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Consumer Products => Avast Mac Security => Topic started by: TLY on October 22, 2009, 06:43:10 AM

Title: Mac carrying windows viruses?
Post by: TLY on October 22, 2009, 06:43:10 AM

I heard that a Mac can become a carrier of viruses for windows. Can you get viruses for windows without running windows parallels/bootcamp on your Mac? And does Avast scan for windows viruses if you don't run windows on your Mac?

I'm asking because, although I don't run windows on my Macbook and never have. I just don't want to be carrying around windows viruses that I can pass on to my family/friends through email or a flash drive.

Thanks.

Title: Re: Mac carrying windows viruses?
Post by: FreewheelinFrank on October 22, 2009, 07:27:18 PM

You can download them or transfer them via removable media, like USB drives, but they won't be active.

Title: Re: Mac carrying windows viruses?
Post by: zilog on October 22, 2009, 10:13:58 PM

Quote from: TLY on October 22, 2009, 06:43:10 AM

I heard that a Mac can become a carrier of viruses for windows. Can you get viruses for windows without running windows parallels/bootcamp on your Mac? And does Avast scan for windows viruses if you don't run windows on your Mac?

I'm asking because, although I don't run windows on my Macbook and never have. I just don't want to be carrying around windows viruses that I can pass on to my family/friends through email or a flash drive.

Thanks.

yes, you can have them in amilbox as attachments, they can be bundled to some downloaded software, they can arrive on external media, or may be present on bottcamped/virtualised volumes too.

avast scans for all viruses on all platforms (this is a general rule), so yes, windows viruses will be detected, although they can't get in control, on MacOS X (except macro viruses, scripts and other higher-level stuff).

regards,
pc