Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Antivirus & Antispyware, worthwhile/recommendations?

S

Soupadeeb

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 4, 2010
3
0
I've recently purchased a new Imac (my first foray into the world of Macs after years as a PC user) and was wondering whether it was worth investing in any antivirus and/or antispyware software. Anyone have any advice for a newbie?

I know Macs aren't targeted by this sorta stuff as much as Windows PCs but I'm still a bit concerned that the OS X firewall might not be sufficient protection and that I may be left exposed without taking further precautions.

If anyone thinks AV is worthwhile on a Mac are there any recommended packages?

Thanks
 
No need for Antivirus/Antispyware

Soupadeed,

As a new Mac user you DO NOT NEED anti-virus and anti-spyware software like you used to in a Windows PC. There is nothing for you to be protected from since there are no active virus for the Mac out in the wild, None.

There may be old virus for OS9 and there may be virus for OS X sometime in the future but most are usually from flaws in the system.

There are exploits out there which are taken advantage from by hackers but those are easily patched by Apple very quickly. The only possible way you can install a virus or Trojan is by installing software from shady warez sites and even then you will see a root password prompt appear asking you permission to install said software.

Just keep in mind these things:
1. Keep your new Mac up to date with Software Update.
2. Don't install software from warez sites, go straight to the vendor's site.

Here is a link to a video that sums what I just said. Enjoy your new Mac.
http://macmost.com/do-macs-need-antivirus.html
 
My question is this...
I had a PC...It had some viruses on it.
When I transfered files from that comp onto my Mac,will the viruses have come too? I realise it depends on what they were etc...But would they be 'supported' in the Mac enviornment?

thanks...

Off to research the other 200K plus threads : )
 
eatapeach said:
My question is this...
I had a PC...It had some viruses on it.
When I transfered files from that comp onto my Mac,will the viruses have come too? I realise it depends on what they were etc...But would they be 'supported' in the Mac enviornment?

thanks...

Off to research the other 200K plus threads : )
Click to expand...

Yes you could be a carrier. As in, those infected files transfered could be on your system. They will not do anything to you Mac though.

This is very common through EMail
 
eatapeach said:
My question is this...
I had a PC...It had some viruses on it.
When I transfered files from that comp onto my Mac,will the viruses have come too? I realise it depends on what they were etc...But would they be 'supported' in the Mac enviornment?

thanks...

Off to research the other 200K plus threads : )
Click to expand...

As a Xavier pointed out, yes when you transferred your files over form your PC to the Mac you also transferred any malware that might of piggybacked along with any legitimate files like text documents, pictures, movies, etc.

Nothing will happen to your Mac since those viruses which are nothing more than lines of code designed to do nasty things to the OS will have no effect on OS X.

The only risk lies in you emailing an infected file to a PC user, they on the other hand will have to use antivirus and antispyware software to prevent catching anything malicious, but that's their responsibility not yours. Hope that helps. :)
 
Thanks guys/girls...
I did do some reading in the meantime and came to the same conclusion/s.
I do believe its each users responsibility to safeguard their own comps.but I would like to get a program that would rid my comp(or keep safe) of viruses,malware etc...
I read about alot of different ones,but each had their own pros/cons. Resource issues etc...
Any suggestions for a simple,"unintrusive",inexpensive program to do this?

thanks
 
eatapeach said:
Thanks guys/girls...
I did do some reading in the meantime and came to the same conclusion/s.
I do believe its each users responsibility to safeguard their own comps.but I would like to get a program that would rid my comp(or keep safe) of viruses,malware etc...
I read about alot of different ones,but each had their own pros/cons. Resource issues etc...
Any suggestions for a simple,"unintrusive",inexpensive program to do this?

thanks
Click to expand...

Complete waste of time and money. Use the totally unintrusive, free program called "don't install stuff from warez sites" and thats it.

If its to keep the Mac clean, its pointless, keep it clean from what? Nothing?

If its to keep friends Windows PC's clean, its pointless, because either they have AV which will detect it anyway, or they don't, in which case they will already be infected to Hell and back so any infections from you will be incidental.
 
eatapeach said:
Thanks guys/girls...
I did do some reading in the meantime and came to the same conclusion/s.
I do believe its each users responsibility to safeguard their own comps.but I would like to get a program that would rid my comp(or keep safe) of viruses,malware etc...
I read about alot of different ones,but each had their own pros/cons. Resource issues etc...
Any suggestions for a simple,"unintrusive",inexpensive program to do this?

thanks
Click to expand...

eatapeach,
Like we already said, there's nothing for you to protect yourself from, noting. There are no active viruses for OS X out in the wild, None.

You have to get that Windows mentality out of your mind, you are using a Mac now, you should concern yourself more with working with your Mac rather than wasting your time and money maintaining it.

There are Anti-virus vendors for the Mac but they are all scam artists trying to sell you software you will not use at all and at the same time waste system resources. SO I wont even bother naming them.

Enjoy your Mac you don't need any antivirus or antispyware software for the Mac, there is nothing to be protected from. You're a Mac user now not a PC User. It will take time to get used to being free from malware. Cheers.
 
ecg06 said:
You have to get that Windows mentality out of your mind, you are using a Mac now

Enjoy your Mac you don't need any antivirus or antispyware software for the Mac, there is nothing to be protected from. You're a Mac user now not a PC User. It will take time to get used to being free from malware. Cheers.
Click to expand...

Thats exactly what I'm going through : )
I heard alot of this when I bought my Mac,but I was paranoid of the 'hype'. And of course the sales guy as Best Buy was doing alot of the talking.
I sincerely thank you all for the input.

I have to get used to the new OS....I keep losing windows etc : )
 
eatapeach said:
My question is this...
I had a PC...It had some viruses on it.
When I transfered files from that comp onto my Mac,will the viruses have come too? I realise it depends on what they were etc...But would they be 'supported' in the Mac enviornment?

thanks...

Off to research the other 200K plus threads : )
Click to expand...

When done with that research ... Google Typhoid Mary... she was a carrier who did not get sick ... same with your win environment files... they can not harm your Mac but if you email one to a friend or enemy who still uses a win OS then BAM they can get hit if they are unprotected.
 
vansouza said:
Google Typhoid Mary... she was a carrier who did not get sick ... same with your win environment files... they can not harm your Mac but if you email one to a friend or enemy who still uses a win OS then BAM they can get hit if they are unprotected.
Click to expand...

If they are unprotected they are already infected.

To continue with your analogy, its like being worried that Typhoid Mary will infect people in an area where everyone already has, not only typhoid, but also HIV, cholera, measles, leprosy and the black death. At the very least :D
 
I understand the message: don't install software from an unknown source.

But I'm not always fully clear on what counts as software.

For example, a PhotoShop brush. A mel script, shader or model for Maya. Plug-ins?

Sometimes these are items that are created for sharing (contrasting them with pirated software) because they're useful for the artistic community. Could they contain malicious content?
 
ClamXav - free virus checker for Mac OS X

Dear Mac user,
If you are afraid you are a carrier of a virus that might infect you friends PC's, you can keep an eye on the possible infected files on your computer with the programme ClamXav.
You can monitor, identify and remove them easely by downloading the programme here:http://www.clamxav.com/index.php?page=dl

Good luck!

ClamXav Sentry provides the ability to watch folders for changes to their contents. As soon as a file or folder is added to one of the watched folders, it is scanned by ClamXav. If the new addition is clean, no further action is required on your part. On the other hand, if it is infected, a warning message is displayed immediately alerting you to the fact and allowing you to decide which course of action to take.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back