# Don't take your Mac to an Apple store



## PhotonGuy

If you got a Mac with viruses, don't take it to an Apple store. With Apple stores, at least the ones I've been to, they will claim that the Mac doesn't get viruses. If you go to a computer shop where they work on computers other than an Apple store they will tell you that contrary to what some people say, Macs do get viruses, at least that's what I was told when I visited such a shop. I sometimes go to a computer shop where they mostly work on PCs but they also work on Macs and the guy there said that Macs do get viruses and he fixes them. Macs might not get viruses as easily as PCs but nevertheless they do. So, if you got a Mac with viruses, its probably best to bring it to a computer shop that works on Macs but not an Apple store where they will go by their claim that Macs don't get viruses.


----------



## hussaf

I've never had an apple employee tell me their computers don't get viruses, just that there more PCs this more PC viruses.


----------



## Ryan_

Yup. All systems can have viruses. Just, people with malicious intents creating the viruses tend to focus on systems which most people will have, so it is much, much more common for Windows PCs to have viruses.


----------



## pdg

Ryan_ said:


> Windows PCs



Thanks (you might see why in a minute )

PC stands for Personal Computer. Always has.

Why on earth the newer marketing is based around Mac vs PC I really don't understand. Irrespective of operating system (ios, ms, linux, etc.) they are computers for personal use.

As I see it, there are only two possible reasons that Apple don't like referring to their machines as PCs:

They aren't personal (i.e. they're so locked down and tied to the mothercamp that they're never really yours).

They aren't computers.



So anyway, please continue 



Edit: or don't continue, seeing as it's nearly a 3 1/2 year old thread


----------



## JowGaWolf

PhotonGuy said:


> If you got a Mac with viruses, don't take it to an Apple store. With Apple stores, at least the ones I've been to, they will claim that the Mac doesn't get viruses.


There are apple users that still believe in this?  Or is that just the marketing spew?


----------



## JowGaWolf

pdg said:


> hey aren't personal (i.e. they're so locked down and tied to the mothercamp that they're never really yours).


Funny yet true.  



pdg said:


> or don't continue, seeing as it's nearly a 3 1/2 year old thread


I should have looked at the date first lol.


----------



## Ryan_

pdg said:


> Thanks (you might see why in a minute )
> 
> PC stands for Personal Computer. Always has.
> 
> Why on earth the newer marketing is based around Mac vs PC I really don't understand. Irrespective of operating system (ios, ms, linux, etc.) they are computers for personal use.
> 
> As I see it, there are only two possible reasons that Apple don't like referring to their machines as PCs:
> 
> They aren't personal (i.e. they're so locked down and tied to the mothercamp that they're never really yours).
> 
> They aren't computers.
> 
> 
> 
> So anyway, please continue
> 
> 
> 
> Edit: or don't continue, seeing as it's nearly a 3 1/2 year old thread




All this for saying PC instead of OS

My point still stands and no, I will continue a thread if I want, it may lead to some interesting discussions.


----------



## Monkey Turned Wolf

Ryan_ said:


> All this for saying PC instead of OS
> 
> My point still stands and no, I will continue a thread if I want, it may lead to some interesting discussions.


He was agreeing with you for specifying windows


----------



## Tez3

Ryan_ said:


> no, I will continue a thread if I want



So there! that told ya.


----------



## pdg

My use of the word "or" should really have implied that continuing or not continuing was down to the individual poster's discretion, I was simply pointing out the age of the thread and the fact I should have noticed before replying.

No need to get uppity.


----------



## Martial D

The reason you don't see a lot of viruses for Unix based operating systems(such as Mac uses) is because how the file permissions work. 

In Windows, any file can have access to any other file, with few exceptions. File permissions are easily circumvented with a couple lines of code.

In Unix, every file is individually protected and isolated, so it becomes very difficult for it to spread and do any damage.  This isn't to say Unix based systems can be infected with malware etc, but viruses have never been a problem.


----------



## IvanTheBrick

PhotonGuy said:


> If you got a Mac with viruses, don't take it to an Apple store. With Apple stores, at least the ones I've been to, they will claim that the Mac doesn't get viruses. If you go to a computer shop where they work on computers other than an Apple store they will tell you that contrary to what some people say, Macs do get viruses, at least that's what I was told when I visited such a shop. I sometimes go to a computer shop where they mostly work on PCs but they also work on Macs and the guy there said that Macs do get viruses and he fixes them. Macs might not get viruses as easily as PCs but nevertheless they do. So, if you got a Mac with viruses, its probably best to bring it to a computer shop that works on Macs but not an Apple store where they will go by their claim that Macs don't get viruses.


