Are Apple products virus-free?

Hi! I own a Macbook Pro, and recently i heard that Apple products are not virus-free anymore, and I would like to know if its true. I download a lot of things and open a lot of pages every day, so its very important to me. In case its possible, please recommend an antivirus.
Thank You!

ricardobonomi wrote:
Hi! I own a Macbook Pro, and recently i heard that Apple products are not virus-free anymore
There are many categories of malware, viruses are just one category. If you are talking about just viruses, there are few to no viruses on the Mac in the wild. Also, many other types of malware are written to run on Windows and are not compatible with OS X. There is some malware written for the Mac but most of it is not widespread.
To help protect you while surfing the Web, Apple restricts use of technologies like Flash and Java that are often vectors for malware.
But in the end, you still have to be careful because many types of malware don't hack your computer, they hack you through phishing or other social engineering techniques that trick you into entering personal information into a fake site or clicking on a bad link. Because these are hacks on humans themselves, no antivirus can stop them and no system can prevent them, you just have to be smart and keep your eyes open.
And don't get greedy, since a big way malware spreads is through those downloads of "Free" pirated software and content from unauthorized sources that add who-knows-what to files you download.

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What is the best virus protection for all my Apple products?

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Mac users often ask whether they should install "anti-virus" software. The answer usually given on ASC is "no." The answer is right, but it may give the wrong impression that there is no threat from what are loosely called "viruses." There is a threat, and you need to educate yourself about it.
1. This is a comment on what you should—and should not—do to protect yourself from malicious software ("malware") that circulates on the Internet and gets onto a computer as an unintended consequence of the user's actions. It does not apply to software, such as keystroke loggers, that may be installed deliberately by an intruder who has hands-on access to the computer, or who has been able to log in to it remotely. That threat is in a different category, and there's no easy way to defend against it.
The comment is long because the issue is complex. The key points are in sections 5, 6, and 10.
OS X now implements three layers of built-in protection specifically against malware, not counting runtime protections such as execute disable, sandboxing, system library randomization, and address space layout randomization that may also guard against other kinds of exploits.
2. All versions of OS X since 10.6.7 have been able to detect known Mac malware in downloaded files, and to block insecure web plugins. This feature is transparent to the user. Internally Apple calls it "XProtect."
The malware recognition database used by XProtect is automatically updated; however, you shouldn't rely on it, because the attackers are always at least a day ahead of the defenders.
The following caveats apply to XProtect:
☞ It can be bypassed by some third-party networking software, such as BitTorrent clients and Java applets.
☞ It only applies to software downloaded from the network. Software installed from a CD or other media is not checked.
As new versions of OS X are released, it's not clear whether Apple will indefinitely continue to maintain the XProtect database of older versions such as 10.6. The security of obsolete system versions may eventually be degraded. Security updates to the code of obsolete systems will stop being released at some point, and that may leave them open to other kinds of attack besides malware.
3. Starting with OS X 10.7.5, there has been a second layer of built-in malware protection, designated "Gatekeeper" by Apple. By default, applications and Installer packages downloaded from the network will only run if they're digitally signed by a developer with a certificate issued by Apple. Software certified in this way hasn't necessarily been tested by Apple, but you can be reasonably sure that it hasn't been modified by anyone other than the developer. His identity is known to Apple, so he could be held legally responsible if he distributed malware. That may not mean much if the developer lives in a country with a weak legal system (see below.)
Gatekeeper doesn't depend on a database of known malware. It has, however, the same limitations as XProtect, and in addition the following:
☞ It can easily be disabled or overridden by the user.
☞ A malware attacker could get control of a code-signing certificate under false pretenses, or could simply ignore the consequences of distributing codesigned malware.
☞ An App Store developer could find a way to bypass Apple's oversight, or the oversight could fail due to human error.
Apple has so far failed to revoke the codesigning certificates of some known abusers, thereby diluting the value of Gatekeeper and the Developer ID program. These failures don't involve App Store products, however.
For the reasons given, App Store products, and—to a lesser extent—other applications recognized by Gatekeeper as signed, are safer than others, but they can't be considered absolutely safe. "Sandboxed" applications may prompt for access to private data, such as your contacts, or for access to the network. Think before granting that access. Sandbox security is based on user input. Never click through any request for authorization without thinking.
