imaclist
Anti-Virus Software for Mac
In view of the Flashback trojan, is now the time for average home and student users to install an anti-virus package? I notice that there are two free pachages, ClamXav 2 and Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac Home Edition. ClamXav 2 is donationware and the Sophos seems to be a total freebie. Does one have particular advantages over the other? Al Poulin -- You received this message because you are a member of the iMac Group, a group for those using Apple iMacs and eMacs. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/imac/list.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to imaclist@googlegroups.com To leave this group, send email to imaclist+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/imaclist
