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Best anti virus/software for Monterey

StarShot

StarShot

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Mar 31, 2014
1,151
397
I've been using Malware for several years and don't know if it has made any difference. Just saw a report that McAfee is the best one for today's Macs.

Interested in any inputs as so what I should get or if I even need a program such as this. McAfee is around $40 per year. Years ago, the "gig" was no protection was needed in the Apple world as there was no virus threat.
 
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StarShot said:
Just saw a report that McAfee is the best one for today's Macs.
Click to expand...
Marketing at its finest!

I have two responses for advice on antiviral software:
1) get it right away
2) you don't need it

If you feel you need antivirus protection and it makes your soul happy, then absolutely get it. I cannot argue peace of mind for any price. Just understand that McAfee's and other virus software have been used as vectors in the past and provide elevated privileges to your operating system. If you trust <insert antivirus company> more than <operating system vendor's default protection> then get it.

How many times has your mac been infected?
Were the catastrophic loss costs greater than $588/year?
 
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960design said:
Marketing at its finest!

I have two responses for advice on antiviral software:
1) get it right away
2) you don't need it

If you feel you need antivirus protection and it makes your soul happy, then absolutely get it. I cannot argue peace of mind for any price. Just understand that McAfee's and other virus software have been used as vectors in the past and provide elevated privileges to your operating system. If you trust <insert antivirus company> more than <operating system vendor's default protection> then get it.

How many times has your mac been infected?
Were the catastrophic loss costs greater than $588/year?
Click to expand...
OK, in the garbage can. Thanks
 
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See:

www.macworld.com

Mac antivirus software trusted by Macworld experts

These are the Mac antivirus programs and security suites rigorously tested and trusted by Macworld experts to protect your Apple computer from viruses and malware.
www.macworld.com www.macworld.com

www.av-test.org

Test antivirus software for MacOS Sonoma - December 2024

The current tests of antivirus software for MacOS Sonoma from December 2024 of AV-TEST, the leading international and independent service provider for antivirus software and malware.
www.av-test.org www.av-test.org

I use Sophos.
 
Opening the perpetual can of worms by even suggesting Macs can get viruses / malware / some other dreaded lurgy - but as noted earlier on the thread, if it makes you feel better, get one.

Apple has routinely waited for it's fan base to deny there is a problem when something has been reported, and so is often late in the game to actually issue a patch (sorry...'update') to actually kill off the potential issue; whereas most AV programs update often - sometimes daily. And not all owners use Safari as their browser of choice, so whatever protections may be built in there are moot.

For what its worth, I currently use Bitdefender - but I've had the free product from Avira on my Macs in the past and its seemed fine. Some products (free and otherwise) try and flog additional services you don't need (like Apple has never done that...🙄), but be judicious and you'll be fine.

When in doubt, it couldn't hurt to visit 3rd Party testing centres like AV Comparatives (https://www.av-comparatives.org/test-results/) or AV Test (https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-macos/).
 
I have been using Eset Antivirus on my Windows machine for years.

I bought an M1 iMac a few months back and saw that Eset also makes stuff for Macs. It does require Rosetta though, they are working on a native M1 release.

I feel much better having an antivirus on my machine.

www.eset.com

Antivirus for Mac with Firewall | ESET

Get essential protection with award-winning antivirus. Fast, powerful anti-malware protection for your Mac, whether you are browsing, working or gaming online.
www.eset.com www.eset.com
 
There is only ONE solution to give you peace of mind: SHUT YOUR MAC DOWN!
Of course, then you can't work any more, but you may feel safe.

About all the answers above: forget about viruses and DO NOT CLICK on a bad link in any website or email.
;JOOP!
 
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Apple_Robert said:
MacOS already protects against Malware in a much more in-depth manner. I don't think there is a need for a third party app.

Protecting against malware in macOS

On devices with macOS, malware defenses are structured using the followingApp Store, or Gatekeeper combined with Notarization, and XProtect.
support.apple.com
Click to expand...
Macs still get infected. This is not a matter of opinion but fact. Apple MacOS is more secure overall than say, Windows but it still can get infected. M1 are being these days targetted as well. You can find on the internet plenty of legitimate articles discussing which malware frequents Macs the most and that some are now targeting M1 systems.
 
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phrehdd said:
Macs still get infected. This is not a matter of opinion but fact. Apple MacOS is more secure overall than say, Windows but it still can get infected. M1 are being these days targetted as well. You can find on the internet plenty of legitimate articles discussing which malware frequents Macs the most and that some are now targeting M1 systems.
Click to expand...
You are right: 100% protection is impossible, not in the least because of human acting.
The user has the final responsibility; that's what I meant above.
;JOOP!
 
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phrehdd said:
Macs still get infected. This is not a matter of opinion but fact. Apple MacOS is more secure overall than say, Windows but it still can get infected. M1 are being these days targetted as well. You can find on the internet plenty of legitimate articles discussing which malware frequents Macs the most and that some are now targeting M1 systems.
Click to expand...
It appears you are countering an argument I didn’t make. Read my post again in light of what the OP asked.
 
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Just want to share. I have been using Mac for myself and family (kids, teens and my wife) since 2009. Each of them has their own user. We have iMac and few MacBooks. I run Windows in Parallel Desktop - but only for some games and some windows-specific app. I didn’t use AV at all and not single one since then I found virus in Mac. I am careful when using admin user only (I am the only one who can use admin user), only allow access whenever I know exactly the details.
I can understand if people came from Windows world. My office laptop (Windows) also use AV (plus disk encryption) which keeps cpu and disk busy almost all the time.
I think AV in Mac is mainly for better comfort to people who recently came from Windows.
 
Isamilis said:
Just want to share. I have been using Mac for myself and family (kids, teens and my wife) since 2009. Each of them has their own user. We have iMac and few MacBooks. I run Windows in Parallel Desktop - but only for some games and some windows-specific app. I didn’t use AV at all and not single one since then I found virus in Mac. I am careful when using admin user only (I am the only one who can use admin user), only allow access whenever I know exactly the details.
I can understand if people came from Windows world. My office laptop (Windows) also use AV (plus disk encryption) which keeps cpu and disk busy almost all the time.
I think AV in Mac is mainly for better comfort to people who recently came from Windows.
Click to expand...
I also came from Microsoft (before that UNIX-6). My wife and I have 2 macs that are almost copies.
We have accounts on both machines. For safety we are in the same group and all directories
in our areas are rwxrwx---. That is quite safe.
The main difference between MSWindows and MacOS is that the first was based on DSDOS (=MSDOS)
and then NT (=VaxVms by DEC) while MacOS is based on UNIX.
In UNIX any file, process, pipe or connection has a user (owner). MSWindows HAS NO USERS, only access lists.
That makes MSWindows vulnerable. Besides, I have the feeling that APPLE cares a bit more about security.
The USER notion is a patent by AT&T and 'sits' in all UNIX variants, like LINUX, ULTRIX, BSD-UNIX, MacOS etc.
;JOOP!
 
I purchased a one-year subscription to Bitdefender which was heavily discounted. So far, I've installed it on my 2017 iMac, my 16-inch M1 MBP and one Windows laptop. (It came with a license for five machines). I don't notice any slowdown in performance other than it slowing the installation of new software, which it scans. I haven't decided whether to renew the subscription. The deciding factor will be the price.
 
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I have a free copy of malware bytes that I use. I run it at least once a week or I run it if I think I may have hit a page that isa little suspect. I found this video informative:

 
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