Author Topic: Mac carrying windows viruses?  (Read 4654 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

TLY

  • Guest
Mac carrying windows viruses?
« 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.
« Last Edit: October 22, 2009, 07:00:13 AM by TLY »

Offline FreewheelinFrank

  • Avast Evangelist
  • Ultra Poster
  • ***
  • Posts: 4872
  • I'm a GNU
    • Don't Surf in the Nude!
Re: Mac carrying windows viruses?
« Reply #1 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.
     Bambleweeny 57 sub-meson brain     Don't Surf in the Nude Blog

Offline zilog

  • Avast team
  • Advanced Poster
  • *
  • Posts: 957
  • or #f0; daa; add a,#a0; adc a,#40
Re: Mac carrying windows viruses?
« Reply #2 on: October 22, 2009, 10:13:58 PM »
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
May's Law: Software efficiency halves every 18 months, compensating Moore's Law. (David May, INMOS)