PC vs. Mac in Security: Experts Share Opinions

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the Tom's Hardware community: where nearly two million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Status
Not open for further replies.
i run both win and mac machines and both have an anti virus software. i agree that it's false advertising in apple's part about no viruses. wait until apple market share gets bigger.
 
its probably because hackers want to target the larger market share and plus, only noobs get viruses. they're not hard to avoid, people just need to learn to watch out
 
[citation][nom]bustapr[/nom]Mac will always be safer because they dont have a big market for hackers to fk up. HAckers however abuse furiously of windows. I bought my laptop 1 month ago and it has already picked up 2 worms and 135 spywares, ending in a win7 reinstallation.[/citation]
Stay away from the porn sites 😛
 
Even the NSA, with all their security, risks a breach if someone on the inside gets a dubious phone call from "the boss." Social engineering is the security risk people need to care about. Everything else can be tackled by technology (of course it's an ongoing battle as malware improves).
 
[citation][nom]amabhy[/nom]Just as there is no such thing as perfection, there is no such thing as perfect security.There is always some way to hack something.The only reason Windows is considered "less" secure is because more people use it. Thus, "less" secure has nothing to do with the operating system itself.[/citation]

Agreed.
 
[citation][nom]christop[/nom]90 percent of the world uses windows the rest might use mac so there is the reason windows is attacked more...[/citation]

So pretty much, you got the part about Windows being attacked more, but no, 90% of the world does not use Windows. I am 100% a PC user but they are not that popular. If that was the case, Apple would not exist.
 
[citation][nom]twu[/nom]Please post your cookie file, we would like to know which p**n site you visited to get these 135 spywares.[/citation]

Damn I haven't heard a comment that good in a long time lol
 
Definite solution to security: install linux.

I'd bet that linux and windows are more secure than OSX, but linux then wins the obscurity thing too. Linux also has a crapton of permissions lockdown.

I actually put linux on my aunts comp because I had to wipe windows twice and then dual booted linux on it. Told her I wasn't going to fix XP anymore and to use linux for websurfing. No problems since.
 
[citation][nom]Shadow703793[/nom]+1. IIRC Apple was the first to fall in the PWN2OWN contest a few years ago.[/citation]

dont forget it took 10 minutes.. the windows failed only because of a application crashing. anyways its nice to see a artical saying what i have been saying for years 😛
 
[citation][nom]EnFoRceR22[/nom]dont forget it took 10 minutes.. the windows failed only because of a application crashing.[/citation]
Er... OSX went down because of an application too: Safari. Not that talking about a hacker's competition on old software has any relevance to now anyway.
 
the debate goes on and on and on and on... using the most popular os will always bring consequences. but also benefits. nothing is perfect. if other people think what they have is perfect and secure, i don't care
 
[citation][nom]twu[/nom]Please post your cookie file, we would like to know which p**n site you visited to get these 135 spywares.[/citation]
Click to expand...

Wow, you took the words right out of my mouth! lol

Indeed, it is good to see some more light shone on this situation. Personally, I have vowed to never buy a close-ended apple product. I have a very strong aversion to being forced to acquire a service or product--free or not (READ: iTunes)--to use a product that I've paid my hard-earned money to attain.

That's unacceptable.

Even more unacceptable, on the subject of iTunes, is the reality of how poorly this is written for the majority share-holder of personal computers (READ: Windows).

No, I don't wanna sync...I don't wanna click through each song...I wanna copy and paste from my vast library of music. Period. This is why I own a Philips (not that I'm praising Philips for anything more than providing me the option to easily exchange music on my MP3 Player.

Anyway--since I've seriously digressed--this Nazi-ish behavior by Apple may finally catch up to them since Microsoft is building their reserves (uh, yeah, 60 Million copies of Win 7 in the first year and it hasn't been a year yet), and finally using their capital to regain public trust...

...would be nice if American banks did this...that's another story, I guess...
 
Sorry but after a lifetime experience with PCs I find it hard to digest this article. Most seem to be in favour of PC but fact is most people that have used it have got a malware at some point. I don't care if it's marketshare or not. Things are what they are and not what we create with "but"s and "if"s.
 
