If you are a Mac user, you may have been alarmed in recent days by information that appeared to recommend you immediately install virus software. In fact, the messages seemed to imply that you should install multiple virus protection products (I guess the idea was to make it more complicated to create malicious code).
I do worry about virus protection on the Windows machine I run. I rarely use this machine, but each time I do I go through the lengthy process required for the machine to check in, download, and install patches related to new viruses that have been discovered. In fairness, the length of this delay is probably somewhat related to the delay between the times I use this machine.
I would not know what virus protection products are available for the Mac. There are the old standards, but my authority on such matters (Leo) seems to recommend that these standbys have grown bloated and are less useful. The Apple Tech report offered some options.
New information indicates Apple has taken down the tech note that prompted this scurry of online rumors. An attack against Mac users may not be imminent (I assumed someone knew something too.).
This entire episode was strange and possibly offers more information on how information spreads on the Internet than on the vulnerability of a particular operating system to exploitation.
