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I need an antivirus program for my Mac, any suggestions.
- Thread starter gc15
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ClamXav, as it is not invasive as others and provides you with enough protection if you need it. But then again, you do not really need AV software anyway, I have successfully run my Macs since 2004 without getting any malware, see below link for more information.
Currently there are zero viruses affecting Mac OS X in public circulation, but there are other kinds of malware existing, that can infect your Mac.
To learn more about malware in Mac OS X and what steps can be taken to protect yourself, read the following F.A.Q.:
Currently there are zero viruses affecting Mac OS X in public circulation, but there are other kinds of malware existing, that can infect your Mac.
To learn more about malware in Mac OS X and what steps can be taken to protect yourself, read the following F.A.Q.:
see i didnt think i would have, but i been going to this website for quite sometime no problems, its just a forum, but today when i went there, chrome made a pop up that said this website could contain malware that could infect your computer, so i quickly backed out of the website. Now im concerned since i been going there for a while now with nothing popping up, and im wondering if my computer got infected or not.
Your computer is not infected. Chrome is just letting you no the website contains malware so it's protecting you by not going forward into going to the site
I would never allow anything from Symantec to be installed on any of my Macs.
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Did you happen to notice the article is from 2008???
you do not need antivirus for a Mac, unless you want to make sure you don't pass on windows-viruses that attach to e-mails.
If you were on Windows 7, I'd say go for it. Windows 8 is better.
If you're on a Mac, I say you don't need it...UNLESS your Mac is used as a public terminal, and even then you can enable Guest access and disable certain types of files from even opening.
If you're on a Mac, I say you don't need it...UNLESS your Mac is used as a public terminal, and even then you can enable Guest access and disable certain types of files from even opening.
They could have been avoided using proper security steps, but then again, not everyone is computer savvy, thus such AV software might be needed by those people.
As for people able to read and comprehend, following the security steps outlined in that Malware FAQ will help not having to rely on AV software, but then again, who wants that in the age of Instafeces and Friendface.
some malware exists for osx, sure, but the likelihood of actually getting hit with it if you practice common sense on the internet is incredibly low, balanced against the slowdown it does to your computer, it just doesn't seem worth it at this time to use antivirus on osx
Same questions, same rhetoric;
There are several reasons to run antivirus/malware on OS X especially if you are dealing with a mixed environment passing on malicious code even inadvertently does you no favours in the profesional world, let alone family and friends. What does not hurt your Mac & OS X may bring a PC to it`s knees.
You do need to be careful on the choice of application; ClamXav is extremely light and only looks in realtime at what you specify and it`s free. The sentry is presently utilising 0.2% of CPU consuming just over an hours worth of CPU time over several weeks and this is on a machine over four years old. Does anyone seriously still believe that running ClamXav on todays modern hardware impacts performance! The paid for packages I agree are a waste of $ offering little more than a placebo with a heavyweight user interface. ClamAV the parent of ClamXav protects a myriad of servers globally, which is a pretty good tip...
ClamXav will have no impact on a modern Intel based Mac. To have a free, low headroom, accurate scanner that offers a lot of flexibility/customisation and not utilize it seems somewhat stubborn at best. The retorts of AV being a resource hog, boils down to one thing, research; ClamXav will not bog your system down, if it does you have some other inconsistencies that need addressing, or your hardware is so old it`s well and truly time to upgrade, on my Early 2008 MBP ClamXav is simply invisible, there is absolutely no degradation of performance, as for the i7 2.4 MBP & now the 15" Retina MBP the application is completely transparant.
I have literally decades of work on my systems, I have no intention of losing any data, ClamXav is but one tool in a multilayered safety net. Lets face it, if and when OS X is compromised it will spread like wildfire as many fundamentally believe that OS X is invulnerable. I am not entirely sure posts that overly renforce this false sense of security are helpful to the average user, even Apple recognise threats to the operating system and sub components, however the updates are too slow to be considered a preventative measure...
I have never had a positive hit in all the years I have run ClamXav equally OS X is gaining traction and it`s simply a matter of time before someone figures it out, thinking otherwise is simply naive at best. ClamXav cost me nothing monetarily, nor time in productivity, this is a safety net that costs little more than five minutes of your time, one of life's smarter investments.
Virus/malware gains traction by exploiting vulnerabilities on unprotected systems. I don't believe for one second that CalmXav is the single security solution for OS X, it is however the de-facto standard for many mail servers, ISP`s, Technology companies, universities globally across several platforms (ClamAV), the list is endless. ClamXav is continuously updated, both definitions and application.
