Re: Bad news: Mac virus

In article <hlockwood-30AE41.13314901042008@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Harry Lockwood <hlockwood@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Mac Users Affected by New Virus
-------------------------------
by Rich Mogull <rich@xxxxxxxxxxx>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9534>

Reports surfaced today that a new virus is slowly spreading
throughout the Mac community. The first infections appeared a few
days after Macworld Expo in January 2008 and were initially centered
in the San Francisco and Cupertino areas, but soon spread throughout
California, with additional hotspots in major metropolitan areas
throughout North America and Europe. The virus continues to spread
slowly and efforts to eradicate it have been unsuccessful. Although
Mac users usually have a relatively lower risk of viruses than their
Windows brethren, experts believe this infection is isolated to the
Mac community, and it is not expected to transition to the broader
computing world.

HFL

More details

Officials suspect the virus first appeared at Macworld Expo, quietly
infecting unprotected users. Apple employees were likely another
vector, as the next wave of infections seemed centered on Apple
retail stores. The virus has since entered the broader Mac
community, moving beyond enthusiasts with riskier trade show habits
to the general Macintosh population. Symptoms include nausea,
vomiting, and general flu-like symptoms.

"It's bizarre, but this virus appears to be limited almost entirely
to users of Macs, iPods, and other Apple products," stated Dr.
Miroslav Virislavski, a spokesman with the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control in Atlanta, Georgia. "With tens of thousands of enthusiasts
at the Macworld conference, the virus quickly gained a foothold with
Apple users, especially company employees. While it's not unusual
for viruses to spread at major events, this one is unique since it
has since established itself in Apple retail stores and has been
hard to eliminate."

Experts have identified the infection as a new variant of the
norovirus family. Noroviruses are well known for cruise ship
outbreaks and for spreading quickly through isolated communities.
"Symptoms for the average norovirus normally appear within 24 to 48
hours of exposure," stated Dr. Virislavski, "but this version seems
to mask its symptoms for up to 4 days, even though carriers are
contagious after the first 12 hours. We think this long incubation
period is contributing to the slow spread and difficulty in
containing the outbreak, as is the relatively small Mac user base
compared to the rest of the population."

Noroviruses are particularly hardy and remain viable on surfaces
such as keyboards, iPod click wheels, and iPhone screens for up to
three weeks under normal indoor conditions. Infected users continue
to shed the virus for up to two weeks after their recovery. Symptoms
typically last 1 to 2 days, and most users recover without incident.
Noroviruses do break down quickly in sunlight, an environment few
Mac users experience.

Jim Borne, security product manager at SymCaftego Software, believes
Mac users are suffering due to their careless habits and sense of
immunity. "Apple users are just as vulnerable as Windows users, but
refuse to admit they aren't any safer. The Windows community has
spent years building their defenses while Mac users carelessly share
their laptops, iPods, and iPhones without following best practices
for safe computing."

Experts believe the social nature of the Apple community, combined
with a false sense of security, make this outbreak particularly
insidious. "These guys (and girls) think they're better than the
rest of us, but they're far less prepared for the real world," said
one epidemiologist, who wished to remain anonymous. "They're always
touching each other's computers, iPods, and other devices without
taking any precautions like simple hand washing. That's just
dangerous, and a little gross."

A survey released by the manufacturers of the Purell hand sanitizer
indicated that Mac users are a staggering 42 percent less likely to
use a sanitizing gel between computing sessions. "They also have
long hair and dress like hippies," reported one researcher, "at
least the ones that aren't wearing black jeans and turtlenecks even
in the middle of summer."

--
Change hlockwood to hflockwood in email address
.

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