Macs do get viruses. The Mac OS is based on Linux and although Linux is (in general) more secure due to the fact that it comes with its own firewall and other security features but viruses exist for every computer system you can think of, except for perhaps embedded systems (never heard of a virus affecting microwaves or cameras lol).

EDIT: Grammar


----------



## pdg

IvanTheBrick said:


> The Mac OS is based on Linux



No, it's not.

The operating system developed by Apple was an offshoot (or ripoff if you will) of BSD, which is/was a Unix like operating system. They took it, made it proprietary and locked it down.

Linux is a different Unix like system, but not actually a full operating system - it refers to the kernel, which needs more to become something a person can interface with and much more before it can be classified as a distribution.

While there are superficial resemblances between the two, they were developed entirely separately and nothing built to run on one system (mac) will run on another (linux) without an absolute minimum of recompiling if not significant recoding.


Things like "it's own firewall" isn't exactly correct either and in any case is almost irrelevant when it comes to virus or malware resilience - what makes the difference there is user/administrator level access control.


----------



## IvanTheBrick

pdg said:


> No, it's not.
> 
> The operating system developed by Apple was an offshoot (or ripoff if you will) of BSD, which is/was a Unix like operating system. They took it, made it proprietary and locked it down.
> 
> Linux is a different Unix like system, but not actually a full operating system - it refers to the kernel, which needs more to become something a person can interface with and much more before it can be classified as a distribution.
> 
> While there are superficial resemblances between the two, they were developed entirely separately and nothing built to run on one system (mac) will run on another (linux) without an absolute minimum of recompiling if not significant recoding.
> 
> 
> Things like "it's own firewall" isn't exactly correct either and in any case is almost irrelevant when it comes to virus or malware resilience - what makes the difference there is user/administrator level access control.


That's something new to learn there. However, I always thought that that Firewalls are absolutely essential for virus resilience in order to stop unwanted packets breaching in? And I guess I also should have considered the fact that Apple never releases source code for their programs, unlike for example the Ubuntu team that have leaked their own source code online, before making a comparison between Mac and Linux. What's your distribution, when you use Linux?


----------



## pdg

IvanTheBrick said:


> That's something new to learn there. However, I always thought that that Firewalls are absolutely essential for virus resilience in order to stop unwanted packets breaching in? And I guess I also should have considered the fact that Apple never releases source code for their programs, unlike for example the Ubuntu team that have leaked their own source code online, before making a comparison between Mac and Linux. What's your distribution, when you use Linux?



A firewall does nothing to stop a virus - what it can do is stop someone intentionally accessing your machine and putting stuff there you don't want (i.e. viruses, ddos ware, etc.) but if you click that link in a dodgy viagra email a firewall won't do diddly. That's why antivirus software is separate.

The ubuntu source code was never 'leaked', it's always been freely available to anyone and everyone (barring certain proprietary sections, which are very few). It's a condition of the GNU GPL (general public licence) that all source code is freely available - the linux kernel is distributed under this licence, so by definition ubuntu must comply because without the kernel it's nothing.

Almost everything bundled with linux distributions is covered by the GPL too.

While that seems it might be bad because if everyone has access it's easier to find vulnerabilities, the huge base of thousands of worldwide coders who work on the source close loopholes very quickly - compared to the relatively tiny amount who work for apple or ms...

Apple manage to keep their systems relatively secure by limiting what is allowed to be installed to things signed by themselves - going as far as to prohibit apps under the GPL from being distributed/sold in the app store. MS rely on proprietary OS code and third party antivirus (or defender in newer versions) while the linux community work amongst themselves.

As for distros I use, mainly something that was initially a version of puppy - but I'll optimise what's installed and how it's compiled (kernel version and modules included) to suit the machine I'm putting it on. Oh, and Android...


----------



## IvanTheBrick

I didn't mean leak in that sense, I just meant it was open-source. I know about the linux kernel being free and all, it's why a lot of distributions are too. If it comes to just not wanting Windows, and requiring a Linux distribution on a  desktop for whatever reason, Ubuntu has always been my go to. On a Raspberry Pi I always roll with Raspbian, though sometimes headless and ofc I use Android too   But I'm into ethical hacking and penetration testing so I use Parrot OS for that. Got any projects going on rn? I'm making a camera that streams online through a private fixed IP, but I can't really work on it right now as my exam period is about to start.


----------



## pdg

I've never been able to get on with ubuntu, and I can't put my finger on why - I seem to give it a go every year or two and it doesn't last more than a day before I uninstall it...


