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Mac OS X operating system has long been lauded as virus resistant, if not downright virus and malware free. Over the years that has perhaps changed -- at least a little. If any Mac-focused bugs have popped up, though, none have turned into marauding swarms of locusts.
However, recent reports about an official support document found on Apple's Web site have reignited the Mac security issue. A great deal of discussion has erupted over the perception that Apple has begun to advise users to install antivirus software. Yet that appears to have been Apple's stance on the matter at least as early as June of 2007.
The Healthy Choice?
So, are Macs more secure than PCs or not? Basically, Mac OS X stands a lower risk of infection. That's partially due to its Unix foundation and partially due to the fact that a minority operating system just isn't worth the attention of hackers -- it operates under their radar, so to speak.
In fact, Apple has long pushed the relative health of its Mac line. In a "Get a Mac" FAQ on Apple's site, the company notes, "Mac OS X resists most viruses, so you can do anything -- without worrying about losing everything."
In 2006, one of Apple's famous "I'm a Mac, and I'm a PC" television ads featured a sneezing PC guy, obviously sick. He tells the Mac to stand back, don't be a hero, and that last year there were a 114,000 known viruses for PCs. And the Mac's response? "[For] PCs ... not Macs."
Given Apple's apparent confidence in its platform's robust immune system, an update to an official Apple support document on the company's Web site managed to draw a great deal of attention from blogs and news sites Tuesday. The document in question recommends that Mac owners should use third-party antivirus software on their computers.
Has Apple's virus-free stance changed? Is the document a signal that Apple sees harder times ahead with respect to viruses and other security issues? Is the Mac more at risk?
How 'New'?
The support document was reportedly posted this November, but it actually says it was last updated on Tuesday. On the support document, there is an "Old Article: 4454" notation but no link. Searching for that document on Apple's site brings up the new document.
The old document, dated June 8, 2007, is archived on the Internet Archive, a third-party site that archives the Web. It turns out that the old 4454 document is basically the same as Tuesday's version, but it contains outdated third-party product information.
As recorded by the Internet Archive, the old document also recommends the use of multiple antivirus platforms.
What to Use?
Apple's support doc reads, "Apple encourages the widespread use of multiple antivirus utilities so that virus programmers have more than one application to circumvent, thus making the whole virus writing process more difficult."
So, does Apple advise not just one antivirus application but two? The company recommends three solutions, two of which are available in the Apple Online Store: Intego VirusBarrier X5, Symantec Norton Anti-Virus 11 for Macintosh, and McAfee VirusScan for Mac.
"My guess right now is that this doesn't represent a major change, and that the risk situation for users is the same as it was last week," Rich Mogull, an independent security consultant for Securosis.com, told MacNewsWorld.
"But until we hear more from Apple directly -- I have an inquiry in -- it's all speculation," he added.
Apple did not respond to inquiries from MacNewsWorld by press time.
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