Apple pulls virus warning

Posted on 3 Dec 2008 at 10:49

Apple has pulled a knowledge base article warning Mac users to guard against virus threats.

The article caused a something of a storm on the internet, as websites claimed that the “new” article represented a shift in Apple’s position on the security of Mac OS X.

In fact the article was merely an update to an existing warning and an unnecessary one at that, a fact that an Apple spokesman made clear when he explained why the article was withdrawn.

“We have removed the knowledge base article because it was old and inaccurate,” said Bill Evans. “The Mac is designed with built-in technologies that provide protection against malicious software and security threats right out of the box.”

The article had said that, “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.” It then listed several anti-virus applications.

While several pieces of malware such as viruses and trojans have been developed for OS X, none has propagated widely, which would appear to back Apple’s claim that the platform is inherently secure.

Author: Simon Aughton

Get more reviews, tutorials and in-depth advice, every month with Computer Shopper.
Click here to try 3 issues for £1

< Previous News : General Next >

Be the first to comment on this article

You need to Login or Register to comment.