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If you have a Mac OS X computer, you do not need antivirus software to protect your computer against Windows viruses. And you do not need to protect your computer against Mac OS X viruses, because there aren't any.
  technofile
Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983


Mac OS X computers don't need antivirus software, but users should avoid forwarding suspicious mail


July 2, 2003


By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2003, Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2003, The Post-Standard

   Do Mac OS X computers need antivirus software?
   I thought I knew the answer until recently. It turns out things aren't as simple as they seem.
   The standard answer is a flat, unequivocal "No." But those of us who use Mac OS X computers should not get too smug about this, especially since we might be able to help our less fortunate brethren -- sorry, I mean our friends and neighbors who use Windows -- in ways that we might not have imagined before. And that means the answer might be quite different.
   Let me explain.
   There are no Mac OS X viruses to worry about. The morons who write viruses don't bother aiming them at Mac OS X computers; they create them for Windows PCs almost exclusively. The total is staggering -- 60,000 to 70,000 active viruses and worms, with 10,000 new ones appearing every year.
   And they're nearly all designed to infect Windows PCs. Your Mac OS X computer is immune to Windows viruses by its very design. It doesn't run Windows software and therefore can 't react to Windows viruses.
   (Quick digression: Mac users who run Windows through an emulator such as Virtual PC need Windows antivirus software on the emulated side of the system, but the host computer -- the Mac -- won't be affected even if viruses attack the Windows side.)
   To make this as clear as possible, I'll state it another way: If you have a Mac OS X computer, you do not need antivirus software to protect your computer against Windows viruses. And you do not need to protect your computer against Mac OS X viruses, because there aren't any. That's how simple it is.
   But there is something you should do about Windows viruses. You should be very careful when you forward mail. Most Windows viruses and worms arrive in e-mail, either as attachments or as scripts (instructions within the mail). Don't let your mail software pass these Windows viruses to other computer users.
   How would you know -- how would your Mac know? -- that one piece of e-mail or another is hiding a virus? Generally, you can just plain use common sense.
   Here's the secret. Windows viruses often leave an easy-to-spot clue.
   In nearly every case, Windows viruses and worms send themselves out. They don't rely on Windows users. They hijack the computer's e-mail function -- believe it or not, Windows puts up no defense against this -- and then send themselves out to everyone listed in the Windows address book.
   When they do this, most common Windows viruses and worms make up a message. Such messages, usually created by non-English-speaking computer outlaws in Eastern Europe or the Far East, are usually worded so awkwardly, using such bad grammar and sometimes poor spelling, that they stick out from the crowd. You should be able to spot them immediately. (Don't ask me why most Windows users can't spot such pidgin-language messages -- one that knocked out a few million Windows computers a few years ago asked recipients "please to play new game I create" -- but the facts are clear: Millions of Windows users open whatever comes their way.)
   You also need to know that many Windows viruses and worms practice a deception that almost guarantees their success among PC users. They fake the "From" address, replacing the actual address with one from a person in the Windows address book.
   As a result, many Windows users invite these hidden viruses and worms into their PCs without a moment's thought. They open mail that has weird subject lines and ridiculously misspelled sentences without pausing to wonder why their best friend, sister-in-law or mother would invite them to "play a new game I create" in the first place.
   It's easy to feel blessed in such a world. But instead of feeling smug, Mac OS X users need to treat such mail with contempt. Always delete suspicious mail without opening it. Just because your computer is immune to the effects of Windows viruses and worms doesn't mean your computer won't pass them along to others.
   And never believe what the return address says on a suspicious letter. Get rid of mail you don't trust and never forward it to anyone else. You'll be doing every Windows user a favor.