Looking for Mac Spyware/Adware etc - any needed?

Our extended family has 3 Macs, with OS X 10.2.8.

Is there any anti spyware available, or is any needed?
The Apple site (I was looking at the iMac G5 info) makes
a big point about how effective the OS X embedded
anti spyware etc is.

I'm the lone Windoze user, just because I have to
use it at work. Just built a new system, REALLY
starting to wish I'd just have bought a new G5 of
some type - in spite of what seems like half a drive
full of anti spyware, anti virus, anti adware, etc etc,
and an always cautious approach to email and downloads,
I got zapped (again) recently. Had already been in
the process of building a new Windoze system, but
after reading all the horror stories in the other Forums
on this site, such as Internet Security, and fighting
with Windows apps which never seem to work like
they advertise (home video etc), I'm about ready to
return to the fold and sell my fancy new Windoze
system, anti malware and all, and go back to Mac. :blackeye:

Mac does really well in defending itself and being significantly immune.
Make sure you keep up-to-date with the Apple->Software Update and you should do fine.
If you're using a router between all your systems and the Internet, you've got extra hardware protection
as well (defeats script kiddies, but a pro could still breach the NAT feature).

Spyware is usually acquired (unknown to you) by accessing the Internet via the browser.
As Mac doesn't run the ActiveX component of the IE browser and the default browser on Mac is Safari,
you're already running 'anti-spyware' -- non-IE browsers! :approve:

As for your Win/* PCs, look for Spywareblaster to control ActiveX :cool: and get
Spybot Search & Destory to control startup programs and other stuff. :cool:
Educate the family re email attachments and scan them with antivirus tools and life WILL get better. :wave:

OSX doesn't have embedded antispyware, as far as I know.

It has a firewall though, but if I remember correctly, it's disabled by default.

The firewall can be found from System Preferences - Sharing.

We do have a home router, so that's taken care of.

On my PeeCee I've got AVG, Spyware Blaster, Spybot
S&D, AdAware, & a couple others. HD is half full of
protection apps!

I'll tell my wife & daughters about activating the
firewall -

We all run Netscape - wouldn't get CLOSE to IE!!


Thanks for the info!!

Hi

I run a network of some 160 Macs all running OS X 10.4.1. We have no problems with any spyware or Virus's. We keep getting told by the poor relations with PC's that the time will come for us to start picking up similar problems to them and I am sure that they are correct. When the real need arises for us to start with all that spyware junk the whole world will hear about it.

Hi
Hi

I run a network of some 160 Macs all running OS X 10.4.1.
Why not 10.4.3?

Hi
The reason is that we have now been put under a windows 2003 server system and InDesign, and others, will not save or open files on the server, in the student/client folders. This is a problem with SMB and the 10.4.2 and 10.4.3 updates create the problem but 10.4.1 does not.

"the time will come for us to start picking up similar problems"
Likely to be tied to FreeBSD implementation and will show up there first

If you're worried about spyware on Macs something called Mac Scan was recently released + was easy to set up and run. It didn't find anything though, though that wasn't much of a surprise.

MacScan (http://macscan.securemac.com/about.php) Better safe than sorry.

We are still safe for now. Of the 3 worms mentioned in the past couple weeks only 1 was released into the wild and required too much user interaction to be of any threat. The other 2 were just Proof of Concepts and were sent to antivirus companies.

Make backups like you should and everything will be fine.