Mac Users Continue to be Targeted by Hackers

As I wrote here on the blog a couple of weeks ago, I am now running an antivirus (A/V) program on my Mac.

As I type this, F-Secture, which happens to be one of my very favorite antivirus programs, is running in the background keeping my Mac safe from an increasing list of malware.

The latest bug to plague the Mac OS is being called "Flashback.S" and it spreads through a security hole in Java. This is the same way the earlier virus (a couple of weeks ago) called Fakeflash was also spreading.

Here is the problem with the whole concept of malware and "The Cult of Mac"...

For years it was bantered about that the Mac OS was simply impervious to a virus infection. Unfortunately, that little fact was never true, but the gang at Cupertino never made an effort to correct it and those of us in the media only did a tiny bit more to correct the myth. The bottom line is that any software system is vulnerable to hacks. The only reason the Mac operating system wasn't being attacked, was a numbers game. For years, the market penetration of Mac was about 5%. That meant that hackers could either go after the 5% of the market that was Mac or go after the 95% that was Windows. Obviously if you are trying to steal information or hijack computers, you're going to go after as many as possible� and that meant targeting machines running the Windows OS.

Now that Mac has garnered about 12% of computers, it only makes sense that the bad guys will try to exploit it.

To that end, if you are a Mac user, I highly recommend that you take a look at F-Secure Anti-Virus. It guards all of my Windows machines (and I have more than a few of those) as well as my beloved MacBook Pro.

Elecom Headphones for iPod Shuffle - Who Needs Bluetooth?

Now don't get me wrong. I mean I love Bluetooth. I have it in my truck as well as having a headset, headphones, and a presentation mouse all using the Bluetooth standard. The wireless standard makes my life easier and cuts down on lots of wires... what's not to love?

And yet, there are those times when less can be more, or at least a steady equivalent, and this is one of those times. It seems the smart people at Elecom came up with the very bright idea of making the latest iPod Shuffle totally portable and wireless. Now I know the Shuffle is portable. Heck the dang thing is about the size of a box of matches... maybe smaller, but the wired earbuds can be a bit of a pain when dealing with any MP3 player; even one as tiny as the new Shuffle.

Now if you don't want wires, you can certainly find some very good Bluetooth headsets like this one that I happen to own. But if you'd rather have a regular "wired" type headset without the wires, Elecom has your solution. The idea is beautiful in its simplicity. There is a headphone plug on the headphones and the Shuffle simply slides onto it and is held in place directly on the side of the headphones. The result is a totally portable wireless headphone system. Oh, and it's only $50 which isn't rock bottom cheap, but it isn't breaking the bank either.

I haven't had a chance to evaluate these so I have no idea what the sound quality is, but it's a great concept/idea as far as better mousetraps go.