This is an email I sent to a friend in response to an article by CNET titled Free apps install spyware on Macs.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Whenever these type of articles come up, I have to laugh. Between the PC geeks who are Mac haters and the Security industry who has a vested interest, they try so hard to level the scale and make us think that Macs are just as vulnerable as PCs.

In regards to this threat I would liken it to this.

In the Mac House:

You go to your front door and say "I wonder if someone is outside I can play with."

You open the door and there is a stranger across the street. You yell over to him "HEY YOU! Do you want to come into my house and play?"

The strangers says, "Sure. I would love to. In fact I have been waiting here for an invitation from someone like you."

When the door shuts behind the stranger, you say "make yourself at home. I am going upstairs and I may not come back down even if I hear loud noises."

Whereas in the PC house:

You are in your house looking out the window. You see a purple elephant flying past the house.

The elephant smiles and holds up a sign that reads "Hello, my name is Alert 3249ef.gin.pdls.exe. Your car is out of gas and if you don't tap your window 3 times, your house may burn down. Would you like to proceed?"

You are confused and close the curtains. Unknown to you, his partner the cockroach has slipped into your house through some faulty plumbing that your incompetent contractor had installed to save some money. The cockroach immediately has 2,000 babies that proceed to infiltrate your walls.

A month later, you can't figure out why your neighbours keep complaining about all of the rodents and pests coming from your house.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In other words, if you download crap, you better know what it is and from where it comes. You should use some basic precautions like Little Snitch, do not enable auto login (off by default) and password protect your computer!. Whereas on the PC, you are better off not connecting to the internet and not introducing any files from outside.