[X-Newbies] Anti Virus Software

[Vincent Cayenne]

At 8:42 AM +0100 9/30/04, Chris Walker wrote:
>>As a condition of using the Uni VPN I have been told that I must install
>>anti-virus software.  I know - Macs aren't affected - but trying to
>>convince a Windows besotted sysadmin is an exercise in applied futility.
>>  There is I suppose, the remote possibility that I could act as a carrier
>>for a Win virus, particularly Word macro viruses, so perhaps it's not a
>>bad idea.  Having seen one University network taken down in in its
>>entirety by Sobig, I can understand them being paranoid.

At 1:05 AM -0700 9/30/04, Randy B.Singer wrote:
>the Intego folks told me that it does not look for any non-Mac viruses.
>
><snip>
>
>You aren't going to be a go-between for transfering Windows applications,
>are you?   So VirusBarrier should be all that you need.

I can't see that this addresses his need. The need is to comply with 
a paranoid admin's insistence on virus protection before admittance 
to the uni network. Using an antivirus product which ignores the 
malware of concern to the admin seems like setting up the Mac to be 
the scapegoat whenever next there is a breach. The admin is already 
ignoring the facts - why give him/her the opportunity to blame the 
Mac at some point in the future? When asked "Is the product you're 
using updated to eradicate latest-Win-virus-of-week-005 which just 
penetrated our network?", what's this user going to say? Scapegoating 
is a tried-and-true administrative tool.
-- 
'tis as said. [Reality is defined by being described]