The Big Mac Attack
 | by Drew on May 21st, 2008 |
A question has been posed for some time about the likelihood of Apple computers becoming infected by viruses. The issue has become even more relevant since Mac invited Intel to the table and started producing dual boot systems through programs like Parallels Desktop for Mac and Boot Camp. The question, itself, is simple enough. Do Macs get viruses?
In short, yes, it is possible for an Apple Macintosh to get a virus. However, the likelihood of an Apple Macintosh user getting a virus when compared to a Microsoft Windows user is little to none. In fact, many Apple Macintosh users (including myself) don’t even run an antivirus protection program.
Some of the reasons why Apple Macintosh computers do not have as many viruses as Microsoft Windows are:
- Newer Macintosh operating systems, such as the Mac OS X, is built on the Unixkernel, which is one of the oldest and most secure operating systems available.
- Microsoft Windows is used by a lot more users. Because more users use Microsoft Windows, it is a lot better of a target than Apple computers.
- Most of the virus writers are familiar with Microsoft Windows, and therefore are capable only of creating a virus for that platform.
- Many of the tools and scripts used to help users create viruses or other malware are most frequently designed for Microsoft Windows.
There is certainly no lack of virus protection programs for Macs.
Note: If you’re running a virtual PC on your Apple Macintosh, because it’s emulating Microsoft Windows, it can become infected with Windows viruses and you should be running an antivirus protection program on it such as Norton or Macafee. In addition a Mac can serve as a virus carrier, meaning that a virus could be stored on an Apple computer yet not infect it. But if that computer were to connect to a network or a user was to forward an infected e-mail to a Windows computer that could become infected.