Hi all Recently, there has been a bit of discussion on list regarding viruses and other nasties which can impact upon the Mac platform. I'm not going to be one of those who like to start and spread rumours predicting doom and gloom, don't worry. However, with the rapid growth we are seeing on both the end user and commercial platforms in Apple's popularity over the last couple of years, I think it prudent to start taking a little care. This isn't about viruses, it is about Internet-born threats, such as tracking cookies and other malware which, despite the insistence of some long-term Mac users who like to think themselves immune, (present company excluded), do exist and, therefore, pose a significant threat to each and every one of us. Indeed, Google, the preferred search engine of many, is also guilty of spreading its own tracking cookies. They are not necessarily malicious in nature. However, they are tracking your each and every move and, therefore, constitute an invasion of privacy and a threat to our mutual security.
As with OS X, (the new name, incidentally, for Mac OS X), as the popularity of iOS and other platforms grows on the mobile devices which are the future of Internet browsing, it won't be long I think before we are seeing the same kind of problems there too. Vigilance, therefore, would seem to be the watch-word we should all live by. I am not suggesting that everybody should start panicking about this. Nor am I suggesting that we should all start spending hundreds each year to maintain software whose functionality is sometimes not necessary. This, we know, happens under other platforms where developers have taken advantage of user paranoia in order to line their own pockets. Nom, all I am advocating here is vigilance, constant and low level vigilance, which could be done relatively cheaply and without fuss. Below, therefore, is a very small piece of text which I received in a routine post from a company whose product I do use. It's so small that I opted to post it here and allow members to use their own discretion as to whether or not they take action. If, as I am sure some will, you believe that I am talking from my sit-upon here, feel free to delete this message and think no more of it. At least you have that option. <SNIP> Over the past few months there has been a huge increase in threats against the Mac platform, affecting every day users all the way up to fortune 500 corporations. MacScan's definitions have been updated, protecting against the latest threats, while offering privacy protection in detecting over 10,000 blacklisted tracking cookies. If you haven't done so in a while, think about taking the time to run MacScan today and download the latest definitions. 1. Download MacScan (http://macscan.securemac.com/?utm_source=MacScan+Customer+%28Primary+list%29&utm_campaign=812efbf97d-MacScan_Update_Definitions_Schedule_Run2_28_2013&utm_medium=email) (http://macscan.securemac.com/?utm_source=MacScan+Customer+%28Primary+list%29&utm_campaign=812efbf97d-MacScan_Update_Definitions_Schedule_Run2_28_2013&utm_medium=email) 2. Install MacScan 3. Check for Updates + Click the MacScan Menu + Select Check for Updates 4. Run a Scan 5. Schedule MacScan to run automatically MacScan Tip Wouldn't it be nice if your car could automatically change its own oil? Well MacScan has a feature that allows you to set a time and day for it to run automatically. Launch MacScan and click the 'Scheduler' icon in the top right of the interface. We suggest scheduling it to run when you're asleep so it doesn't get in the way of your daily tasks. http://macscan.securemac.com/buy/?utm_source=MacScan+Customer+%28Primary+list%29&utm_campaign=812efbf97d-MacScan_Update_Definitions_Schedule_Run2_28_2013&utm_medium=email http://macscan.securemac.com/upgrade/?utm_source=MacScan+Customer+%28Primary+list%29&utm_campaign=812efbf97d-MacScan_Update_Definitions_Schedule_Run2_28_2013&utm_medium=email </snip> Again, vigilance is something which I advocate, not, as some do, paranoia. <--- Gordon Smith ---> E-Mail: <[email protected]> Telephone: United Kingdom: Free Phone: 0800 8620538 Europe and other non-specified: +44 1642 688095 United States Of America And Canada: +1 646 9151493 Australia: +61 38 8205930 Or: +61 39 0284505 Fax: +44 1642 365123 Follow Us On Twitter: <http://twitter.com/maciosaccess> Skype: <callto:mac-access-dot-net> ------------------------------ <--- Mac Access At Mac Access Dot Net ---> To reply to this post, please address your message to [email protected] You can find an archive of all messages posted to the Mac-Access forum at either the list's own dedicated web archive: <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/pipermail/mac-access/index.html> or at the public Mail Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/>. Subscribe to the list's RSS feed from: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml> As the Mac Access Dot Net administrators, we do our very best to ensure that the Mac-Access E-Mal list remains malware, spyware, Trojan, virus and worm-free. However, this should in no way replace your own security strategy. We assume neither liability nor responsibility should something unpredictable happen. Please remember to update your membership preferences periodically by visiting the list website at: <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/mac-access/options/>
