Earlier this week MacCentral alerted readers to an alarmist article posted by vnunet.com that claimed to “explode the myth” the Macs are safer than PCs from computer virus installation. The author of that article is back with more commentary in a new article entitled Fans kick back at Mac hack flak.
The original article cited one “expert” source for the allegation — a spokesperson for anti-virus software publisher Symantec. The resulting public outcry largely disputed the contents of the vnunet report.
In his follow-up, author James Middleton took Apple to task for not commenting on the imbroglio directly. Middleton primarily quoted from readers who disagreed with his original article’s assertions, but began with this contrary comment.
“Readers pointed out that there are plenty of Mac viruses out there, not just the macro viruses affecting Microsoft Office installations, but AppleScript and Macintosh file infectors,” said Middleton. “Some virus writers, such as Benny and Sandman from 29A, even specialize in malicious code for the Mac.”
“I’ve never had any problems with viruses in over 10 years using a Mac,” said one reader Middleton quoted, largely reiterating the comments of many MacCentral readers who responded to the story.
“The Macintosh as a platform is safer,” said another who identified himself as a certified Apple technical consultant.
Middleton also quoted from a World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) FAQ that identified Mac-based Web sites as “the safest website” available.