Tuesday, 10 May 2011

Even Apple Macs can catch viruses

As a loyal Windows user, I find there are few things more boring than listening to Apple evangelists harping on about the merits of their smarter, prettier Macs. In a recent ad, a smug Robert Webb, playing a Mac alongside David Mitchell's dowdy PC, made this claim: "I run Mac OS X, so you don't have to worry about the viruses and spyware [as] PCs do." The ad led to several complaints. 

Clive Longbottom, a director at the IT analysts Quocirca, says it's wrong to say Macs don't get viruses. "They could; it's just that nobody can be bothered to write them. Worldwide, only about 3 per cent of desktop computers are Macs. At that level, it's not financially viable for hackers to write viruses for Macs." 

Macs used to be more resistant, but times have changed and Mac users are complacent at their peril. As more PC users install antivirus software and Microsoft ups its game, hackers might turn their attention to Macs. It's probably time for Mac users to start thinking about antivirus software, such as McAfee.

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