nanog mailing list archives
Re: MS is vulnerable
From: Jonathan Nichols <jnichols () pbp net>
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2004 09:53:27 -0800
When the last big MS virus/worm caused it's major shitstorm, my mom asked me if I ever get infected with viruses. I said no, I run a Mac. They are immune to these viruses.Complete BS. There are Mac viruses allright, and the reason these worms target the Windows platform is simply because there are much more of them and therefore an Outlook worm is much more likely to succeed than a Mac worm.
<unlurk>I'm sorry, but this is a very common misconception. There hasn't been one single Mac virus in several years, and I believe that one was a Microsoft Word macro virus. Or, maybe Autostart 9805 - but that was discovered in May, 1998. How many Windows viruses have shown up in the past few years?
Apache powers far more websites than IIS, yet IIS has suffered a much larger number of exploits.
The reason there aren't any Mac viruses most certainly is *not* because "there are not as many of them." One could even go so far as to say that the Mac would be a more likely target because of Apple's security claims. It's a much more high-profile target. Imagine the boasting rights one would have if they could get a Mac virus to spread in these modern days!
<lurks once again> -Jonathan
Current thread:
- Re: MS is vulnerable Michael . Dillon (Jan 29)
- RE: MS is vulnerable Christopher J. Wolff (Jan 29)
- RE: MS is vulnerable Matthew Kaufman (Jan 29)
- <Possible follow-ups>
- RE: MS is vulnerable Michel Py (Jan 29)
- Re: MS is vulnerable Jonathan Nichols (Jan 29)
- RE: MS is vulnerable Vivien M. (Jan 29)
- Strange 192.168. UDP/138 Traffic Darrell Kristof (Jan 29)
- Re: Strange 192.168. UDP/138 Traffic Richard Welty (Jan 29)
- Re: MS is vulnerable Jonathan Nichols (Jan 29)
- Re: MS is vulnerable Jason Lixfeld (Jan 29)
- RE: MS is vulnerable Christopher J. Wolff (Jan 29)
- RE: MS is vulnerable Michel Py (Jan 29)
- RE: MS is vulnerable Gregory Hicks (Jan 29)
- RE: MS is vulnerable Michel Py (Jan 29)
- Re: MS is vulnerable Jonathan Nichols (Jan 29)
- Re: MS is vulnerable Robert Blayzor (Jan 29)
- RE: MS is vulnerable Susan Harris (Jan 29)