Windows PC users beware

[Rreemo]

End users are ridiculously capable of fucking something up on accident... I can't tell you how often I have to restore something that an end-user somehow screwed with, regardless of their permission level/security measures. It's getting to the point where these people are leaning on it as a crutch instead of a last-ditch effort.

Amen brother....job security for folks like us.

Rreemo touched on this, but the only reason Apples/Macs don't get malware or viruses as often is because of their <7% market share. Nobody is going to write a virus that targets the smallest number of users out there. As Apple/Mac keeps gaining market share, the demand for virusus and malware for these platforms will grow. They have all the same vulnerabilities that Windows PCs have, it's just that nobody has bothered with that small percentage of users thus far.

Here's a good site to see first hand - http://netmarketshare.com/operating-...10&qpcustomd=0

Amazing to me that Linux was once viewed as the wave of the future, and the biggest threat to Windows....yet now <2% of market share.

To me it's also concerning to see that XP still holds ~27% of the market share, yet it is officially end of life cycle...ironically today - http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/lifecycle

Sadly a lot of that is in EDU and Public Sector (local, state, and federal govt).

[Danny46]

So with apple computers, does apple include the virus software in the OS? Or should Mac users be running anti virus like windows users?

[Rreemo]

I don't know as much about Mac, but I do know that there is a decent amount of security features built-in to the OS, however it is still a good idea to explore extra protection via third-party providers. I'm pretty sure most of the big names like Symantec have options for Mac users as well.

Keep in mind...tablet OS is going to vary from desktop OS where some of these things are concerned too.

[Ratt]

So with apple computers, does apple include the virus software in the OS? Or should Mac users be running anti virus like windows users?

Windows comes out of the box with Windows Defender and Windows Firewall running, and Macs have their own versions of these. Once nefarious individuals start writing malicious code for Macs, it won't be hard for them to bypass these built-in security features just like they do in Windows. IMHO, EVERYONE regardless of OS should be running extra security - be it Microsoft's, Apple's, or third party - as there's just no such thing as too much protection. That being said, make sure they all play nice together, or you're gonna have a bad time.