Since I've installed full-body scanners in my PC, I've had no problems with malware or viruses getting through. As a bonus, my porn collection has grown by leaps and bounds and I have acquired hundreds of gigabytes worth of music and movies. I got a little scared though when the northbridge took part in a class-action lawsuit against me, with several other PC's on my network, for looking at pictures of various computer components... I was just pricing a new computer out on NewEgg! Honest!!
 
I've been using both for about 20yrs now. I've witnessed one virus case for macs (a harmless worm spreading through zip-discs, late 90's I think, spread to several machines though) and one case of antivirus program update gone bad freezing machines.

On the PC side, as long as the antivirus/firewall/adware/spyware/malware shields are on and up to date, you're pretty well secured. Unless you're hit before the defenses are updated.

So yeah, PC's have the better security ecosystem, but it's absurd to call them more secure. It's like being on a warzone with a bulletproof vest vs living in a peaceful neigbourhood without one. Sure, you're better protected when wearing a vest, but you're still nowhere near as safe.

And I've heard the same "macs will be targeted any day now and who's laughing then" for most of the past 20 years as well. Might be true. Might be best to get that vest already as well.
 
Perfect Security on a windows based computer
Step 1 buy or build your own computer
Step 2 Power it on install windows
Step 3 Install drivers SKIPPING ANY NETWORKING DRIVERS
Step 4 Install programs you want office Games Ect
Step 5 after you get all the software you want installed power down the computer and Remove that CD/DVD Drive(s)
Step 6 Construct a Faraday cage around the computer that you place inside a larger cage made of of stainless steal with holes for any cables you need to plug in and lock in from the outside with only one key that you keep on your person at all time

Now there is a Secure computer no internet connection cant get to the USB no CD/DVD drives to install anything else i bet without breaking the lock and getting to the internals of the computer you'd be hard pressed to find any exploit or attack that computer i i bet if you gave that computer to a teenager that wouldn't break the lock when you come back in a month it wont be infected at all with malware/spyware or Virus's
 
[citation][nom]znegval[/nom]Sorry but after a lifetime experience with PCs I find it hard to digest this article. Most seem to be in favour of PC but fact is most people that have used it have got a malware at some point. I don't care if it's marketshare or not. Things are what they are and not what we create with "but"s and "if"s.[/citation]

The "but" and "if" are very important articles of a sentence.

For instance: "I would've bought a Mac if there was more software support, but I decided on a PC since I can do just about anything that I want with it, and if it get's broke, I can find inexpensive repair shops."

Or, how about this one:

"If I would've thought more about my purchase, I would've realized that there was a very cool Flash video regarding the incompatibilities with Flash and the iPad, but because I had already bought my iPad, I missed out on that video..."

lol

I'm just pulling your chain, bro/sis... Just wanna make it clear that buts and ifs are extremely important in society...

How about this last example: "If I would've worn a condom on this one-night stand, I wouldn't have made this heathen pregnant, but I didn't, now I'm stuck with an attachment to a person that I would rather not know at this point."

lol
 
"I actually put linux on my aunts comp because I had to wipe windows twice and then dual booted linux on it. Told her I wasn't going to fix XP anymore and to use linux for websurfing. No problems since." I agree False_Dmitry_II, my sister in law got a virus that wiped her hard drive. She had 5 years of work and photos, I used a live CD to back up her data and tried to reinstall XP. Four hours later it would only boot in safe mode and could not install Nvidia drivers to fix the problem. I stuck in a PCLinuxOS disk and 15 mins later she had a desktop, everything worked out of the box except her Ipod wont sync (Apple's fault.). 25 mins to download OOo for productivity and I was done. I have told her if she gets Win7 I will do a dual boot for her, but that if she goes online with Windows and breaks it I won't be fixing it.
 
If macs ever gain a significant market share, and closes the gap with windows, then the mac will be just as vulnerable. I like using macs, but I do not like the fact that it is only legal to have OSX on mac hardware, especially when I am a system builder. (low market share, use linux)
 
[citation][nom]g-systems[/nom]The "but" and "if" are very important articles of a sentence.For instance....[/citation]

You're just enforcing his point. None of your examples seems to suggest that adding an "if" makes it so, or that you'd believe it.

You'd buy a Mac if it had sofware support.
You'd buy an iPad if it had flash.
Article: Macs would be more vulnerable if Apple had a bigger market share.

So... are you going to wear a condom right now in case you'll have a one-nigt stand one day, and avoid macs right now because they might have viruses one day? :)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom