Filed under: Security
Apple removes antivirus-related KB page
According to Macworld, Apple removed a Knowledge Base article about antivirus software compatible with Mac OS X.
The article received "a lot of attention" because it seemingly contradicted Apple's marketing messages about malware for Mac. Our own Michael Rose tried to take the kettle off the stove, noting that the article had been around for years before the Washington Post noticed it this week.
Macworld's Jim Dalrymple spoke with Apple spokesman Bill Evans, who said "We have removed the Knowledge Base article because it was old and inaccurate. The Mac is designed with built-in technologies that provide protection against malicious software and security threats right out of the box."
Even so, Evans admitted, "Since no system can be 100% immune from every threat, running anti-virus software may offer additional protection."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
+. said 10:33AM on 12-03-2008
sadly, i think all anyone's learned from this -- viruses aside -- is how redundant & silly most tech sites actually are. i swear, if i see one more blogger use a horrible cliche ("SAY IT AIN'T SO!") attached to a story about Mac viruses, my head's going to explode.
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Jake said 11:39AM on 12-03-2008
SAY IT AIN'T SO!
Let's see that head blow up now...
SpinThis! said 10:53AM on 12-03-2008
It wouldn't surprise me if Apple was paid off by the virus-detection software companies to create a knowledge base article on their behalf—thus the version revisions, etc. (Seriously, a KB article doesn't really need version numbers in the first place.) When it started to get bad PR, Apple pulled it—since bad press is worse than the little they were making...
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mr kitty said 12:34PM on 12-03-2008
If you seriously believe this, you seriously need some insight into how support systems work. Support teams get pressure from every direction within a company, including the marketing department, who generally want them to downplay issues.
Marketing departments are NOT going to sell ad space in the KB. If for no other reason, it counters their predominant goal of making their actual products look better.
Quite simply, Apple has a vested interest in keeping the market Anti-Malware software for the Mac platform alive. While it's true that by and large it isn't needed currently, what happens when it is? If a real virus comes along that Apple can't immediately patch and Symantec, MacAfee and Intego have discontinued their products, the Mac platform is going to be screwed. From what I see that was the point of the article. Apple doesn't need compensation for publishing it.
Of course, that's a big IF. And when idiots at the BBC start pointing to the article as proof of the inevitability of Mac OS X's vulnerability... well, then the Marketing department steps in and pulls the plug.
Michael Rose said 12:58PM on 12-03-2008
If so, they've been paying Apple for a LOOOONG time. AV notes in the KB have been there since the System 7 days.
(P.S. Would enjoy a toke of whatever it is you're smoking.)
Shunnabunich said 3:14PM on 12-03-2008
"If...Symantec, MacAfee and Intego have discontinued their products, the Mac platform is going to be screwed."
If the large corporate players have discontinued their products, that doesn't mean existing free anti-malware software will poof out of existence; it'll merely eliminate a few harmful applications (which people were charged money to acquire!) from the platform. If, somehow, nobody feels like updating those free solutions if and when a malware crisis rolls around, then yeah, we are screwed, but I don't see how the withering-away of the most prominent Mac malware would *worsen* such a crisis.
Brian said 11:03AM on 12-03-2008
Of course the best protection again these nasty people is a brain, it takes up a lot less system resources and is free and open source.
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Jaap Stronks said 11:13AM on 12-03-2008
I really wouldn't want to install anti-malware and anti-virus software on my Macs. Even if there are going to be viruses released, I don't think dedicated software will be necessary for some time. A lot of fuss about malware on OS X is about stuff you have to install yourself and specifically authorize to send your private info to hacker websites, so to speak.
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rich said 12:19PM on 12-03-2008
As a switcher, I find this whole apple stance - and the attitude of mac fans - pretty reckless. I don't personally have AV installed, but there's certainly good reason to worry about infection, especially on systems used by kids and other 'less security literate' types.
Apple is setting itself up for a PR disaster when someone turns their sights on OS X, for fun or as part of a stock-shorting exercise.
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mr kitty said 12:38PM on 12-03-2008
You are assuming that Mac OS X is as architecturally vulnerable to infection as Windows is. It is not.
It's very easy -- and repeatedly recommended -- to set up a limited account for kids or other users that don't understand not to install software that isn't trusted.
And if that is too much work, there's always the solution of not giving those users the password in the first place.
Brandon Martinez said 1:37PM on 12-03-2008
I agree; given the UNIX-based architecture of Mac OS X, writing a virus for the Mac generally comes down to asking the user if they want to mess up their own computer, and if so, please authenticate as an administrator to do it. Its like walking to a burglar, them asking you if they can raid your house, you saying okay and handing them the key to the front door*.
*This would be in most cases; there is *always* the possibility of there being some sort of security hole that could exploited, but this is just as rare as the above example (I would assume).
Jash Sayani said 12:38PM on 12-03-2008
Well, I dont even get viruses on Windows... Its based on what sites you visit and what you download... I just Check mails, Blog, watch YouTube vids and sync my iPod and iPhone... That does not seem to attract viruses. If its a Mac or a PC....
So its all upto the users....
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Alex Rogahn said 2:03PM on 12-03-2008
In my opinion all this buzz about anti virus software all of a sudden is just a way to stop apple from getting bad rep, think of it this way, apple claimed macs can't (or are unlikely to) get viruses. Well what happens when a mac gets a virus? Some customers are going to be pretty annoyed, despite apples claims. I personally use a mac with no anti virus and thats not going to change in the near future, if you don't get viruses on Windows through sensible use (according to Jash) then the chances of a mac getting one are infinitely smaller.
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