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Story: Outrage at Symantec's OS X claims

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Posted by: Wilfred Hildonen (Wednesday 23 March 2005, 6:58 PM)

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I just tested my Mac with Symantec's own online test and it found that I was safe and secure and that thnks to the built-in firewall in Mac OSX, obviously. Other than that, I have Virex anti-virus through my dot mac-account. We have a Norwegian saying which goes like 'it is better to be careful before than quick afterwards'... No system is 100% safe and secure, of course, but it seems to me that crackers need to break through more doors on a Mac than on Windows, at least.
I am no expert in these matters, but since one need to have access to the Admin accounts' password to do anything which affects the system or even for installing programmes, one would need to circumvent that obstacle in some way or other, right?
Further than that, to make serious damage to the computer, any malware would need to get to the root level, isn't that so? I am the Admin of both of my computers and I wouldn't know how to do that and won't have any use for it, either, so how would some malware access it?
I am fully aware that some virus may be spread through more vulnerable PCs through e-mails, but as far as I know, Mail doesn't allow scripts in attachments to be run without my consent, so I guess that is another obstacle.

I am convinced that it would be possible to overcome these obstacles but so far, no one seems to have succeeded. If crackers are motivated by the possibility to acquire some herostratic fame, wouldn't it be more easily achieved by cracking the Mac, than Windows, something which any script kiddie seems to be able to?

Excuse me if I am whining:)

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