i wonder if any mac users have this problem before ? as i recall, there arent a lot of spyware on macs right?
probably only issue is getting spam mail.....



http://www.download.com/Spyware-Horror-Sto...ml?tag=readmore

Security Center: Spyware Horror Stories
Beware of granny
Published 8/22/07 by: Sara

Got your own spyware horror story? Share it with us!

My friend asked me to help her elderly neighbor, whose PC was "going very slowly." I didn't want to, because I'm no expert, but I printed off instructions from this site on sorting out messes and went to have a look. I must admit I never got as far as finding out if there was spyware.

The PC was almost new. As I inspected it, I found she never cleared temporary files or cookies or ran any kind of scans or did even the most elementary housekeeping. So I did that for her using just Internet tools and a disk cleanup. Messages kept popping up from her security programs, begging her to install updates. She didn't know what they were, so she kept clicking Cancel. She thought they were spyware!

She hadn't even activated her free one-year subscription for firewall, spyware, privacy tools, etc. The program was flashing frantic red on several fronts when I opened it. So I completed that for her and got it running.

This 71-year-old lady loves instant messaging. She has approximately four different clients set up, with new message notifications popping up every few minutes at the bottom of her screen. She loves pretty screensavers and wallpaper and nice e-mail icons, so she's signed up with all the places most famous for dumping spyware on you unseen. She has also gone mad on every type of site and they are all e-mailing her repeatedly with "special offers." She hadn't a clue how to stop any of them and was getting 30 or 40 a day "buy this, that, or the other on special" messages. I reset her e-mail to receive messages only from contacts in her address book. It was faster than sending cancellation e-mails to dating agencies, wine retailers, fitness clubs, you name it.

The poor old lady got more and more worried as I tutted and muttered over her PC, and eventually she was in quite a state because she didn't understand any of what I was saying and I had to leave without actually running any spyware scans. I need to write her a schedule of weekly maintenance for her PC together with stern warnings about careless downloading. I had to leave her with her screensavers, since she just loves those cute doggies, spyware or no spyware.

Beware of grannies who love to mail, but don't get technology.

-Sara
Southend, England

There are tracking cookies which technically are spyware. I think
they record all the sites you visit and store the info so people can
spam you more effectively later.

Other than that, I've not come across any Mac malware... yet :-)

so another reason to buy a MAC

Most likely you won't have a software problem such as viruses, spyware or adware with a Mac right?

ya. it is because most of viruses or those "bad" app are compiled in windows (.exe) and mac or linux cannot execute those application. That's why safe.

On a related note, a forumer was questioning the security (or lack, thereof) of Vista, and totally out of the blue, a Windows fan came busting out with an incendiary remark. I hope some of you Mac users would join in and enlighten the less informed people on OS X's security. For one thing, I have yet to come across a Mac that has been infected one way or another.