4. Starting with OS X 10.8.3, a third layer of protection has been added: a "Malware Removal Tool" (MRT). MRT runs automatically in the background when you update the OS. It checks for, and removes, malware that may have evaded the other protections via a Java exploit (see below.) MRT also runs when you install or update the Apple-supplied Java runtime (but not the Oracle runtime.) Like XProtect, MRT is effective against known threats, but not against unknown ones. It notifies you if it finds malware, but otherwise there's no user interface to MRT.
5. The built-in security features of OS X reduce the risk of malware attack, but they are not, and never will be, complete protection. Malware is foremost a problem of human behavior, and no technological fix alone is going to solve it. Trusting software to protect you will only make you more vulnerable.
The best defense is always going to be your own intelligence. With the possible exception of Java exploits, all known malware circulating on the Internet that affects a fully-updated installation of OS X 10.6 or later takes the form of so-called "Trojan horses," which can only have an effect if the victim is duped into running them. The threat therefore amounts to a battle of wits between you and Internet criminals. If you're better informed than they think you are, you'll win. That means, in practice, that you always stay within a safe harbor of computing practices. How do you know when you're leaving the safe harbor? Below are some warning signs of danger.
Software from an untrustworthy source
☞ Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, doesn't come directly from the developer’s website. Do not trust an alert from any website to update Flash, or your browser, or any other software. A genuine alert that Flash is outdated and blocked is shown on this support page. Follow the instructions on the support page in that case. Otherwise, assume that the alert is fake and someone is trying to scam you into installing malware. If you see such alerts on more than one website, ask for instructions.
☞ Software of any kind is distributed via BitTorrent, or Usenet, or on a website that also distributes pirated music or movies.
☞ Rogue websites such as Softonic, Soft32, and CNET Download distribute free applications that have been packaged in a superfluous "installer."
☞ The software is advertised by means of spam or intrusive web ads. Any ad, on any site, that includes a direct link to a download should be ignored.
Software that is plainly illegal or does something illegal
☞ High-priced commercial software such as Photoshop is "cracked" or "free."
☞ An application helps you to infringe copyright, for instance by circumventing the copy protection on commercial software, or saving streamed media for reuse without permission. All "YouTube downloaders" are in this category, though not all are necessarily malicious.
Conditional or unsolicited offers from strangers
☞ A telephone caller or a web page tells you that you have a “virus” and offers to help you remove it. (Some reputable websites did legitimately warn visitors who were infected with the "DNSChanger" malware. That exception to this rule no longer applies.)
☞ A web site offers free content such as video or music, but to use it you must install a “codec,” “plug-in,” "player," "downloader," "extractor," or “certificate” that comes from that same site, or an unknown one.
☞ You win a prize in a contest you never entered.
☞ Someone on a message board such as this one is eager to help you, but only if you download an application of his choosing.
☞ A "FREE WI-FI !!!" network advertises itself in a public place such as an airport, but is not provided by the management.
☞ Anything online that you would expect to pay for is "free."
Unexpected events
☞ A file is downloaded automatically when you visit a web page, with no other action on your part. Delete any such file without opening it.
☞ You open what you think is a document and get an alert that it's "an application downloaded from the Internet." Click Cancel and delete the file. Even if you don't get the alert, you should still delete any file that isn't what you expected it to be.
☞ An application does something you don't expect, such as asking for permission to access your contacts, your location, or the Internet for no obvious reason.
☞ Software is attached to email that you didn't request, even if it comes (or seems to come) from someone you trust.
I don't say that leaving the safe harbor just once will necessarily result in disaster, but making a habit of it will weaken your defenses against malware attack. Any of the above scenarios should, at the very least, make you uncomfortable.
6. Java on the Web (not to be confused with JavaScript, to which it's not related, despite the similarity of the names) is a weak point in the security of any system. Java is, among other things, a platform for running complex applications in a web page, on the client. That was always a bad idea, and Java's developers have proven themselves incapable of implementing it without also creating a portal for malware to enter. Past Java exploits are the closest thing there has ever been to a Windows-style virus affecting OS X. Merely loading a page with malicious Java content could be harmful.
