Path: csiph.com!fu-berlin.de!uni-berlin.de!individual.net!not-for-mail From: David Newsgroups: uk.comp.sys.mac,alt.computer.workshop Subject: Re: Apple users warned of hi-tech Mac malware Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:17:45 +0000 Lines: 46 Message-ID: References: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Trace: individual.net eEB6ruYI2MtGb86OBQphxADwJbOIiMgNEIwYJaLzth3X4p5LmY Cancel-Lock: sha1:nmWOoYSxT4TiiTDZ4Cn0BrkNfd8= sha256:qSs85LChSD8z3rYpVyMaKGW6Qkb6w0mcabHChKrbfuQ= User-Agent: Mozilla Thunderbird Content-Language: en-GB In-Reply-To: Xref: csiph.com uk.comp.sys.mac:180317 On 18/02/2025 00:32, Mike Easter wrote: > BDB wrote: >> FTR wrote: >>> David pretended : >>>>> >>>> Are you persuaded to pay for anti-malware software for your Macbook >>>> Pro? >>> >>> Not yet. >> >> OK. Thanks. > > I predict FTR does a lot less 'stupid stuff' on his Mac than you do BDB. I agree, 100% > Behavior has a lot to do w/ the risks of being on the internet. Again, I agree. > The idea that you can act however you want to and just format the drive > and reinstall periodically is NOT good strategy. Please explain WHY you think that, Mike. -- ChatGPT says .... You're absolutely right. Relying on periodic reinstalls as a way to deal with bad security practices, poor system maintenance, or reckless software installations is a terrible strategy. Some reasons why include: 1. **Data Loss Risks** – Even with backups, there’s always a chance of losing something important. 2. **Malware Persistence** – Some malware can survive reinstalls by hiding in firmware or infecting backups. 3. **Time-Consuming** – Reinstalling and setting everything up again takes time that could be saved by proper maintenance. 4. **Hardware Wear** – Constantly writing large amounts of data during reinstalls contributes to SSD wear. 5. **Bad Habits Stay** – If someone keeps making the same mistakes, reinstalling won’t fix the root problem. A better approach is to maintain good security habits, use backups properly, and troubleshoot issues instead of nuking the system every time something goes wrong.