While my Wonder Woman, Son&Heir and I are using the nearest available public WiFi (“Family Night” at the Library! *heh*), I’m taking time to post some schadenfreude-laden “nanny-nanny-boo-boo” in the MacWarz! category:
Waiting on the class action lawsuit based on the “Mac Defender” malware and its more robust and sneaky successor(s?) Why? Because Apple misled naive users. They said, specifically, that no user intervention is necessary to protect users from malware.
From http://www.apple.com/why-mac/better-os/
Safeguard your data. By doing nothing.
With virtually no effort on your part, Mac OS X defends against viruses and other malicious applications, or malware. For example, it thwarts hackers through a technique called “sandboxing” — restricting what actions programs can perform on your Mac, what files they can access, and what other programs they can launch. Other automatic security features include Library Randomization, which prevents malicious commands from finding their targets, and Execute Disable, which protects the memory in your Mac from attacks.
Download with peace of mind.Innocent-looking files downloaded over the Internet may contain dangerous malware in disguise. That’s why files you download using Safari, Mail, and iChat are screened to determine if they contain applications. If they do, Mac OS X alerts you, then warns you the first time you open one.
Stay up to date, automatically.
When a potential security threat arises, Apple responds quickly by providing software updates and security enhancements you can download automatically and install with a click. So you’re not tasked with tracking down updates yourself and installing all of them one by one.
Protect what’s important.Mac OS X makes it easy to stay safe online, whether you’re checking your bank account, sending confidential email, or sharing files with friends and coworkers. Features such as Password Assistant help you lock out identity thieves who are after personal data, while built-in encryption technologies protect your private information and communications. Safari also uses antiphishing technology to protect you from fraudulent websites. If you visit a suspicious site, Safari disables the page and displays an alert warning you about its suspect nature.
Of course, none of this prevented Mac users by the droves from installing the “Mac Defender” malware, and the new procedures reluctantly posted by Apple to remove it and prevent its installation (last week Apple was simply telling AppleCare users who called, “Screw You”) WILL NOT WORK with the new version of the malware that has already been seen in the wild. Neither will all the supposed security features touted above. Go to the ZDNet article linked above for more.
I would bust out laughing, but why?
I feel vindicated at least. I have told people for years that Apple’s security was based on obscurity. People have ragged on Microsoft (rightly so, perhaps) for its numerous security flaws and patches, telling me (erroneously, as I’ve always known) that Apple was “better” because it was immune to viruses and other attacks. I’ve always responded that when Apple’s market share grew to the point where it would be worthwhile to exploit its flaws someone would.
I’ve been called a liar, a “troll”, a shill for “that evil” Bill Gates and worse – all by people who fell for Apple’s propaganda – and who no doubt still will.
Over at the linked ZDNet article by Ed Bott–and at the previous articles wherein he detailed the issue, and particularly Apple’s “screw you” response to users asking for help contrasted with the FREE help offered by M$–similar slanders of Bott and anyone else who doesn’t toe the “Apple is perfect” line are common.
And no, I won’t name names, but one former blogging buddy was among the name callers. Maybe someday I’ll forget it, but forgetting takes effort.
It really doesn’t bother me a whole lot that Apple is saying “screw you” to idiots who did what Apple told them not to do.
Supposedly the reason they are telling their tech guys not to take it off is that they are putting out a new OS that will destroy the problem. /shrug. I don’t download anything I don’t know what it is and I don’t browse indiscriminately so it is no skin off my nose one way or the other. I do find the Apple hate community amusing. As I find the Apple cult amusing. 🙂
Nicole, I have to respectfully disagree, and I second Perri’s “Apple hate community” question. And, “idiots who did what Apple told them not to do”? Apple told them they were safe, period, that “With virtually no effort on your part, Mac OS X defends against viruses and other malicious applications, or malware,” and in commercials that Macs just don’t get malware like PCs do.
Then they tell people they’ve suckered (yes, idiots, but idiots who trusted what Apple told them) “Screw you” when those folks called for help to Apple Care they’d paid for. Now, no they’re not “putting out a new OS that will destroy the problem,” but a patch,and it doesn’t destroy the problem, because, as I mentioned in my post here, “WILL NOT WORK with the new version of the malware that has already been seen in the wild” (and as the topic of the article I liked points out), the malware authors have already released malware that circumvents the patch Apple has promised and nullifies the procedure for protection Apple suggests.
Apple has been caught with its pants down and is at last seeing what it means to finally have a target on its back as M$ has had for years. Now, that’s no defense of M$’s past errors in patching things or shrugging users off as Apple did right up until it caved and finally a.) admitted the issue and b.) told users both how to prevent infection of the least possible menace and c. ) promised a patch to avert this particular menace… soon.
Sidebar: I rail on a semi-regular basis against users (of ANY platform–I have “typical” Mac users I’ve given support to as well as Wintel users) who operate as though they need have no caution whatsoever. I generally label such folks as needing to live in Assisted Computing Facilities (“Here, dearie, let me make that mouse click for you *heh*). But the key in this is that Apple has spent a lot of ad money and sent its minions out for years selling the Mac as not needing any protection… including any efforts on the users’ parts to stay secure. Then, when that proves, as we all knew (at least those of us, Win/’nix/Mac users with enough sense to pound sand in a rat hole) false, they give users who ask for help… nothing, until a few influential tech writers pound them for a while and their forums begin to be all too full of examples for people to point to about both the issue of the malware itself and Apple’s “Screw you” response.
BTW, a completely arrogant response I could make to both Wintel and Mac users who infect themselves with malware (and almost 100% of malware of all kinds is a result of user action of one sort or another) is that in the last couple of decades (and a bit more) of computer use, I’ve never had a personal or work machine infected by malware. Simple caution and consistent practice combined with using the most secure software I can on whatever platform I use have sufficed to keep my machines clean when it seemed that all around me were getting bit by some form of malware. But when I run into someone who says (incorrectly, usually as a witting lie *sigh*) that they didn’t do anything to get infected/infested with whatever, telling them that they’re an idiot is counter-productive. What I do do is show them how they infected themselves and how to prevent such a thing in the future. Sometimes it takes. Sometimes. (Ask the Mac user on whose desktop I placed a simple shutdown script about invoking unknown items. I warned him about doing that… *heh* I’ve set similar snares for Windows users who called me back too often on self re-infections, so don’t say I did it just to “get” a Mac user :-))
Apple hate community?
Perri, I think that’s code for “Non-Macrophiliac” or something. *heh* (Ducking and running as my Mac friends and relations throw things :-))