Fortunately, client-side Java on the Web is obsolete and mostly extinct. Only a few outmoded sites still use it. Try to hasten the process of extinction by avoiding those sites, if you have a choice. Forget about playing games or other non-essential uses of Java.
Java is not included in OS X 10.7 and later. Discrete Java installers are distributed by Apple and by Oracle (the developer of Java.) Don't use either one unless you need it. Most people don't. If Java is installed, disable it—not JavaScript—in your browsers.
Regardless of version, experience has shown that Java on the Web can't be trusted. If you must use a Java applet for a task on a specific site, enable Java only for that site in Safari. Never enable Java for a public website that carries third-party advertising. Use it only on well-known, login-protected, secure websites without ads. In Safari 6 or later, you'll see a padlock icon in the address bar when visiting a secure site.
Stay within the safe harbor, and you’ll be as safe from malware as you can practically be. The rest of this comment concerns what you should not do to protect yourself.
7. Never install any commercial "anti-virus" (AV) or "Internet security" products for the Mac, as they are all worse than useless. If you need to be able to detect Windows malware in your files, use one of the free security apps in the Mac App Store—nothing else.
Why shouldn't you use commercial AV products?
☞ To recognize malware, the software depends on a database of known threats, which is always at least a day out of date. This technique is a proven failure, as a major AV software vendor has admitted. Most attacks are "zero-day"—that is, previously unknown. Recognition-based AV does not defend against such attacks, and the enterprise IT industry is coming to the realization that traditional AV software is worthless.
☞ Its design is predicated on the nonexistent threat that malware may be injected at any time, anywhere in the file system. Malware is downloaded from the network; it doesn't materialize from nowhere. In order to meet that nonexistent threat, commercial AV software modifies or duplicates low-level functions of the operating system, which is a waste of resources and a common cause of instability, bugs, and poor performance.
☞ By modifying the operating system, the software may also create weaknesses that could be exploited by malware attackers.
☞ Most importantly, a false sense of security is dangerous.
8. An AV product from the App Store, such as "ClamXav," has the same drawback as the commercial suites of being always out of date, but it does not inject low-level code into the operating system. That doesn't mean it's entirely harmless. It may report email messages that have "phishing" links in the body, or Windows malware in attachments, as infected files, and offer to delete or move them. Doing so will corrupt the Mail database. The messages should be deleted from within the Mail application.
An AV app is not needed, and cannot be relied upon, for protection against OS X malware. It's useful, if at all, only for detecting Windows malware, and even for that use it's not really effective, because new Windows malware is emerging much faster than OS X malware.
Windows malware can't harm you directly (unless, of course, you use Windows.) Just don't pass it on to anyone else. A malicious attachment in email is usually easy to recognize by the name alone. An actual example:
London Terror Moovie.avi [124 spaces] Checked By Norton Antivirus.exe
You don't need software to tell you that's a Windows trojan. Software may be able to tell you which trojan it is, but who cares? In practice, there's no reason to use recognition software unless an organizational policy requires it. Windows malware is so widespread that you should assume it's in every email attachment until proven otherwise. Nevertheless, ClamXav or a similar product from the App Store may serve a purpose if it satisfies an ill-informed network administrator who says you must run some kind of AV application. It's free and it won't handicap the system.
The ClamXav developer won't try to "upsell" you to a paid version of the product. Other developers may do that. Don't be upsold. For one thing, you should not pay to protect Windows users from the consequences of their choice of computing platform. For another, a paid upgrade from a free app will probably have all the disadvantages mentioned in section 7.
9. It seems to be a common belief that the built-in Application Firewall acts as a barrier to infection, or prevents malware from functioning. It does neither. It blocks inbound connections to certain network services you're running, such as file sharing. It's disabled by default and you should leave it that way if you're behind a router on a private home or office network. Activate it only when you're on an untrusted network, for instance a public Wi-Fi hotspot, where you don't want to provide services. Disable any services you don't use in the Sharing preference pane. All are disabled by default.
10. As a Mac user, you don't have to live in fear that your computer may be infected every time you install software, read email, or visit a web page. But neither can you assume that you will always be safe from exploitation, no matter what you do. Navigating the Internet is like walking the streets of a big city. It's as safe or as dangerous as you choose to make it. The greatest harm done by security software is precisely its selling point: it makes people feel safe. They may then feel safe enough to take risks from which the software doesn't protect them. Nothing can lessen the need for safe computing practices.

