[iMACBeth]

Does anybody know of a good place to find Norton AntiVirus or a compatible program for an older iMac (OS v. 9.0)? It seems like everyone I know is getting hit by viruses and I just want to be totally prepared! Thanks!

[jasong]

You are prepared. You have a Mac.

Seriously, none of those viruses will work on your computer.

[Tee]

OWC sells Norton SystemWorks version 1.0 which includes the full version of NAV 7 which is compatible with OS 9.x

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other...g/072600421BQ/

[iMACBeth]

I love that my Mac never gets any of the viruses! I guess I wasn't too clear in my previous post... not at all unusual! I am mostly concerned about internet security. I was looking in to doing some online bill paying, and I am just concerned about transmitting sensitive info. Somebody told me that there was some sort of virus (or something) that recorded keystrokes and that it affected Macs as well as Windows. I just want to make sure that all precautions are taken before I do anything online.

Thanks for the responses and for the link

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by iMACBeth

I love that my Mac never gets any of the viruses! I guess I wasn't too clear in my previous post... not at all unusual! I am mostly concerned about internet security. I was looking in to doing some online bill paying, and I am just concerned about transmitting sensitive info. Somebody told me that there was some sort of virus (or something) that recorded keystrokes and that it affected Macs as well as Windows. I just want to make sure that all precautions are taken before I do anything online.

Thanks for the responses and for the link

There really isn't such thing as a virus that affects Macs and Windows machines (that I know of). Just make sure that you are only transmitting sensitive info on encrypted (SSL) sites, and you're set.

[iMACBeth]

I didn't have my coffee this morning, so I apologize in advance if this sounds really dumb! SSL would be when the little golden padlock shows up on the bottom right corner of the MSIE window, right? The "You are now entering a secure site" alert box, too, right? It's okay to enter name, address, account #, SSN, etc. on those sites?

I really have to stop listening to my Windows friends. Their stories are kinda scary!

I appreciate all of the helpful responses! Mac people are so friendly!

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by iMACBeth

I didn't have my coffee this morning, so I apologize in advance if this sounds really dumb! SSL would be when the little golden padlock shows up on the bottom right corner of the MSIE window, right? The "You are now entering a secure site" alert box, too, right? It's okay to enter name, address, account #, SSN, etc. on those sites?

I really have to stop listening to my Windows friends. Their stories are kinda scary!

I appreciate all of the helpful responses! Mac people are so friendly!

Yes, the padlock indicates that the site is SSL encrypted. This means that it would be nearly possible for any information you send to be intercepted.

However, you still need to know who your recipient is. If she/he is not trustworthy, there is no technology that will protect you. I'd only send personal information to highly reputable companies, and most definitely only with SSL encryption.

[Angus_D]

Doesn't NAV still come with some old crufty version which runs on OS 9 and earlier?

[iMACBeth]

Thanks. I guess I just worry too much sometimes! You just hear so many stories on the news about identity theft. Computers have made stuff so much easier, but criminals have figured out so many ways to use that convenience to their own advantage.

I promise that this is the last time I ask, but there really shouldn't be a problem if I enter like my SSN on a reputable site showing the SSL padlock even though I don't have any special anti-virus/security programs on my iMac?

I so appreciate everyone's help! Thanks, again!

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by iMACBeth

Thanks. I guess I just worry too much sometimes! You just hear so many stories on the news about identity theft. Computers have made stuff so much easier, but criminals have figured out so many ways to use that convenience to their own advantage.

I promise that this is the last time I ask, but there really shouldn't be a problem if I enter like my SSN on a reputable site showing the SSL padlock even though I don't have any special anti-virus/security programs on my iMac?

I so appreciate everyone's help! Thanks, again!

Counterfeit websites are often called phishing websites. No software can protect you from being tricked with these sites, but as long as the site isn't counterfeit, you have nothing to worry about.

[iMACBeth]

Thanks I really appreciate how patient everyone (especially you, besson3c!) has been with my (probably) very annoying questions. You have all helped to ease my fears!

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by jasong

You are prepared. You have a Mac.

Seriously, none of those viruses will work on your computer.

Not to rain on your parade here, but you are running OS 9. The chances of getting a virus on OS X are quite low, but I have seen, with my own two eyes, several OS 9 machines that got infected with the SevenDust/666 worm, which will run on your machine. I have seen this happen well after the release of OS X as well, so while the old OS 9 viruses are probably in the process of fading into obscurity, they're not there yet.

A free program to scan for and eliminate the 666 worm is Agax.

There's also the AutoStart worm, but it's extremely rare these days due to its way of spreading via removable media rather than the Internet. You can make yourself relatively safe against this one just by going into the QuickTime Settings control panel and making sure that the CD -ROM AutoStart feature is turned off.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by CharlesS

Not to rain on your parade here, but you are running OS 9. The chances of getting a virus on OS X are quite low, but I have seen, with my own two eyes, several OS 9 machines that got infected with the 666 virus, which will run on your machine. I have seen this happen well after the release of OS X as well, so while the old OS 9 viruses are probably in the process of fading into obscurity, they're not there yet.

A free program to scan for and eliminate the 666 virus is Agax.

There's also the AutoStart worm, but that's a bit rare these days due to its way of spreading via removable media rather than the Internet. You can make yourself relatively safe against this one just by going into the QuickTime Settings control panel and making sure that the CD -ROM AutoStart feature is turned off.

How is 666 propagated?

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by besson3c

How is 666 propagated?

My memory's hazy, but I think it spread to apps on your hard drive and then relies on the user to share those apps to spread the virus. So you'd think it wouldn't get around much. However, there might be an OS 9 software download site out there somewhere that's got infected files on it or something, because I've seen more real live cases of 666 in person than I should have been able to given the circumstances.

Anyway, it doesn't hurt to be safe. Get Agax, and scan any software you download before running it.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by CharlesS

My memory's hazy, but I think it spread to apps on your hard drive and then relies on the user to share those apps to spread the virus. So you'd think it wouldn't get around much. However, there might be an OS 9 software download site out there somewhere that's got infected files on it or something, because I've seen more real live cases of 666 in person than I should have been able to given the circumstances.

Anyway, it doesn't hurt to be safe. Get Agax, and scan any software you download before running it.

iMacBeth, part of the whole computer security thing is making personal decisions about how paranoid/careless you want to be. Like our own personal security, there is always some probability of some sort of threat.

Personally, I'd say that worrying about this 666 virus is paranoid - at least to my tastes, but I respect Charles' sensibilities and wisdom too. If you'd feel more comfortable knowing all of your bases are covered, perhaps you'd be wise to follow Charles' advice.

[iMACBeth]

Ok. Now with the 666 virus, is that something my computer could have without me being aware of it? It runs perfectly fine except for the occassional freeze that requires rebooting. I'm not a big downloader, so aside from updated versions of AIM, MSIE and Adobe Acrobat, I can't think of any applications I've downloaded except for a few games. I've also downloaded some pdfs and some zips with graphics for web design, but that's about it.

What programs should I scan with Agax? All of them or just the internet ones? Would the 666 virus affect my internet security with banking (or Amazon.com orders! ), etc.?

Some days, snail mail just looks better and better! Thanks!

[iMACBeth]

Oops! Forgot to ask... this site that is giving Agax for free is reputable and trustworthy, right? I'd hate to cause a new problem while trying to fix a potential one!