Please answer - ALL OS Versions

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brownhead

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Hi Mac users - I am actually conducting a quick survey of how many users have had their security compromised using the Mac OS vs Windows. I have my own feelings on this but need to hear from all of you. Thanks in advance.

Please...if you can note your OS version and simple description of what happened. Thanks again.
 
Mac OS 4 or 5 or something until today: Security was never compromised as far as I know. Unless you count that Apple actually _told_ users that earlier versions of tools supplied with OS X were compromised when they released security updates (so we _know_ there were holes). Then we _all_ at some point had systems that theoretically could've been broken into. Heck: I don't expect Mac OS X 10.4.9 to be perfectly safe. We all know that of its many, many parts, some probably _do_ have bugs that could be exploited. The important thing is that there is *no* widely known exploit that is actively exploited. If you want to make a survey about it, you should create a few clear questions. :)

That said, I had quite a few Windows XP running PCs with active malware installed that I had to save. Not my own, but those of friends, colleagues, family etc. (Someone obviously _always_ has to click links they shouldn't, be it on the web or in E-Mails...)
 
Same with me, but I started with system 1.*, or whatever the Lisa ran. Now running 10.4.9 on two machines!

From time to time I've installed anti-virus, but I've never found anything. Currently have ClamXAV, but only as it's free...
 
From my Apple II to today, I never had a virus or anything similar in MacOS. But I had issue with special viruses that were using Word macros.
 
brownhead said:
Hi Mac users - I am actually conducting a quick survey of how many users have had their security compromised using the Mac OS vs Windows. I have my own feelings on this but need to hear from all of you. Thanks in advance.

Please...if you can note your OS version and simple description of what happened. Thanks again.
Click to expand...

I use multiple macs with multiple os systems. (not 10.0, 10.1 and 10.2), but both higher and lower (even now still systems running 9.x).

Never had any problems and believe me, i have seen thousands of mails in outllook (for mac) containing virusses.

The most important issue is that the mac is not so interesting to target, there are a lot more ms-ie/oe systems to target and most of the users are easy prey. If ms users using something else as ie (internet explorer) or oe (outlook express) are a lot harder to target.

So staying away as ms-user from ie/oe will make life a lot more fun (excpet for spyware stuff). For mac users no real danger exists, except by some programs (like terminal) if you have an easy to break root-password.


Good luck, Kees
 
I've been using macs since OS 8.6, and owned them since 10.3.5. i have never had any fear that the internet could cause harm to my computer.

actually, far from it, i actively click on links i know to be dodgy, just to see what might happen, and nothing ever really does.

this is contrary to my experiences with windows, i remember the first time i set up a clean install of XP for my parents, and within minutes of getting it online, the Sassar worm found me and infected the computer, forcing it to repeatedly shut down.


I have never had my security compromised by a mac, from the internet or otherwise, nor have i heard of any such cases.
 
In OS X, never.

I started using Macs with System 7 (6 if you count other people's Macs that I messed around with), or about 13.5 years ago.

The last (and only) time I had any real security issue was around 10 years ago, running OS 8 on a Power Mac. I got a virus. The MBDF B virus, to be precise. It wasn't actually compatible with OS 8, so it didn't do whatever it was meant to, but it did cause constant crashes. It took me 2 clean system re-installations before I even considered the possibility that it might be a virus causing the trouble. Then I ran the free Disinfectant, and all was well.

This was before the explosion of the Internet. I'd been downloading things from AOL for a couple years (on my 2400 baud modem!), but I actually got the virus from a "Software of the Month Club" CD, or something like that. It was attached to some little game, I think.

Aside from that, I've never had any problems with security.
 
Been using Mac OS since the early nineties and have had only 1 virus that my wife caught from the computer lab at her college. I applied the cure and haven't had trouble since.

I've run everything from system 6.x to 10.3.9 (in my current system). My wife's school runs Macs up to System 10.4.x and they have never had a virus attack.

David
 
I've been using Macs since my Mac OS 8.6 iMac (grape), and have dealt with every computer Apple have produced since the release of that machine. I have never come across a virus or case of spyware.
 
i think i got a virus once with system 7 once in high school. some kid brought in a disk from his house and infected a couple of computers at school. but a quick scan with virex fixed that. but i've never had anything on a computer i've owned, and that include windows too (3.1, 95, 98, xp, and vista), and even msdos.
 
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