Is it true that the MAC computer does not get any viruses?

Question

My buddy has a mac computer & says it does not need any virus software, what is the shelf life for these expensive computers?
So they do not get a virus like an hp or compaq computer?

Answer 1

No, that is not at all true and never was to begin with. Last month Macs were hit with in an infection. There is virus protect for Macs that you can get, always has been.



Now the only difference between Mac and Windows with the virus was because about 95% of people use windows, only a small ammount use the Mac, so hackers wren't really banging on making a high ammount of virus to infect that small 5% of people, but as Mac's number grow, they will be just as high to get infected as good old windows does.

Answer 2

Macs are built with quality hardware (for the most part) and with innovative design. The problem lies in the application of that creativity in the short run. It seems to me that Apple has always released their computers without enough time in the R&D phase.



Look at the Apple discussion forum. There are always people having problems with their new Macs, but still... Macs have a shelf life that far exceeds any PC under $1000.



Macs get viruses. Don't let anyone tell you that they don't, but they are far and few between. The myth is that the Mac did not have enough of a market share to make hacking profitable. Myth, myth, myth.



Tight software coding and a closed system design prevented the vast majority of hackers from infecting Macs with viruses. However, now that the Intel processor is fully settled into the Mac, there are more viruses being written for them. Why? Because when you place an Intel processor into a computer you have to write code that will work with an Intel processor. Windows run natively on a Mac. It can because of the Intel CPU. The door has been opened for viruses.



If you have a Mac, and you do allot of web surfing, get anti-virus software.

Answer 3

Phillip gave the best answer so far. There are currently no released MacOs X viruses. Any comments the Windows users have telling you otherwise are wrong. The last MacOs X virus came out 3 years ago and a whole 49 Macs in the world got it before it died out. There are handful of MacOs X trojans. They do not replicate, you cannot get one from visiting a website or opening an email. You have to be duped into downloading it, then agree to install it and put in your admin password twice to activate it. The trojans are in illegal torrent downloads of iWorks 09 and Photoshop CS4. You can also be duped by a fake Mac poker game, malware remover, anti-virus or porn viewer. Latest guess is that about 25,000 Mac users have been tricked into installing one on their Macs. So most people, like me, who don't share files illegally and are smart enough not to install fake software, have no worries. I have 4 Macs (no anti-virus software) and also did tech support for 10 years for a school district. I never had a Mac running MacOs X with a virus/malware/adware etc.

As to shelf life, the average Mac user keeps his Mac for 5 years. Macs have the highest rated resale value and tech support.

Answer 4

It's true Macs are highly resistant to viruses. This is mainly because of proper privilege separation so that even "administrator" users operate as limited users and have to password-authenticate to gain temporary root access for individual tasks. But it's also true that Windows can be highly resistant to viruses, too, if you use a limited user account and turn off autorun and avoid Outlook and Internet Explorer. And it's also true that running antivirus software does not protect you on any OS. It's retroactive "protection" instead of proactive protection. Almost everyone who gets infected with malware has antivirus of some sort running. Some poor fools actually pay for it, too. Regardless of what OS you use (Mac, Windows, Linux), if you're gullible and ignorant, you can still get infected with trojans, which rely on social engineering (tricking you into installing them, instead of taking advantage of a flaw in the software). Read up on social engineering, use a limited account, and don't pirate software/music/videos, and you'll be fine.

Answer 5

Mac viruses are generally rare. Apple says they don't get any viruses because the total mac virus count is negligible.



It is possible, however, to get a virus on a Mac. NO operating system in the world is 100% safe.

Answer 6

Macs are almost completely immune to viruses like linux, but there are some trojans that can affect them. Luckily, the major mac trojans are only found in pirated software/ illegal stuff. macs are extremely durable and will be able to run the latest operating systems for over 6 years because mac os x doesn't use many resources and is very fast. I have a macbook white and i have had it for a year now. Super strong and durable, the price is worth it! To find out more about the security:

http://www.apple.com/getamac/whymac/

Answer 7

That used to be true, but now snice 2006 a new mac virus pops up a few times a year. The number is likely to increase as macs get more popular.



for example: the OSX/Inqtana.A was a Java-based worm that exploits the directory traversal vulnerability in the Bluetooth file and object exchange services in Mac OS X 10.4



right now the latest MAC threat is the OSX/IWService Trojan

http://vil.nai.com/vil/Content/v_153893.htm

Answer 8

Everyone here is right. Let me just sum it up for ya:



Basically, the majority of viruses created are Windows compaible, and Windows only. People who make things like that didn't bother redoing it so it's compatible for Mac. There IS some that are, but not many.

Answer 9

In almost ever case of virus infection it is a result of of operator error or people not securing their PC or Mac properly. Other than for demonstration purposes, I've not had a virus in over 5 years, on any of my machines, Mac, Linux or Windblows.

Answer 10

In the beginning MACs couldn't get viruses, but now there are more and more that are being programmed to affect MACs as well.

So your friend is wrong.

Answer 11

Macs CAN and DO get viruses. Anyone claiming otherwise doesn't know what they are talking about. Need proof? Check below.



Also, it's not that Macs couldn't get viruses, it's that no one bothered to write viruses for Macs.

Answer 12

There is not ONE single virus for OS X, which is the operating system Macs have been running for a decade now.



I've had this Mac I'm using right now since February of 06.

Answer 13

Here is just one of many