Last Updated: Tuesday, May 12, 2009 at 1:45 AM
Reported by: Devona Moore
Edited by: Jill Glavan
COLUMBIA - Macs are becoming a big hit on college campuses, making them an even larger target for computer bad guys.
A harmful program called "iBotnet" is being used to attack Mac computers. Users catch the virus by illegally downloading faulty versions of popular Mac programs like "iWork" and "iLife". Worms enter the computer, copy passwords and other important information, allowing the program administrator to control the computer from another network.
Many mac users believe that their computers are immune to harmful programs such as this, but Mitch Racket of the MU Division of IT says any hardware connected to the Internet is at risk of harm.
"A Macintosh is a computer just like a windows computer is. They are definitely not immune to viruses, they just tend to be targeted less," Racket said.
Although Macs are not immune, they have a better reputation for security. PCs are known to be more susceptible to harmful software.
"They also have a fairly strong security principle behind their operating system," Racket said.
According to an online study, in 2008, 40% of college students owned a Mac computer.
University officials discourage students and general public from illegally downloading programs and encourage computer users to take the necessary actions to protect them.
But I don't think people would totally be following this piece of advice, as people are already used in doing this things...
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