Apple has included ClamAV with OS X server since 10.4 and continues to do so today (http://www.apple.com/macosx/server/specs.html) with OS X 10.7.3 Lion Server. ClamXav is transparent on an Intel based Mac, adds another level of protection at zero cost, yet many still refuse to acknowledge any potential benefit.
Apple also clearly list Calmav-137-1 on their 10.7.3 Open Source page (http://www.opensource.apple.com/release/mac-os-x-1073/) admittedly it is not implemented in the Lion client release, equally I would not be surprised if it was quietly implemented in a forthcoming release of OS X as was XProtect implemented in Snow Leopard. Apple may simply choose to integrate ClamAV into Xprotect and the vast majority will never know the difference. As of OS X 10.6 your Mac is running anti malware like it or not
There are many compelling reasons to run ClamXav and few if any not too. Personal choices aside I fundamentally believe that suggesting that OS X is safe to all and does not need such tools is very much a step in the wrong direction; not all are technically minded, neither do all users who may have access to machines follow the rules and guidelines of safe computing. The vast majority simply point and click to get to where or what they want ClamXav simply serves as a barrier to protect those that are unaware and some cases unconcerned, ultimately such safeguards protect the community as a whole.
Be mindful that some of those advocating that there is no need for Mac`s to run any form of AV, may have a high level of computing proficiency and a deep understanding of the system, your kid`s, your grandparent`s, the girl from next door etc likely wont have this acquired knowledge. The premiss is to keep the the community as a whole safe, or of course we can all simply ignore the threat and hope that by doing little to nothing, and disabling functionality will do the trick.
n.b. Those that want to run the ClamXav sentry need to download directly from the ClamXav site, as the apps store version does not have this functionality.
Install, dont install it`s down to you now...............
There are several reasons to run antivirus/malware on OS X especially if you are dealing with a mixed environment passing on malicious code even inadvertently does you no favours in the profesional world, let alone family and friends. What does not hurt your Mac & OS X may bring a PC to it`s knees.
You do need to be careful on the choice of application; ClamXav is extremely light and only looks in realtime at what you specify and it`s free. The sentry is presently utilising 0.2% of CPU consuming just over an hours worth of CPU time over several weeks and this is on a machine over four years old. Does anyone seriously still believe that running ClamXav on todays modern hardware impacts performance! The paid for packages I agree are a waste of $ offering little more than a placebo with a heavyweight user interface. ClamAV the parent of ClamXav protects a myriad of servers globally, which is a pretty good tip...
ClamXav will have no impact on a modern Intel based Mac. To have a free, low headroom, accurate scanner that offers a lot of flexibility/customisation and not utilize it seems somewhat stubborn at best. The retorts of AV being a resource hog, boils down to one thing, research; ClamXav will not bog your system down, if it does you have some other inconsistencies that need addressing, or your hardware is so old it`s well and truly time to upgrade, on my Early 2008 MBP ClamXav is simply invisible, there is absolutely no degradation of performance, as for the i7 2.4 MBP & now the 15" Retina MBP the application is completely transparant.
I have literally decades of work on my systems, I have no intention of losing any data, ClamXav is but one tool in a multilayered safety net. Lets face it, if and when OS X is compromised it will spread like wildfire as many fundamentally believe that OS X is invulnerable. I am not entirely sure posts that overly renforce this false sense of security are helpful to the average user, even Apple recognise threats to the operating system and sub components, however the updates are too slow to be considered a preventative measure...
I have never had a positive hit in all the years I have run ClamXav equally OS X is gaining traction and it`s simply a matter of time before someone figures it out, thinking otherwise is simply naive at best. ClamXav cost me nothing monetarily, nor time in productivity, this is a safety net that costs little more than five minutes of your time, one of life's smarter investments.
Virus/malware gains traction by exploiting vulnerabilities on unprotected systems. I don't believe for one second that CalmXav is the single security solution for OS X, it is however the de-facto standard for many mail servers, ISP`s, Technology companies, universities globally across several platforms (ClamAV), the list is endless. ClamXav is continuously updated, both definitions and application.
Apple has included ClamAV with OS X server since 10.4 and continues to do so today (http://www.apple.com/macosx/server/specs.html) with OS X 10.7.3 Lion Server. ClamXav is transparent on an Intel based Mac, adds another level of protection at zero cost, yet many still refuse to acknowledge any potential benefit.
