| News and Reviews |
Mac Everyone
|
On the Macintosh, computer viruses infect executable files -- system files
such as system extensions, INITs, and control panels, and applications such
as word processing and spreadsheet programs. There are also Mac viruses that
infect HyperCard stacks.
Like other computer viruses, Mac viruses are inactive until you launch
an infected application or start your computer from a disk that has infected
system files. The activated virus loads into your computer's memory and
attaches copies of itself to applications or system files on the disks
you access. Also like other computer viruses, many Mac viruses are not
designed to do any damage; they replicate themselves and display messages.
But some are programmed specifically to damage the data on your computer
by corrupting programs, deleting files, or even erasing your entire hard
disk. Even some of the "harmless" viruses contain bugs that might make
your Mac behave erratically or crash unexpectedly.
Mac viruses don't infect PCs and PC viruses don't infect Macs. So you don't
have to worry about your Mac getting Michelangelo or Stoned. nVir is the most
common Mac virus; its main effect is to make your system beep unexpectedly.
Look in the SIMTEL20 archives and mirror sites like wuarchive.wustl.edu
at Washington University for Macintosh anti-virus programs. At Washington, they're
in the /systems/mac/macintosh/virus
directory. |
