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Do I need antivirus... if yes, which one

R

ryans79

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 12, 2009
226
0
Hello!

As some of you know, I am brand new to owning and using a Mac... so kindly excuse this question if its silly but... do i need an anti-virus?

If yes, which one?

I have just updated right up till 10.5.6 and am totally up to date.

Thanks!
Ryan

Edit, while I am here I might as well act another question thats been puzzling me...

1. Im in firefox... how do i close a tab?
In windows I use control F4, here on my macbook... what do i do?

2. Closing a window I usually tried ALT+F4... what do i use here? (am kind of tired of pressing that red little dot)
 
Nope. You do not need antivirus (for the time being) on OS X. There are zero viruses for OS X. However, you should be careful about what you download, especially from torrents and pornographic sites.

There is no good antivirus software for OSX either (other than Clam XAV, which only checks for Windows viruses, that won't do anything in OS X), so I would advise against installing any OS X antivirus. Especially Norton, which is more problematic than any viruses it "protects" you from.
 
There ARE no viruses in the wild that affect Mac OS X.
No antivirus software can detect a Mac virus, because no Mac viruses exist.
There are trojans that exist, but these can be easily avoided if:
  • you are careful what applications you install
  • you are careful where you get applications
  • you never enter your administrative password without THINKING!
You also may not be aware that this question, like many others, has already been discussed quite a bit (beat to death, actually!) Using MRoogle to search the forums before you post will frequently reveal threads related to your question that the standard forum search misses, and will help you avoid posting repetitive threads. Here are some of the dozens of threads on this topic, filled with opinions and recommendations:

One thread that you may find particularly helpful is this one: https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=7066120
 
GGJstudios said:
There ARE no viruses in the wild that affect Mac OS X.
No antivirus software can detect a Mac virus, because no Mac viruses exist.
There are trojans that exist, but these can be easily avoided if:
  • you are careful what applications you install
  • you are careful where you get applications
  • you never enter your administrative password without THINKING
Click to expand...
That may be true, but to the end user there is little difference between a trojan and a virus. We're here to help not argue semantics.
 
ButtUglyJeff said:
Only if you Bootcamp Windows Vista or XP, then do your internet browsing with Internet Explorer.......

If you use Safari or Firefox, you'll be fine.
Click to expand...

No idea what bootcamp means so i dont think i'll be touching that...
I have a second laptop with Vista (and anti virus etc) so will use that when i need windows... right now am trying to get used to Mac coz i want to learn cocoa and iphone programming (only real reason i got a mac... well, was also curious as to what all the fuss was about :p )
 
TuffLuffJimmy said:
[/LIST] That may be true, but to the end user there is little difference between a trojan and a virus. We're here to help not argue semantics.
Click to expand...

There is a LOT of difference between a trojan and a virus. A virus can install and propagate itself without the user's knowledge, whereas a trojan requires the user to actively install it. It's not a matter of semantics. It's a matter of functionality, which relates directly to methods of protection/prevention.
 
terminology is not important, as apple itself made continuous effort to confuse the definition and blur the line.

The reality is and continue to be that the security threats exist on OSX. and just asking users to be "cautious" in a very general statement probably does not help.

Only worth mentioning AV app is something called MacScan, its not free tho, and I do not know it very well.

My impression is ClamAV only detect windows viruses(?).
 
GGJstudios said:
There is a LOT of difference between a trojan and a virus. A virus can install and propagate itself without the user's knowledge, whereas a trojan requires the user to actively install it. It's not a matter of semantics. It's a matter of functionality, which relates directly to methods of protection/prevention.
Click to expand...
The way you attacked the situation, without defining the differences between a trojan and a virus, was an argument of semantics and cannot be described as anything else.
 
TuffLuffJimmy said:
The way you attacked the situation, without defining the differences between a trojan and a virus, was an argument of semantics and cannot be described as anything else.
Click to expand...
If you took the time to read and understand my post, you'd see that I DID define the difference, by explaining how a trojan can be avoided. Those steps wouldn't protect from a virus, if one existed. Also, you appear to be in an argumentative mood, since my post said much the same thing that yours did:
TuffLuffJimmy said:
Nope. You do not need antivirus (for the time being) on OS X. There are zero viruses for OS X.
Click to expand...
GGJstudios said:
There ARE no viruses in the wild that affect Mac OS X.
Click to expand...
TuffLuffJimmy said:
However, you should be careful about what you download, especially from torrents and pornographic sites.
Click to expand...
GGJstudios said:
There are trojans that exist, but these can be easily avoided if:
  • you are careful what applications you install
  • you are careful where you get applications
  • you never enter your administrative password without THINKING!
Click to expand...
 
As for your edit...

Command W closes a window or tab. Makes a lot more sense than ALT F4.

Google for Mac Keyboard Shortcuts, or check out the MacRumors Guides section for them.

Welcome!
 
