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Apple releases security update that removes MacDefender

32 points by ssclafani 15y ago

passingbyhi 15y ago
I am on OSX and a few months ago I installed Sophos which is free for Mac (Personal use). I installed it specifically because (a) it was quiet. Set it and forget it. (b) it didn't take up many resource - Activity Monitor is showing 15MB RAM and 0.0 CPU usage) and third it was free. I know Sophos from Windows - it is good software. ($45 bucks for Windows) Grab it for Mac: http://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/free-tools/sophos-antivirus-for-mac-home-edition.aspx http://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/free-tools/sophos-antiv... Sorry - I realize this looks like spam. I don't have a HN account and this is my first post. I assure you, in light of the malware conversation, I felt this was a good post to share as most Mac user (like me) don't have and don't need anti-virus software, but Sophos was a good option for me.
- 46Bit 15y ago
  The thing to bear in mind is that a lot of 'Mac Antivirus' software has overwhelmingly consisted of signatures to stop you passing on Windows malware, rather than necessarily much that will protect your system. EDIT: Just to be clear, I'm not saying this was necessarily negligent. I'm saying that time will tell how good any of these packages really are - assuming of course that Mac starts to get real malware rather than what I'll call trickware. That prediction has come and gone with little to show for it in the past, but it may not last.
smackfu 15y ago
It seems a bit like whack-a-mole, given how quickly new versions of malware and trojans are rolled out.
- comex 15y ago
  That's what antivirus is, essentially; it doesn't replace real security, but it can help. I'm glad to see Apple realizes that it should be part of the OS, not a choice between bloated third-party poorly-integrated expensive trialware applications, as is the ridiculous status quo elsewhere.
  - elithrar 15y ago
    Further, it's great to see they're doing it right: it's invisible to the user. No pop-ups, no opt-ins, no alerts. It does its thing, and if you really want to opt-out, you have the option to do so.
- dchest 15y ago
  "and if you’re on OS X 10.6.7 it will update the definitions on a daily basis to catch new variants". Right there, in the linked article. See http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4657 http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4657 for details. Here are the definitions: http://configuration.apple.com/configurations/macosx/xprotect/1/clientConfiguration.plist http://configuration.apple.com/configurations/macosx/xprotec...
  - smackfu 15y ago
    Right, so just hope Apple gets a copy of the malware before you do.
    - seabee 15y ago
      Of course, is there any alternative? Heuristics aren't a good solution.
    - ugh 15y ago
      Given the current scope of the problem, this is an appropriate solution.

32 points by ssclafani 15y ago

I am on OSX and a few months ago I installed Sophos which is free for Mac (Personal use). I installed it specifically because (a) it was quiet. Set it and forget it. (b) it didn't take up many resource - Activity Monitor is showing 15MB RAM and 0.0 CPU usage) and third it was free. I know Sophos from Windows - it is good software. ($45 bucks for Windows) Grab it for Mac: http://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/free-tools/sophos-antivirus-for-mac-home-edition.aspx http://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/free-tools/sophos-antiv... Sorry - I realize this looks like spam. I don't have a HN account and this is my first post. I assure you, in light of the malware conversation, I felt this was a good post to share as most Mac user (like me) don't have and don't need anti-virus software, but Sophos was a good option for me.

46Bit 15y ago
The thing to bear in mind is that a lot of 'Mac Antivirus' software has overwhelmingly consisted of signatures to stop you passing on Windows malware, rather than necessarily much that will protect your system. EDIT: Just to be clear, I'm not saying this was necessarily negligent. I'm saying that time will tell how good any of these packages really are - assuming of course that Mac starts to get real malware rather than what I'll call trickware. That prediction has come and gone with little to show for it in the past, but it may not last.

smackfu 15y ago

It seems a bit like whack-a-mole, given how quickly new versions of malware and trojans are rolled out.

comex 15y ago
That's what antivirus is, essentially; it doesn't replace real security, but it can help. I'm glad to see Apple realizes that it should be part of the OS, not a choice between bloated third-party poorly-integrated expensive trialware applications, as is the ridiculous status quo elsewhere.
- elithrar 15y ago
  Further, it's great to see they're doing it right: it's invisible to the user. No pop-ups, no opt-ins, no alerts. It does its thing, and if you really want to opt-out, you have the option to do so.
dchest 15y ago
"and if you’re on OS X 10.6.7 it will update the definitions on a daily basis to catch new variants". Right there, in the linked article. See http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4657 http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4657 for details. Here are the definitions: http://configuration.apple.com/configurations/macosx/xprotect/1/clientConfiguration.plist http://configuration.apple.com/configurations/macosx/xprotec...
- smackfu 15y ago
  Right, so just hope Apple gets a copy of the malware before you do.
  - seabee 15y ago
    Of course, is there any alternative? Heuristics aren't a good solution.
  - ugh 15y ago
    Given the current scope of the problem, this is an appropriate solution.