Whilst it has always been theoretically possible for Apple’s computers to be infected with viruses, the combination of greater security built into OSX and the larger population base of Windows-based computers has meant that the Apple user has been relatively safe in the past. However this has now changed.
Whilst we may wish to take the advice of an anti-virus vendor with a pinch of salt, it seems that widespread infection of OSX machines is a reality. With upwards of 600,000 OSX machines in one bot army, the problem is still nowhere near as large as Windows users suffer from.
But as advised by Sophos, OSX users need to :-
- Apply OSX updates as soon as possible after they are released.
- Upgrade unsupported versions of OSX as a matter of priority. If you are running OSX version 10.6 or lower, you should be getting an upgrade now! And if you are still running an Apple with a PowerPC chip inside, it is time for a new machine.
- Consider installing an AV product – of course officially you are not allowed to connect a machine to the University network (including wireless and in halls) without AV protection.