<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Many thanks to Charles for sharing what I have seen him tell clients every day .....<div><br></div><div>Let's further the discussion on antivirus apps on the Mac.<div><br></div><div>Charles insights are unquestionably the same as mine .... and many of my policies are based on our local Mac consultants' experiences and national listserve postings of Mac users struggles with AntiVirus apps.</div><div><br></div><div>By looking more closely at system crash logs we saw that Norton Anti-Virus version 9 and 10 were problematic on multiple, yet not all Macs ..... but a high enough percentage to warrant not using it anymore.</div><div><br></div><div>To beat Symantec into the ground even further ... I have found that Sophos does pick up even more viruses ... recently I found 26 additional offenders on one of my Macs .....<br><div><br></div><div><br><div><div>On Apr 30, 2009, at 10:44 PM, Charles Firth wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">7) "Good Neighbor Policy" - Something a lot of Mac people forget is the fact they share files with Windows folk. Although Word macro viruses and other "content file" viruses are dying out, they are still around. Just because your Mac is immune to Windows viruses doesn't mean you can't be a carrier. So if you do a lot of file sharing with Windows users, and the files you share aren't "made by me on my Mac" then you could be distributing viruses to your Windows friends. For example: Someone sends you an infected Word document, which works fine for you on your Mac, so you forward it on to other people. I'm well aware of what few files I forward, and have never inadvertently sent someone an infected file. But the possibility is there. I've encountered Windows-virus infected files on Macs at client sites, so I know it happens. </div></span></blockquote><div><br></div><div>Here is what Sophos found just recently ( and Norton could not ) on one of my Macs:</div><div><br></div><div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 17px; "><b>'Troj/Agent-IOA' </b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 17px; "><b>'JS/Kakworm-A' </b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 17px; "><b>'W32/Klez-H'</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 17px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 17px; "><b>W32/MyDoom-N'</b></div></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 17px; "><b>'W32/Sober-Z' </b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 17px; "><b>W32/Mytob-AZ' </b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 17px; "><b>'W32/MyDoom-O'</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 17px; "><b>'Mal/EncPk-CZ'</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 17px; "><b>'Troj/Invo-Zip' </b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 17px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 17px; "><b>'Mal/EncPk-CO' </b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 17px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 17px; "><b>'W32/Netsky-D' </b></div></div></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 17px; "><b>'JS/Kakworm-A'</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 17px; "><b><br></b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 17px; "><b>All found by:</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 17px; "><b>Sophos Anti-Virus</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 17px; "><b>Version 4.40</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><br></div></div></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><br></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Lucida Grande'" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><br></span></font></span></font></div></div></div></div><blockquote type="cite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><div><br></div><div>8) Since there are no viruses for Macs, OSX AV is securing you from the few trojans out there, and mostly just scanning for Windows viruses you have be a carrier for. You're spending money and resources to keep your neighbor's garden clean of pests.</div><div><br></div><div>Recommendations. </div><div>*These are my personal opinions, I am not reimbursed or paid by any of these companies*</div><div><br></div><div>If you must have AV on your Mac, what do I recommend?</div><div>1) Sophos (no surprise to anyone who knows me) - by far the best choice in OSX AV. But it costs money, and they don't sell single copies - no retail box, no home user option, no single license. Sophos is business/education only. (5 licenses is the smallest they'll go). But they are the best I've ever seen for both OSX and Windows.</div></span></blockquote><div><br></div><div><b>At this point I would have to agree. Sophos is the best ..... And virus definition updates are hourly. Norton is daily , weekly or monthly.</b></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div>2) ClamAVX - Free. (horray open source!) Not the most friendly, and you'll probably want to just have it around to run periodic manual scans. But a nice tool if you're worried</div><div>3) Sorry - at this time I have no other recommendations. I do however have two anti-recommendations:</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>a) If you're thinking about Symantec Anti-Virus for Mac, just hit your mac with a sledgehammer until it's dust. It's kinder to the poor machine<br></div></span></blockquote><div><br></div><b>Very colorful recommendation indeed .... but I'm on the same page ... minus the violence and destruction .... :-)</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b>And if you currently have Norton (Symantec) installed I can provide you a removal tool if needed. I use it all the time.</b></div><div><br></div><div><br><blockquote type="cite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>b) If you're thinking about McAfee, just use the money to buy yourself a book on computer security. It's more effective.<br></div></span></blockquote><div><br></div></div><br></div></div></div></body></html>