Enterprise Mac Security: Mac OS X Snow Leopard

Chapter 8. Malware Security: Combating Viruses, Worms, and Root Kits

In this chapter, we will discuss protecting your Mac from malware. But first, what do we mean by malware? Malware is a term used by security professionals to reference any software that is designed to infiltrate or damage computer systems without the owner's informed consent. "Informed" is the key word here. A user might consent by clicking an Accept dialog box to allow a software package to install, but might not be fully informed of the vulnerabilities that can potentially be exploited by that software package. Beta versions of new software can sometimes have potentially damaging effects on an operating system, but would not be considered malware because they generally don't ...