We confess: we only installed an anti-virus utility on our Mac nine months ago, after years of using OS X. Even then, we only loaded the application once, because a friend declared how awesome it was. Only, by “awesome” we mean to suggest that the application only appeared awesome, because it, and other applications like it, are wholly useless on Macs.
…you can rest assured that every article you read about a wide spread virus attacks is really about Microsoft Windows. Of course, there will also be those sneaky articles written in CNET and Wired and the Register that insinuate that trojan horse attacks are the same thing as viruses because they are both “malware,†just like stubbing your toe and the Black Death are both “health-related issues.â€
At the root of the issue is the media’s almost intentional misuse of the term “virus,” when most of the time, they actually mean “trojan.” The latter type of attack is based on duping a user into installing a piece of malware that exploits a system vulnerability, but doesn’t naturally propagate. While some trojans have virus-like behavior, what’s worth noting is that OS X is virtually free of real viruses, making anti-virus applications for the platform overprotective at best. In a time when broadband connectivity wasn’t available to most computer users, making updating an operating system painful if not impossible without loading diskettes into one’s system, exploiting system vulnerabilities was a much easier task for malware developers. The argument posed by Daniel Dilger and others is simply this: OS X is a robust OS with a built-in method for notifying the user when updates are available. Effectively, any vulnerabilities in the system should be patched up quickly enough, and all other malware attacks are due to a user’s poor judgement in what to install. Everything else, stereotypical ideas of computer viruses included, are simply fiction.
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