----------



## oftheherd1

IvanTheBrick said:


> I didn't mean leak in that sense, I just meant it was open-source. I know about the linux kernel being free and all, it's why a lot of distributions are too. If it comes to just not wanting Windows, and requiring a Linux distribution on a  desktop for whatever reason, Ubuntu has always been my go to. On a Raspberry Pi I always roll with Raspbian, though sometimes headless and ofc I use Android too   But I'm into ethical hacking and penetration testing so I use Parrot OS for that. Got any projects going on rn? I'm making a camera that streams online through a private fixed IP, but I can't really work on it right now as my exam period is about to start.



I suppose you know there is now both a Windows and Ubuntu  OS for Raspian Pi?  If you haven't look into MotionPieOS for your video streaming.  I haven't used it yet but it looks pretty simple, just that it is said for best results you need a server and then a Pi zero W with the camera, although I think you can use the camera with say a Pi 3 only.

I recently read a review of Parrot which said it was good but didn't have the amount of applications of Kali, Knoppix, or even Backdoor.  How is it working for you?


----------



## IvanTheBrick

oftheherd1 said:


> I suppose you know there is now both a Windows and Ubuntu  OS for Raspian Pi?  If you haven't look into MotionPieOS for your video streaming.  I haven't used it yet but it looks pretty simple, just that it is said for best results you need a server and then a Pi zero W with the camera, although I think you can use the camera with say a Pi 3 only.
> 
> I recently read a review of Parrot which said it was good but didn't have the amount of applications of Kali, Knoppix, or even Backdoor.  How is it working for you?


Man, Parrot is super damn sweet. The layout is somehow more intuitive than the other though I don't know why. I have a Pi 3 haven't been able to touch it recently but I am going to be using a webcam for it not the camera module


----------



## Dirty Dog

oftheherd1 said:


> I recently read a review of Parrot which said it was good but didn't have the amount of applications of Kali, Knoppix, or even Backdoor.  How is it working for you?



If you're talking about 'out of the box', then this is correct. I run Kali on one laptop, and one of my partners has Parrot on his. Out of the box, Kali has more resources, and Parrot is more vulnerable; it took me all of 5 minutes to write a quick Bash Bunny script that gave me remote root access on his Parrot box.
That being said, 'out of the box' is a fairly 'meh' thing with Linux. My Surface Pro runs Ubuntu, and it's the one I carry most often, due to things like size. The tools I use most often (metasploit, beef, etc) are on it, and I can certainly install any other tools I need. Most of my scripting work is done on the Kali laptop, but if I need one of those scripts on the SP, it takes a couple of seconds to copy it, regardless of where I am.


----------



## veritasAequitas

Dirty Dog said:


> If you're talking about 'out of the box', then this is correct. I run Kali on one laptop, and one of my partners has Parrot on his. Out of the box, Kali has more resources, and Parrot is more vulnerable; it took me all of 5 minutes to write a quick Bash Bunny script that gave me remote root access on his Parrot box.
> That being said, 'out of the box' is a fairly 'meh' thing with Linux. My Surface Pro runs Ubuntu, and it's the one I carry most often, due to things like size. The tools I use most often (metasploit, beef, etc) are on it, and I can certainly install any other tools I need. Most of my scripting work is done on the Kali laptop, but if I need one of those scripts on the SP, it takes a couple of seconds to copy it, regardless of where I am.




I think its because parrot has a small team compared to something like backtrack/kali, i personally never found parrot all that stable.

Kali will always be my choice for pen testing and Mint for general usage, but i have been looking more and more at arch.

 What exploit did you use?


----------



## veritasAequitas

oftheherd1 said:


> I suppose you know there is now both a Windows and Ubuntu  OS for Raspian Pi?  If you haven't look into MotionPieOS for your video streaming.  I haven't used it yet but it looks pretty simple, just that it is said for best results you need a server and then a Pi zero W with the camera, although I think you can use the camera with say a Pi 3 only.
> 
> I recently read a review of Parrot which said it was good but didn't have the amount of applications of Kali, Knoppix, or even Backdoor.  How is it working for you?



Pretty good actually, i'm using it with an infrared module for a wild life thing.


----------



## Dirty Dog

veritasAequitas said:


> I think its because parrot has a small team compared to something like backtrack/kali, i personally never found parrot all that stable.
> 
> Kali will always be my choice for pen testing and Mint for general usage, but i have been looking more and more at arch.
> 
> What exploit did you use?



To take control of his laptop? I used a Bash Bunny script that I wrote. It essentially just activated a remote shell to a machine I run.


----------