Apple also clearly list Calmav-137-1 on their 10.7.3 Open Source page (http://www.opensource.apple.com/release/mac-os-x-1073/) admittedly it is not implemented in the Lion client release, equally I would not be surprised if it was quietly implemented in a forthcoming release of OS X as was XProtect implemented in Snow Leopard. Apple may simply choose to integrate ClamAV into Xprotect and the vast majority will never know the difference. As of OS X 10.6 your Mac is running anti malware like it or not
There are many compelling reasons to run ClamXav and few if any not too. Personal choices aside I fundamentally believe that suggesting that OS X is safe to all and does not need such tools is very much a step in the wrong direction; not all are technically minded, neither do all users who may have access to machines follow the rules and guidelines of safe computing. The vast majority simply point and click to get to where or what they want ClamXav simply serves as a barrier to protect those that are unaware and some cases unconcerned, ultimately such safeguards protect the community as a whole.
Be mindful that some of those advocating that there is no need for Mac`s to run any form of AV, may have a high level of computing proficiency and a deep understanding of the system, your kid`s, your grandparent`s, the girl from next door etc likely wont have this acquired knowledge. The premiss is to keep the the community as a whole safe, or of course we can all simply ignore the threat and hope that by doing little to nothing, and disabling functionality will do the trick.
n.b. Those that want to run the ClamXav sentry need to download directly from the ClamXav site, as the apps store version does not have this functionality.
Install, dont install it`s down to you now...............
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Mountain Lion checks for security updates daily and installs them automatically (see this). It's harder than ever to argue that antivirus is needed unless you want to protect yourself against Windows viruses, in which case numerous options exist (Avast, Avira, ClamXav - I'd personally avoid Sophos and Symantec).
Equally arstechnica also state this;
"I think the AV/Anti-Malware offerings for OSX will need to mature quickly in order to meet near-term threats."
It`s just a matter of time, if some can break into DOD, Corporate, raise DDoS attacks, compromise personal data, elicit funds illegally, deface websites, it just takes one of these minds to go to work, find the right path. OS X`s greatest protection was it`s relative anonymity, now at the end of 2012 not so much. Apple is now ubiquitous and very much on the radar, the individual that cracks OS X will undoubtedly receive the notoriety they crave, this alone is a highly compelling factor for many. The "payload" may well be benign just to get the name out there, equally it may be malicious; for every fan Apple has, there are others who have a dislike, even hostility.
ClamXav wont protect in such a "Zero Day" scenario, however it`s likely to be updated far faster than Apple can move. Still have doubts? A simple observation, there once was a time when Apple actively advertised that it`s OS was completely safe from virus/malware, even scorning PC users, albeit light heartedly. You wont see the same here and now, Apple doesn't want the liability, and is smart enough to know that any OS can be broken down given the right resources even OS X...
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Huh?
So what? Have you ever met or heard of a Mac user that's contracted malware or a virus that hasn't been proof of concept on a local scale?
So what? Have you ever met or heard of a Mac user that's contracted malware or a virus that hasn't been proof of concept on a local scale?
I haven't met anyone, but I will tell you this. Once I heard the Java exploit I rushed to my sister's house to patch her Mac ASAP.
Mac's are only as secure as the people using them.
If you download ANYTHING from outside App Store, an AV is a very valid step to secure your Mac against possible threats. I don't get why people are so hostile and arrogant when it comes to AV on Mac.
If you download ANYTHING from outside App Store, an AV is a very valid step to secure your Mac against possible threats. I don't get why people are so hostile and arrogant when it comes to AV on Mac.
I understand that sentiment, I fully do. But I also rarely use the Mac App Store (MAS) for getting applications, even though it is quite simple, but nowadays, there are still many other sources available for downloading software (directly from the developer for instance), and I still have not contracted any malware, but I also use common sense and the security steps outlined in the Malware FAQ. There is no harm in running ClamXAV, but Sophos and iAntiVirus and similar feces should be avoided, especially since they make your Mac more vulnerable (Sophos) or offer false claims and call trojans or scareware viruses, which they are not (iAntiVirus) or hog down on CPU resources.
But I also rarely switch files between Windows users and Mac users, thus I do not need software to protect others from getting malware (they should have that if they want).
Maybe one day, there is still a decade or so left in X, someone will be able to publish a real virus into the wild, but then again, which AV software will pick it up, as it has no knowledge of any previous encounters?