Introduction

As of the writing of this book, it appears that spyware (as well as malware, viruses, worms, etc.) is beginning to spread its roots out of just Windows and into other platforms. Most recently, we have seen at least two vulnerabilities in the Macintosh OS X platform. Granted, the threat is relatively mild, and it almost requires the user to allow it to happen, but once the door has been opened, there is no turning back.

In this chapter, we will discuss spyware, malware, and viruses on non-Microsoft platforms and technologies, how some platforms have avoided them (thus far), and how we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg on others.

Spyware and Linux

If you were to ask a loyal Linux user why you should use Linux rather than Microsoft Windows, one response you likely would get is that Linux is practically immune to viruses and spyware. Linux users usually don t run antivirus software, nor do they need tools such as Spybot Search & Destroy and AdAware.You usually won t find them reinstalling their operating system to deal with annoying pop-up windows from ad-driven spyware. In this section, we will cover reasons why spyware, malware, and viruses on Linux are almost nonexistent.