Virus and antivirus on MacOSX

Is there a need for AntiVirus software on the Mac?

It is commonly said that there are no virusses affecting the Mac, This is true in a way, but virusses for MacOsx exist.
Most of them are old virusses, and won't do any harm to your system, but nevertheless new virusses are popping up. Although still innocent, it could become a problem in the future.
Apparently more and more hackers try to prove some instability in the MacOS environment.

Today, a Mac affected by (or malfunctioning due to) a virus is still very rare, but i tried the famous ClamXav anyway.
ClamXav is een AV programm that uses the ClamAv engine to search your computer for virusses. ClamXav has a GUI wich makes it easy to use.
This particular software one of the most famous available for the mac, and its free.
It is known to be a fast and accurate piece of software to protect your computer from virusses.

I have installed ClamXav and did a systemscan on my Mac. For being a fast scanner, it took me more than 2 hours to scan my computer, and it slowed down the entire system, but no mac virusses were found, ofcourse, wich is still a good feeling.
(The scan did find a trojan in an old deleted email)


---my scan results ---


Started scanning
Please note, large files will take a long time to scan.

/Users/******/Library/Caches/Java/cache/javapi/v1.0/jar/count.jar-21edef6a-635fcef5.zip: Java.Classloader FOUND
/Users/******/Library/Caches/Java/cache/javapi/v1.0/jar/count.jar-2cf0bf70-5123d8f1.zip: Java.Classloader FOUND
/Users/******/Library/Mail/POP-********/INBOX.mbox/Messages/11812.emlx: Trojan.Dropper-3172 FOUND
******
The above file looks like it may be part of an email mailbox, please think carefully about what to do with this file. If it has been quarantined, you may end up losing some email. I suggest you leave this file where it is (or move it back if it's been quarantined) and delete suspicious messages from within your email client.
******
----------- SCAN SUMMARY -----------
Known viruses: 228651
Engine version: 0.92
Scanned directories: 6287
Scanned files: 65202
Infected files: 3
Data scanned: 63272.87 MB
Time: 8248.216 sec (137 m 28 s)

ClamXav v1.1.0 - ClamAV 0.92/6218/Wed Mar 12 20:07:21 2008 - ClamXav

One or more infected files were found, but were left where they are. You can either deal with them yourself, or scan again with the preferences set to move them into a different folder.


-------------

I deleted the 3 corrupted files manually, so my system 'should' be clean now..
Hopefully, virusses will stay away from the mac forever, but this would be a fantasie.
And if you haven't already done so, it is very advisable to download and install the latest security update for MacOsx, you can find it on the apple website

anyone has any info on botnets using macs as a zombie?


some related stuff:
forum topic virus on mac - dutch
info about clamAv and clamXav on oreillysite
download clamxav





or you can always use a hammer...
Please leave your comments.

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Convert wmv to avi mp4 mov ipod etc for mac

I ve been looking for some freeware or shareware programs for Mac to convert wmv files into something usable on mac without using flip4mac.

I ran into different kinds of software and the following came out ready to be used:

ipod video convertor
it works well and fast, a clkean and fast installating, but the trial version only alows to do 5 minute clips or less, so you will have to register for bigger files. One thing that bothered me: it drops a lot of frames on older videofiles. the video went almost double as fast as the audio, and i couldnt get it fixed in the settings.
http://www.dvd-to-ipod-video-converter-for-mac.com-http.com/how-to-convert-wmv-to-ipod-for-mac.html

i stopped looking for another program, soon more info..
let me know if you find any good ones!

or you can always use a hammer...
Please leave your comments.

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Show Full headers in Mac Mail

In Mac Mail, the Headers are disabled by default.
To show the headers in Mac Mail, simply select a message you want tyo see the headers for, and in your menu go to 'view > message > show long headers'.
You will now see the headers appear for this message.
To undo this, just repeat the action (and select standard headers)

Its as simple as that.


or you can always use a hammer...
Please leave your comments.

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Quicktime doesn't play video after updating to 7.4

My Quicktime doesn't show any video anymore, but it plays the audio.
It seems to be a common problem for Macusers after updating Quicktime to 7.4

There are a lot of issues like this on many forums, but no one seems to have the correct solution that works for all.
I read a lot about problems with third party software and codecs which could might cause the problem.
Apple doesnt hold itself responsible for third party software so don't expect any help there (although i am very happy with their support).

I also read difficult solutions like deleting codecs etc in your /library

I figured my flip4mac was out of date so i uninstalled it and downloaded the latest version, installed it and the problem is solved.
Sometimes the video still doesnt show, but after refreshing the loaded video, it shows perfectly.
(Maybe for some of you the refresh might do without reinstalling any software.)

It seems more or less logical to me that after a software update like upgrading your Quicktime leads to some broken connections with codecs or other software. so reinstalling some of them might help.
Still developers should be working harder on this matter


or you can always use a hammer...
please leave your comments

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