Best anti virus for mac?

[GGJstudios]

So... at the end of the day it is still possible to get infected if you agreed to install something even though you thought it was legitimate?

Of course it's possible to infect a Mac with malware by installing something you shouldn't, such as pirated software that's been infected. That's why you should only install software that you acquire from reputable sites.

Don't install something just because someone sends it to you. If they recommend an app, research it and download it directly from the Mac App Store or from the developer's site or from a trusted site like Cnet.

Before you open an attachment, be sure what you're opening. If you expect to open a document and instead are presented with an install screen, quit the install and delete the file. If you exercise reasonable caution, you don't have anything to worry about.

Remember, there are only a handful of trojans in the wild that could affect your Mac. Other than the recent MacDefender nonsense, which is easily spotted, encountering them is quite rare for the average Mac user.

 

[Sylonien]

Thanks for rapid response. I will and have been careful and not running pirate software. Too much precious stuff on computer to risk it, that's why I want to ensure the safety regarding viruses on Mac.

Again, long history of using Windows. Where things seem to happen randomly in the background if it wasn't for the AV. Visit new website (I mean we can't be sure of every single site, especially if you're researching stuff). Then up comes the AV pop-up saying something has been intercepted.

But isn't it a bit weird that it seems to go by, there isn't at the moment so it's safe but if something does creep up, we're not protected by much or anything?

 

[GGJstudios]

Again, long history of using Windows. Where things seem to happen randomly in the background if it wasn't for the AV. Visit new website (I mean we can't be sure of every single site, especially if you're researching stuff). Then up comes the AV pop-up saying something has been intercepted.

That's the difference between viruses and trojans. Viruses can infect without you giving permission or even knowing what happened. To be infected by a trojan, you have to deliberately, intentionally install something, which, of course, you would know what you're doing.

Even if a Mac OS X virus were someday released into the wild, no antivirus you install today could protect you from it, because they wouldn't know what to look for. The virus would have to be detected, reported, analyzed and a defense developed before an antivirus app could protect against it. By that time, the Mac world and this forum would be buzzing with the news, alerting you to the threat. The chances of you being the first one to encounter such a virus are so infinitesimal, it's not worth worrying about.

Your best protection is to stay reasonably informed and cautious about what you install and when you enter your admin password. In other words, if you think before you act, you'll likely never encounter malware on your Mac.

 

[mickier]

What AVG said

I love the reason AVG [at least used to give] as the reason they didn't release a MAC version of their anti-virus anti-malware software; something like this;

There is no documented case where any anti-virus anti-malware software actually successfully blocked/stopped/prevented a virus from attacking a Mac machine running OSX.
However, there are pages and pages of documented cases where MAC anti-virus programs adversely affected MAC computers.

In light of these two statements, what's the path of lower risk?

In the future, some exploit may be used to attack Macs without needing "user complicity". We'll have to see what is the best way to protect your machine then...

In the mean time - DON'T be quick to affirm when you get a screen that says "HEY YOU NEED THIS SUPER IMPORTANT UPDATE !! -- CLICK HERE!"

 

[Sylonien]

I understand now. 😛

Thanks GGJstudios. Honestly, very difficult to grasp at first this whole no AV concept being with Windows for so long.