Odds and Ends: Symantec: There are no viruses for Mac OS X -- currently; Knowledge Base updates

Symantec: There are no viruses for Mac OS X -- currently In an apparent reversal from a late-June press release claiming the existence of a "new Mac OS X Trojan," (that threat description now appropriate defines the treat as a proof-of-concept), Symantec has posted a message to its weblog stating that "there are no file-infecting viruses that can infect Mac OS X."

The posting, from Todd Woodward, concludes:

"[...] no operating system is without imperfections, and no computer connected to the Internet will ever be 100% immune from attack. As Apple Computer points out: 'A Mac running with factory settings will protect you from viruses much better than a PC, but it?s never a bad idea to run extra virus and security software.' As I tell my internal and external customers alike, just because there are no file-infecting viruses that can affect Mac OS X now, that doesn't mean there won't be a really nasty one released in the next five minutes. The likelihood of that happening is comparatively low and could be debated ad nauseam, but as Benjamin Franklin said: 'A little neglect may breed great mischief: for want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for want of a horse the rider was lost.'"

Knowledge Base updates

• #42954 Mac OS X 10.2 - 10.2.8: How to print your addresses from Address Book
• #303949 iSight: About the Magnetic Mount
• #107383 Mac OS X 10.2, 10.3: How to perform Mac OS 9 clean installation with Restore CDs
• #61685 About the Do not disconnect and OK to disconnect screens for iPod
• #61705 How to reset iPod

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