This post seems central to the whole debate....and the key word are...."if the user practices safe computing".
Yes, that is the key. I disagree with the false claim that users
must have antivirus/anti-malware apps installed in order to keep a Mac safe from malware. I also disagree with the claim that you should
never install such an app. My claim has always been that you
can use such apps, but you don't
need to use them to keep a Mac malware-free, as long as you practice safe computing, which you should do with or without such apps.
Someday, those folks who installed virus or malware protection on their macs, are going to be glad they did.
Antivirus or anti/malware apps will not protect you against some future zero-day threat, but practicing safe computing will.
So Macs CAN get viruses/malware.
As has been repeated countless times, Macs
can get viruses and other forms of malware. They
do get other forms of malware, but they
don't get viruses, because none have ever existed in the wild that run on macOS/OS X.
It doesn't do any harm and gives peace of mind, to them and to me. So, at last count 186 posts into this thread and I am more determined than ever to promote anti virus and anti malware to those who ask.
If you run an antivirus app in the absence of safe computing practices, you say that it gives you peace of mind, but what you're really getting is a false sense of security that can bite you at some point in the future. If you really want to do people a service, teach and promote safe computing, with or without your recommendation for anti-malware apps.
Nice find. That Macworld UK article really sums it up and there is some additional information and Mac infection data that I didn't know about to back up exactly what we (advocates of using Mac AV/security software) have been saying all along in these Mac AV/Security topic threads.
That article does not refer to a virus, but a Trojan, which cannot infect your Mac unless you first install it. In addition, not every antivirus/anti-malware app will detect this Trojan, so some people who follow the mantra of installing an antivirus app instead of practicing safe computing will be disappointed when they find their Macs infected because they unwittingly installed a Trojan and their particular AV app didn't detect it.