HT202696 What happens if Apple Support expires for a product? Does it mean there is no more help available and you are on your own just because you have an older Apple product?

We have a family of Apple products at home, and with every new one, we learn a new aspect of the Apple Life. After switching to iPhone 5S and struggling between some applications, I've decided it is time to upgrade rest of my older devices requesting an IOS Upgrade to 8.1.2 for weeks.
My older iPhone 4 didn't have an upgrade, which was not advanced enough anymore to carry a new software, this I understand. The upgraded iPod Touch and iPad Mini don't seem to have any problems with the recent changes so far. However, the older iPad (2) we had is messed up, just like many other people's as mentioned on the pages of these discussion groups. According to these user comments / complaints, it is obvious that upgrading to IOS 8.1.2 was not the right option to older version iPads just like it was not for iPhone 4; actually it shouldn't be an option in the first place.
On my previous problems with iPhone 5S, I've come to realise the practicality & functionality of the Apple Support system when contacted directly, instead of going through many discussion pages of people with same or similar problems where everybody is asking but just a few is replying. So, I wanted to give it a try to find a solution to my recent problems with iPad, but this time Apple Support pages replied with "Technical Support & Service Coverage are both Expired" message.
First, I did not know that Apple supported its users personally, and I loved it. Maybe this is because I didn't have previous problems with my old iPhone and iPad. Especially the Apple Support - Chat option I preferred, where I got help step-by-step from Apple operators. And then, I did not know that this service support was only for my devices until an expiration date, and this did not please me much.
Can anyone enlighten me on how to receive any response from Apple about what to do with problems of an old Apple device?

And as far as paying for phone support, here are a few tips:
If you call your carrier first and then they route you to Apple, you usually don't have to pay for phone support.
If you are talking to Apple and they ask you to pay a support fee, ask if you can get an exception this time. That usually works once, but they keep track of the times you've been granted such an exception.
If you still end up paying the support fee, that fee only applies if it's not a hardware related issue. In other words, if it can be fixed by just talking over the phone and following Apple's instructions, then the fee applies. But if your device is deemed to have a hardware failure that caused the issue, then the fee should not apply, and you can ask for it to be waived after the fact.
This forum is free, and almost all of the technical support articles the Apple tech advisors use are available on this website. Literally 99% of what they can do over the phone is just walking you through the publicly available support articles. In other words, you're paying the fee to have them do your research for you. It's like hiring a research consultant to go look stuff up in the public library so you don't have to. You're capable of doing it; you'd just rather pay someone to do it for you.
It's like Starbucks. You know how to make coffee. Everyone knows how to make coffee. And Starbucks coffee isn't any better than what you could make at home for far less. But you want the convenience. So you're really paying a convenience fee. Milk is more expensive at 7-Eleven than it is at the grocery store... because it's a convenience store.

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If you cant read what I've written above then your system is just pathetic. At my age, I don't need to be instructed on "how to write a good question". Why must a brief detailed technical question be summarized? Why cant I do the supposedly simple task of downloading "all" of my photos from my 64g iPhone 5s onto my Dell Latitude E6410 laptop in one simple press of the button process? Instead my Laptop is always trying to download mega gigabytes of all my laptop photos onto my iPhone. I am now totally convinced that the Apple Corporation has implemented a scheme trying to "force" me, and every other Apple customer, to buy more iCloud storage instead of allowing us the cheaper option of storing our own photos on our own lap tops and our own external hard drives. If this is the case then Apples tactics are back-firing, and I for one, will never buy another complicated, user-unfriendly, rotten capitalistic Apple product again. If there is a simple way of downloading all of my photos onto my laptop in one simple move then why cant it "simply" show you how to do it, like all the other companies smart phones do? From one **** of an irate customer. K.I.S.S. or lose customers. Don't try to rip us off financially, with devious money making schemes, the general public will respond accordingly and you WILL lose market share.

