Apple Antivirus Warning Pulled from Company Website

Not long after reports surfaced describing Apple's first-ever recommendation that owners of its computers use antivirus software, the company has pulled that very statement from its official web site.

The admission that users should use an antivirus program when using a Macbook was especially surprising to Mac and even PC owners. For years, Apple has proudly flaunted the fact that few viral or spyware threats exist for the niche computer line.

However, as early as Tuesday night Apple ripped that warning down, dismissing it as "old and inaccurate", according to one spokesperson for the company. Now, anyone interested in the controversial admission on antivirus use will be met by the message: "We're sorry. We can't find the article you're looking for."

Bill Evans, Apple's spokesman on the subject, admitted the article had been removed. "The Mac is designed with built-in technologies that provide protection against malicious software and security threats right out of the box," he mused. The warning was simply a very generic one, and nothing potential consumers should concern themselves with. "...since no system can be 100% immune from every threat, running antivirus software may offer additional protection," he added, casually. (Source: computerworld.com)

Despite its poor popularity with the cool hacking crowd, Apple has been urged for years by security companies to recommend antivirus use. "There's nothing inherent in the [Mac] OS to stop someone from writing a virus," said Independent Security Evaluators researcher Charlie Miller.

Most security experts are divided over the issue. Even though Miller admits that there's not much standing in the way of a messy Macbook viral scare, "at this point, no one's making the effort to go after the Mac," he remarked. Forbes.com reporter Andy Greenberg recently found that even though Macbooks continue to climb in popularity, the number of Trojans targeting them has declined. Although Finnish security firm F-Secure has discovered about a dozen new threats to Apple computers online, by comparison the company has saved PC owners from 20,000 to 30,000 new attacks in the same time period.

So, it seems security experts and companies better not hold their breath before Apple owners begin forking out for antivirus software. (Source: forbes.com)