Justin Long's a Liar, Apple Tells Mac Users to Install Antivirus Software
Posted 12/02/08 at 01:00:00 PM | by Paul Lilly
Talk to any Mac-inite and he'll tell you how secure his Mac is compared to your Windows-based PC. And admittedly, he's right. But is it because Mac OS X is inherently more secure than Windows, or do virus writers simply not give a damn when there are so many Windows users to target? Justin Long doesn't say, and instead insinuates that Mac users needn't worry about malware - see for yourself.
In what might be an ironic twist, Apple's ad campaign has helped Macs increase its market share and potentially draw attention to the platform as a viable target. For the first time ever, Apple is telling its users to install antivirus software.
"Apple encourages the widespread use of multiple antivirus utilities so that virus programmers have more than one application to circumvent, thus making the whole virus writing process more difficult," Apple posted on its support site.
But don't take that to mean that Apple suddenly thinks its operating system is wrought with security holes. As Dave Marcus, director of security research and communications at McAfee points out, malware is targeting data and not a specific OS. Vulnerabilities in Flash and the Safari web browser, for example, have given rise to non-OS attacks.
Reaction to Apple's recommendation? Hit the jump and post your thoughts.
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someone should write a virus
Submitted by hogkill on Thu, 2008-12-04 14:06
someone should write a virus with a dancing Justin Long singing "never gonna let you up", while it writes over all the key system files
Submitted by brokenmoth08 on Wed, 2008-12-17 01:58
It should also completly fill the hard drive cus when there are apples there are worms >:D
Nice!!
Submitted by GreenTurtle on Fri, 2008-12-05 18:21
HAHAHA!!!!LOL!!!!!! That's awesome!!!
day late and dollar short MPC
Submitted by c8503 on Thu, 2008-12-04 11:35
great job guys - this story came out three days ago across the web. and apple has already pulled the page AND made statements that they've always supported adding anti-virus software to Macs (which they have). Are you guys actually doing anything? Or just poorly re-hashing old news articles.
Please up your game.
-Loyal reader.
PS. there hasn't been a single successful virus to affect macs to date. it was a precautionary memo as there were two ineffective attempts at wide-spead mac os X malware floating around the net. the precaution is probably related to macs increasing their market share (~9%) meanwhile your beloved microsoft declines.
MSFT still holds just shy of 90% of the market, and I own a Vista machine so attempts to label this poster as a mac-freak/hippy would be misplaced. But the spin MPC has put on articles boasting about the failsauce Windows 7 while trying to piss on Apple just decreases the validity of this publication.
actually Apply ACTIVLY
Submitted by nekollx on Thu, 2008-12-04 11:41
actually Apply ACTIVLY DISCOURAGES antivirus before this point. I have a Mac Pro 2008 eddition at work. When i noticed no antivirus and called mac on it they told me "not to worry about it. Macs don't need antivirus"
Submitted by Khaled on Thu, 2008-12-04 08:03
I use a Mac and a Windows XP based PC and I was never infected by a virus on neither.
Submitted by winmaster on Wed, 2008-12-03 16:01
Now those stupid mac users can taker their "My Mac is secure, unlike you PC's I don't need antivirus." and shove it up their ass. I've always known that the only reason Mac's didn't need antivirus was because nobody cared enough to write a virus for them. Windows 95 users need not install anti-virus for the same reason, its too old for modern viruses to work. Unfortunately, Mac's will start coming with iAntivirus Lepard.
Wait! I just realized something. Macs already do come with some form of antivirus. When I took a vido production class that used Mac's, the instructor would plug his Mac book Pro into a desktop, which would respond by scanning the entire laptop for viruses before it would let him use it. That's a mac for ya. LOL.
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The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
Amazing, my prediction was
Submitted by Antilogic81 on Tue, 2008-12-02 22:18
Amazing, my prediction was right, soon as I heard that commercial I said to myself "You know, making claims like that will garner unwanted attention from virus programmers."
It's really sad too, I know more than one mac lover who told me they don't need anti-spyware or anti-virus software because of the immaculate design that is the mac os. I laughed then, and I'm laughing now - I'm sure apple raked in some great dough from apple users who bought into that bs and sent their pc to apple for repairs. If there was any real doubt as to windows security measures we would have all made the switch by now. Fact is, a smart operator can keep his computer safe, and that goes for any operating system.
Submitted by GreenTurtle on Tue, 2008-12-02 17:58
I have been waiting for this day to arrive LOL!!!!! I'm sure most geeks like myself knew this; but Apple finally admitted to it !!!! I wonder if it will make the Maclife front page or if they'll try to hide it in the back somewhere. One more stupid commercial down........ Unfortunately....... many more to go.
Submitted by C0mPw1z on Tue, 2008-12-02 14:56
This article made me laugh. Pretty much now, there is no reason to buy a mac. Sure I won't deny that a mac is built with quality... and by quality i mean if you loved to build with legos as a child then you will sure love this 1 piece-o' crap machinery, but seriously... Apple computers are supposed to be known to keep the nasty viruses away... now that its been revealed to just be a fraud os, and its true colors can be seen, do we all smell a fresh batch of "down with apple's market share" cookies? I mean comon... besides the fanatics who will stay with mac until we find computers obsolete... what normal human being won't go for the cheap... better performance... more customizable... more reliable... non apple... pc.
P.S. take a loot at my subject... i think it fits perfectly here.
Submitted by JDK on Tue, 2008-12-02 14:16
Why is anyone even paying attention to the Mac hype machine anymore? Mac folks are only concerned with what flavor Kool Aid Steve Jobs is making for them. The bizarre crap I've heard come out of die hard mac users mouths is nothing short of moronic. But seeing as how I dont think I'm the only one whos dealt with Mac silliness such as...yes this happened to me....a Mac user explaining to me that Macs never crash while he's recorvering from a crash...I've stopped listening.
Now excuse me while I go buy an AppleTV.
Make mine Grape flavored Mr. Jobs!
Submitted by Da Man on Tue, 2008-12-02 14:04
Hey Maximum PC don't fall into the Mac lying Hype, the comment "Talk to any Mac-inite and he'll tell you how secure his Mac is compared to your Windows-based PC. And admittedly, he's right."
As any security professional knows, admittedly he's wrong, given the last few years of zero day exploits, 3rd party reports, SANS and other security conferences and contests, the list goes on. Apple OS is one of the worst on exploits. And I'm not even including Quicktime in that analysis, though I have to include the horribly insecure Safari.
Ok enough ranting, it's just good to know that Apple's misinformation campaign is finally becoming derailed... unfortunately too many "normal" users have already accepted this information as truth.
Submitted by nekollx on Tue, 2008-12-02 12:42
Justin a Lier? Noooooo! i mean he never lies. Am i supose to now question the comercial when PC spends more money to make comencials then fix Vista's disasterious OS flaws...
oh wait SP1 did that....
Justin Long IS a liar!
A triumph of common sense
Submitted by Bender2000 on Tue, 2008-12-02 12:39
Apple removes a marketing point, but we are all the better for it. Maybe they'll build in virus protection like they do other apps like DVD player and e-mail. Now your buddies at MacLife have to jump to get the best anti-virus article in the next issue. Think they'll introduce a virus scanner in January?
As they warn us about...
Submitted by Talcum X on Tue, 2008-12-02 12:20
"Truth in Advertising" (or the lack there of)
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