Go buy a Samsung if its suits you better then and don't be rude these are user forums !
Give Google more information about you what you do where you are etc....... TO TARGET adverts at YOU via Android at the same time.
Or whats wrong with the FREE photo stream conduit that over air transfers images to your pc pictures folder (And you don't need to buy any extra storage ever) the images just transfer !
Also what is so difficult with plugging in to a USB socket and having images automatically uploaded/downloaded into your Pictures folder ?
Unless of course your PC USB is a slow 1.1 socket !
True the sync process is all encompassing rather then delta but it does mean true syncing

All Apple products on my computer are not working properly

Hello, i am having trouble with my itunes, Quicktime, and all other apple products on my computer.
This all start when i tried to update my Itunes(which was working fine minus this problem) and it would not let me. It kept giving me the error "The feature you are trying to use is on a network resource that is unavailable" when i hit ok "The path C\:user\Danie\appdata\Local\Apple\Apple software update\ Itunes64.msi cannot be found verify that you have access to this location and try again, or try to find the installation package Itunes64.msi in a folder from which you can install the product". This happenede with the installation of Quicktime to.
Finally i got fed up with these errors and decided to get rid of Itunes and Quicktime all togther. I went to the programs area and i tried to uninstall and to my joy got the exact same error as when i tried to update. It would not let me Reinstall Uninstall or update anything related to apple products because of the "The feature you are trying to use is on a network resource that is unavailable" error.
I finally manually went and uninstalled the folder through program files into the bin and deleted but despite that i still have the program Itunes listed in my Programs and features page and it still wont let me reinstall or remove it. All it ended up doing was causing me not to be able to use itunes on my laptop at all.
Further information im on a Dell Laptop using a 64bit system Windows 7.
Thank you for anyhelp you can offer in getting this problem fixed
Message was edited by: arowind

It kept giving me the error "The feature you are trying to use is on a network resource that is unavailable" when i hit ok "The path C\:user\Danie\appdata\Local\Apple\Apple software update\ Itunes64.msi cannot be found verify that you have access to this location and try again, or try to find the installation package Itunes64.msi in a folder from which you can install the product". This happenede with the installation of Quicktime to.
Unfortunately, these sorts of msi-related troubles have gotten more complicated to deal with ever since Microsoft pulled the Windows Installer CleanUp utility from their Download Center on June 25. First we have to find a copy of the utility.
Let's try Googling. (Best not to use Bing, I think.) Look for a working download site for at least version 3.0 of the Windows Installer CleanUp utility. After downloading the utility installer file (msicuu2.exe), scan the file for malware, just in case. (I use the free version of Malwarebytes AntiMalware to do single-file scans for that.)
If the file is clean, to install the utility, doubleclick the msicuu2.exe file you've downloaded.
Now run the utility ("Start > All Programs > Windows Install Clean Up"). In the list of programs that appears in CleanUp, select any iTunes and QuickTime entries and click "Remove".
Quit out of CleanUp, restart the PC and try reinstalling iTunes again. Does the install go through properly now?
(If you do find a clean download site for the correct version of CleanUp, please don't tell me where it is. Without wishing to sound paranoid (although I grant it does sound paranoid), there is a non-zero chance that posting links to download locations for the utility here at Discussions leads to that download location being shut down.)

How do I pair a bluetooth headset when my MAC doesn't recognize it? The hedset work properly because they are paired with my iPhone. The headset is not an Apple product. It'd 3rd party.

How do I pair a bluetooth headset when my MAC doesn't recognize it? The hedset work properly because they are paired with my iPhone. The headset is not an Apple product. It'd 3rd party.

Ask the headset manufacturer.
Barry

TS1398 Got the dreaded no wifi on my wife's iPhone 4S. Wifi greyed out and no luck with the reset network instructions. Why isn't Apple addressing this issue? We are a family of Apple product users, 2 ipads, an ipad mini, 4 iPhones but one isn't working!

Got the dreaded no wifi on my wife's iPhone 4S. Wifi greyed out and no luck with the reset network instructions. Why isn't Apple addressing this issue? We are a family of Apple product users, 2 ipads, an ipad mini, 4 iPhones but one isn't working! Issue began whenwe upgraded the operating system.....
Come on Apple.....get this issue sorted out!

Just out of warranty. This is a software issue. everything was ok until the software update. Apple just need to sort it out.

Are Apple products virus-free?

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