This area is set aside for off-topic discussion. Everything that's absolutely nothing to do with travel at all... But please, keep it polite! Forum netiquette rules still apply.
#886727 by catsilversword
30 Oct 2014, 18:27
Hi,

Been reading stuff that suggests macs and iPads are more suspceptible to viruses than Apple would have us believe and, in this context, Avira software was mentioned as being a good download.

What does the team think? I have much more faith in the techy folk here than any article....

oo)
#886853 by Sealink
31 Oct 2014, 19:09
Viruses and protection is an odd one as far as I am concerned. My Yahoo! Email was hacked years ago and I have no idea how: I was using a PC at the time.

Since having a Mac I have had no problems. Yahoo and Gmail have pretty good fraud detectors but you can still ignore and open a document or click a link that could cause problems.

As Apple products get more and more popular I am sure they will get targeted more. But it is still too darn easy to outwit PC security.
#886939 by catsilversword
01 Nov 2014, 20:47
I don't think the article referred to email, it seemed more general. I was sort of surprised to read it, as all I seem to hear is that all things Apple are less vulnerable but, as you say, this could change.....
#886958 by RyanJW
02 Nov 2014, 03:24
Not really true. There hasn't been a known Mac OS X virus in the same sense as a PC virus ever detected in the wild.

Here is a good article explaining some of the features and tips and tricks to remain safe. A lot of it is down to you the user to make sure you don't get scammed but by running Apple devices, you sure are a lot safer that a PC out of the box.

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-2435
#886984 by mitchja
02 Nov 2014, 11:44
There is a lot of scaremongering when it comes to anti-virus/internet security software, pure and simply to get you to buy their products.

A large proportion of internet security is the user and making sure you use common sense when you are online. Making sure you don't click on dodgy links in emails from people you don't know or clicking on links that sound too good to be true, not downloading pirated software that's loaded full of viruses, spyware and malware etc. etc. Also don't be fooled by cold calls from people claiming to work for Microsoft or any other genuine company including your bank.

Using Macs, iPad & iPhone here and I have nothing more than the built in firewall in OS X turned on and my broadband router correctly configured for security (most broadband routers have a built in hardware firewall) with remote access disabled.

I also have the 'Sky Shield' enabled which Sky offer for free to all the broadband customers. This is a network based firewall which blocks known phishing sites / malware spyware sites etc. There are various settings allowing parental control to just blocking malicious websites with no other content blocking.
#887107 by RyanJW
03 Nov 2014, 17:20
For starters, you can't install unverified apps that haven't gone through the App Store process. Apple review all submissions and are pretty quick to weed out or just not approve offending apps. This is a significant barrier to installing malware/viruses on your iPad.

Secondly, it requires your passcode and/or your iTunes account to install a new app, so you can easily keep an eye on what is being installed. Cancel the download if you don't know what it is.

Thirdly, iOS is relatively secure. There are a minimal number of open ports for attackers to try and attack and in all honesty, you are likely behind a firewall already if connected via WiFi and if over 3G, its very difficult to do a Man-in-the-middle attack.

The biggest security risk when using an iPad is actually the person looking at the screen.

A fake email comes in looking like it is from Amazon/eBay/YourBank asking for you to login and check your credentials, you click on the link in the email and enter all your personal information on to a 'look-a-like' website that is actually owned and run by the fraudsters. They then merrily go on to all your existing web logins and commit fraud.

Hope this helps!
Last edited by RyanJW on 03 Nov 2014, 21:49, edited 1 time in total.
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