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Macs safer than Windows, Internet threats growing

updated 08:10 am EDT, Tue August 16, 2005

Macs safer than Windows


Macs are for some online hazards, while online threats to computer security and privacy continue to worsen and cost American consumers more than $11 billion over the past two years. The 2005 Consumer Reports State of the Net survey of online consumers found that home users have a 1-in-3 chance of suffering computer damage, financial loss, or both because of a computer virus or spyware. However, the survey found that only 20 percent of Mac owners reported detecting a virus in the past two years, compared with 66 percent of Windows PC owners. In addition, only 8 percent of Mac users reported a spyware infection in the last six months, while 54 percent of Windows PC users reported the same. Consumer Reports offered the conclusions based on a nationally representative survey of more than 3,200 households with at-home internet access.


by MacNN Staff

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  1. ibugv4

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jun 2003

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    08/16, 08:20am | report spam | Reply |

    umm

    Those had to be some confused Mac users, or they thought that the Trojans were Virii. Is there actual Spyware that exists for the Mac?

  1. chrissyboy

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    Joined: Aug 2001

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    08/16, 08:28am | report spam | Reply |

    20 percent

    "20 percent of Mac owners reported detecting a virus in the past two years"

    Is this right? Who did they ask? Even the anti-virus software companies, who have everything to gain from shouting about Mac viruses, have nothing to announce. Or did they mean that 20% of Mac users had detected a _Windows _ virus, sent to them in an email, or by a dodgy web page, etc? If so, that should be mentioned, as it makes the story even clearer.

  1. Horsepoo!!!

    Banned

    Joined: Jun 2003

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    08/16, 08:31am | report spam | Reply |

    Wow...just wow.

    Look like Consumer Report is making up statistics again.

  1. LouZer

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    Joined: Nov 2000

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    08/16, 08:45am | report spam | Reply |

    Try to understand...

    Man, all you "They're making things up" people should try to understand the comments before you go half-cocked into the "CR is mac-bashing" rants.

    What does the statement say? "20 percent of Mac owners reported detecting a virus in the past two years".

    OK, did it state that these owners detected Mac viruses? No. Just that they detected a virus. Most AV software for the mac is designed to not only scan for Mac viruses, but also for Windows viruses, so they aren't passed on to other window users later on (esp. in email). So these 20% mac users could easily have detected viruses, its just that most might have been windows viruses.

    So, if you're going to rant, please rant on the fact that CR didn't explain this part of the information, as opposed to just saying 20% found a virus.

    But don't say they're making things up. They aren't. They just aren't very good at disseminating facts. Big difference.

  1. siMac

    Mac Elite

    Joined: Aug 2004

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    08/16, 08:49am | report spam | Reply |

    OS9?

    What does the statement say? "20 percent of Mac owners reported detecting a virus in the past two years".

    These could be people running OS9 - that had virii. Believe it or not there are people still using it!

  1. eddd

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Dec 2001

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    08/16, 09:01am | report spam | Reply |

    sorry

    I don't see a big difference between CR "making things up" and CR not being good at "disseminating facts." They have taken it upon themselves to report something, so they should be held responsible for their reporting. This information, or the way it was presented, is irresponsible. It's misleading. And in many ways, it is depicted in a manner that is incorrect.

    Someone at CR should have spent more time interpreting their data. Surely someone there is aware that no viruses for the Mac have been detected in the wild? Or someone knows someone who is aware? This is hardly obscure information - it's fairly well publicised. Given this (actual) fact, they should have recognized a problem and investigated.

    CR carries an awful lot of credibility, and should be held to a higher standard than the typical tech journalist. Unfortunately, errors along these lines have diminished CR's reputation in my opinion - I rarely take their reports as the highest authority any more.

  1. ethical_paul

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Mar 2002

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    08/16, 09:16am | report spam | Reply |

    OS9?

    I don't think OS9 is the answer. It hardly had any viruses either. Nowhere near 20% of any group of Mac users has seen a virus in the last year.

    This is definitely a case of poor self-reporting and Mac user ignorance about what a virus is. It's no wonder they don't know what one is, since they have never seen one.

    Sure I'd like to think Mac users are all smart, etc., but the facts are that computer users in general are dolts, just like people in general. After all, people think that by collecting coke pull tabs, they can pay for someone's kidney treatments. Dolts I tell you!

  1. macmad

    Mac Enthusiast

    Joined: Dec 2000

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    08/16, 09:21am | report spam | Reply |

    useless report

    I've just read the report and it's vague to the point of being useless. They should have at least pointed out that those 20% viruses don't even affect Macs they were found on - or were they talking about OS9? 20% of Mac users are running OS9?

  1. xmas1888

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jul 2004

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    08/16, 09:31am | report spam | Reply |

    kernal panic

    My guess is this; either 1. the 20% of mac users detecting a virus means when they go onto a windows machine at work or some other computer. 2. the 20% is using Norton or Virex and is detecting windows viruses. 3. the 20% is experiencing kernal panics in older versions of os x, which they may think is a virus, being as it starts scrolling unix code on the screen.

    As for the 8% with spyware, they're probably using internet explorer and think that all the popups they ar getting means they have spyware.

  1. mitchcohen

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2005

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    08/16, 09:34am | report spam | Reply |

    Good news is good news

    Remember, they were reporting on how many people responded to the virus/spyware question, not a technical analysis of their computers at the time of "infection." I get calls all the time from Mac users whose computers have slowed down or done something unexpected. The calls are often "I think I have a virus because I can't print" or similar. Of course a virus is never to blame, and it's usually something simple. But I'll bet most of these respondents really did think they had a virus/spyware even though they were wrong.

    CR should have included a sidebar, though, saying how there are no current Mac viruses other than those coming from Microsoft software (Word/Excel/VirtualPC).

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