Macs had viruses before Windows, and I'm sure that Macs will some day have viruses again.
What we as Mac users need to keep in mind is the relative threat of malicious software on Macs compared to other threats to our Macs and ourselves. And then act accordingly.
You see, for the average Windows user malicious software is not just a threat, it is an inevitability... that is just the world they live in. They are more likely to have problems with malicious software than they are to... say, get a flat tire on their car... or get into an accident... or get robbed... or any number of other bad things that could happen to a person. So to them, malicious software is an in your face threat that they must actively deal with on a daily basis. Vigilance is the key in the Windows world.
But we aren't in the Windows world, so we need to react to this according to our threat level.
For a Mac user running OS X over the past 5 years, the threat of malicious software is far less than their threat of dying in a plane crash... or getting killed by an earthquake/tornado/hurricane... or getting struck by lightning. Mac users are more at risk of dying in a terrorist attack (or even dying in Iraq) than we are of our Macs getting attacked by malicious software.
We as Mac users should put all of those threats a head of worrying about malicious software. And in fact the physical theft of your Mac is thousands of times greater than any threat you or your Mac face from malicious software. 😱
Where vigilance is the key for Windows users when dealing with malicious software, the Mac user has to keep all this in perspective.
And even when malicious software comes back to Macs, perspective will still be important. Because today and any time in the near future, taking steps against malicious software aimed at your Mac is like buying insurance for glaciers for your home.
What we should also note is that nearly all articles on this subject are written by Windows users. And to them, the idea of zero practical threat from malicious software is something they can't get their minds around. For them, this must be a fantasy to not practice vigilance. And that we, as Mac users, must therefore be delusional. Which is why there will be hundreds of articles warning Mac users to adopt the same level of paranoia that Windows users have... which won't even be warranted after malicious software does finally return to our platform.
Perspective people, perspective. 😀
