One of the first hot news we got hold of this week was Apple surprisingly recommending antivirus software for Mac users, in a knowledge base article on its site. However, what looked like
Apple finally admitting Mac virus threats has turned into a reassuring statement coming from Apple spokesperson, Bill Evans.
According to a CNet
piece, Apple's Bill Evans confirmed that Macs faced no such threat whatsoever. "We have removed the KnowledgeBase article because it was old and inaccurate," he said. "The Mac is designed with built-in technologies that provide protection against malicious software and security threats right out of the box," Evans stressed. Evans does admit that Macs are, after all, computers, which means they may be targeted by hackers at times, so "running antivirus software may offer additional protection," he stated.
Before being pulled, Apple's "old" Support document said: "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."
Apple's reasons for removing this notice from its knowledge base are still unclear, particularly because no other document replaced it. The page currently bears Apple's well-known message saying "We're sorry. We can't find the article you're looking for," offering users a link back to the Apple Support homepage.
That Apple still encourages folks to use antivirus programs for "additional protection," which is widely interpreted as Apple's attempt to protect against any liability, is also worth mentioning. As such, Apple isn't really denying Mac malware threats, so Mr. Evans' statement makes little to no difference. Interestingly enough, Apple had never considered pulling the page before Mac editors decided to publicize it so a wider audience would be informed. What would you say Apple feels more threatened of: actual Mac viruses, or speculative reports on Mac malware? We're dying to hear what you think, so let us know in the comments.
