Even worse it has no special protection against Phishing attacks

One of the dubious claims by Apple and it’s devoted users is the lack of worry about virus protection. That self-confidence is misplaced since virus attacks do occur on Macs and phishing attacks are common.

Apple now recommends users install virus software.

In the past virus and trojan developers devoted more of their attention to the Intel/Windows computers. They outnumbered Macx by better than 10 to 1.

The lines are blurring as Apple computers are now Intel computers and share common access points and peripherals It’s a fallacy to believe your Mac is virus free without protection. We came across this post on an Apple Support forum

“a couple months ago my laptop got a virus and i lost all my files including my itunes library of about 150 songs. i looked for a customer service email address and didnt find one and i also googled the problem, searched through these forums, and looked at many different topics in the support column on the apple website. nothing worked. i am very frustrated. can anyone help???”

Sorry there is no help. Lost files are gone according to the forum. To add insult to injury, Apple will not allow a second download of files so what is lost is gone, unless you back it up.

We all have too many digital music and video files to ignore backing up our data but who has a realistic backup system at home?

If you didn’t make a back-up of your music/movie purchases to restore from (as you are advised to do) then I’m sorry to say that the policy on lost purchases is that you have to pay to download them again: “Products may only be downloaded once; after being downloaded, they cannot be replaced if lost for any reason.

Once a Product is purchased or rented (as applicable) and you receive the Product, it is your responsibility not to lose, destroy, or damage the Product, and Apple shall be without liability to you in the event of any loss, destruction, or damage” iTunes Store: Purchased content can be downloaded only once.

If you have an iPod that still has any of your purchases on it you’ll find details in this article on how to transfer them to the computer: Copying iTunes Store purchases from your iPod or iPhone to a computer

Failing this, you could try contacting iTunes Store Customer Service and you might be able to persuade them to sanction a second free download. There have been occasional reports in the iTunes forum of this happening, however just be aware that they are not under any obligation to do so. If you click on this link it’ll take you to the support/contact page: Customer Service – iTunes Store Support You might also want to check out these pages for future reference: How to back up your media in iTunes Back up your iTunes library by copying to an external hard drive

Backup is boring until you need it

Think about all the music, videos and software you have downloaded and then realize that a bad hard drive can wipe it all out. That’s one of the reasons I like to get CDs and DVDs for a physical but even they get lost or damaged.

Who backs up their home computer system? I used to backup weekly but now I have more than 4 TB on-line. Ordering an HP MediaSmart Server should help, except HP shipped it without software, cables and small items needed to make it work. We are approaching one month with an inert box in the office.

Stephen’s law of backups – your chances of needing to restore increase exponentially with your lack of regular backups.

Phishing attacks cost you more than failed hard drives

Trying to steal your identity and credit card information is one of the most lucrative crimes in the world. Banks like Citi Group have lost 100s of millions to phishing attacks along with people who own Macs and PCs.

The new perversity is phishing attacks now come as warning popups that your computer is infected by a virus. The scam can lead to putting in a credit card number to purchase anti-virus software or the secret installation of a trojan that watches and logs keystrokes such as accounts, passwords and credit card data.

The better virus programs which are available for Macs have anti-phishing protection. Suggested products include Norton and Avast. You still need to be cautious and avoid those annoying and dangerous popups.