Each tab on Firefox should have a little x to the left. Just click the x to close.
 
clevin said:
Only worth mentioning AV app is something called MacScan, its not free tho, and I do not know it very well.

My impression is ClamAV only detect windows viruses(?).
Click to expand...

Yes, Clam is Windows only threats.

It's not worth paying for AV software for OS X. If you have common sense, you can avoid trojans.

If the OP absolutely must get himself AV software, iAntiVirus is free and lightweight.
 
Is there lead in the water?... (I let a trojan in, too)

Hey. I just opened the door for the Trojan also. *rolling eyes* (I knew better)....

Anyway, I deleted & empty-trashed any obvious files from the download. I also downloaded Mac Scan, ran it, and deleted a bunch of cookies. Ran DNSChanger also. Did all the stuff I gleaned from MRoogle.. a lot of it looks dated, maybe applies to older torjans.. I dunno.

It sounds like Clam or VirusBarrier are the only worthwhile things to try. I use my laptop for banking, purchases, govt applications, etc and don't want to have to worry about this.

Anyone have any experience gutting this thing out? I've done what I can, with my novice knowledge, but never actually identified an active file or evidence of it (besides the initial downloaded files).. but I don't want to leave this to fester if I'm missing something.

With so few Mac security issues, you'd think there'd by an obvious updated formula from Apple about how to handle this, tutorials, etc.
 
I know that Symantec have created a anvitirus 11 for macs.

If you are browsin through warez sites or torrent sites, then i suggest you to get a antivirus software ;)
 
I'll do/did mess around with torrents (just for movies), so maybe I will look at antivirus stuff. Everything I've read says that the virus software for macs is a waste, unless you're running windows apps, which I'm not.

Anyway, here's some damning evidence -- when I 'crontab -1', I get this..

crontab: illegal option -- 1
crontab: usage error: unrecognized option
usage: crontab [-u user] file
crontab [-u user] [-e] [-l] [-r]



which from what I've gleaned on the forums, means the trojan is still active, or that I've unintentionally reinstalled it by issuing this command.


I tried installing ClamAv, fiddled with its involved installation process a bit, and sidelined that until I learn some more. Any tips on ClamAv either? Besides not wanting to have to meddle with Terminal, wont it all be for nought, since I willing accepted the trojan (having given admin authorization to install) -- the program will be looking for evidence of a break in, when gave the burglar the key?

Any thoughts?
 
on correction to what other people have said there ARE viruses on mac but are so rare its not even warth downloading anti virus. Most of the viruses are contracted when downloading from torrent sites etc. If you really want anti virus here its free but I don't even know how good it is because I have never had a virus to kill lol!
 
gatepc said:
on correction to what other people have said there ARE viruses on mac but are so rare its not even warth downloading anti virus. Most of the viruses are contracted when downloading from torrent sites etc.
Click to expand...
No, there are NOT viruses that run on Macs. What you're referring to are trojans, which are a different form of malware.
 
ryans79 said:
No idea what bootcamp means so i dont think i'll be touching that...
Click to expand...

Sorry. Bootcamp is an application, withing the operating system "Leopard", that allows for dual booting operating systems; most commonly its used for one of the many Windows operating systems.

But if you're only using OSX, then you'll have no viruses to worry about. I suppose there are trojans that are out there, but if you're not silly about what you download/install you'll be fine.
 
sirlemmiwinks said:
I'll do/did mess around with torrents (just for movies), so maybe I will look at antivirus stuff. Everything I've read says that the virus software for macs is a waste, unless you're running windows apps, which I'm not.
Click to expand...

They are wrong.
 
So... how do I find out if the trojan is active on my mac, and how do I kill it?

(p.s - is there an easuer way to get ClamAv installed and running, or do I have to set it up in Terminal/)
 
@ OP: Although there are no Mac viruses there are Mac trojans. I seem to remember reading about trojan detection in the ClamXav forums but can't be sure. You'll have to check for yourself.

IMO, it is irresponsible to knowingly pass a virus to any other machine, Mac or Windows. That works for me and if you feel the same then, yes, you do need an AV program.
 
ClamAV ONLY detects Windows threats.

I'll do/did mess around with torrents (just for movies), so maybe I will look at antivirus stuff. Everything I've read says that the virus software for macs is a waste, unless you're running windows apps, which I'm not.

which from what I've gleaned on the forums, means the trojan is still active, or that I've unintentionally reinstalled it by issuing this command.

I tried installing ClamAv, fiddled with its involved installation process a bit, and sidelined that until I learn some more. Any tips on ClamAv either? Besides not wanting to have to meddle with Terminal, wont it all be for nought, since I willing accepted the trojan (having given admin authorization to install) -- the program will be looking for evidence of a break in, when gave the burglar the key?

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

You could run a scan of your system with iAntiVirus (free.) It should pick up the trojan, if one is installed. If you have Little Snitch installed, it would have notified you about the trojan trying to phone home.

Try the terminal command "ps -ax".
 
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