Exclude Time Machine backups from Sophos scan?

[xTRIGGER092x]

I currently have /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/ in my excluded items in Sophos as I've heard it can cause conflicts with Time Machine. Is that the right location to exclude?

 

[GGJstudios]

I currently have /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/ in my excluded items in Sophos as I've heard it can cause conflicts with Time Machine. Is that the right location to exclude?

I wouldn't recommend Sophos at all, because it can actually increase your Mac's vulnerability. You don't need antivirus to protect your Mac from malware. No viruses exist in the wild that can run on Mac OS X, and there never have been any, since it was released 10 years ago. The handful of trojans that exist can be easily avoided with some basic education, common sense and care in what software you install:

Mac Virus/Malware Info​

 

[xTRIGGER092x]

I wouldn't recommend Sophos at all, because it can actually increase your Mac's vulnerability. You don't need antivirus to protect your Mac from malware. No viruses exist in the wild that can run on Mac OS X, and there never have been any, since it was released 10 years ago. The handful of trojans that exist can be easily avoided with some basic education, common sense and care in what software you install:

Mac Virus/Malware Info​

I'm not worried about the Mac; my home network includes 3 Windows-running computers so I'd prefer not to pass anything on.

 

[GGJstudios]

I'm not worried about the Mac; my home network includes 3 Windows-running computers so I'd prefer not to pass anything on.

If the Windows computers are running their own antivirus (as they should), then you don't have that risk. The antivirus on the Windows PCs will protect them from malware from all sources, including your Mac. You don't need antivirus on both sides.

 

[wackymacky]

I find this argument interesting.

In the >20 years I've been using Apple computers I've never run anti vuris software (except on machines in a corporate environment where it was imposed.)

Apples own view on antivirus software is of interest, because although in their ads and marketing they state don't worry about virus in there security documentation for OSX and OSX server they encourage the installation of anti-virus software!

See page 239.

http://images.apple.com/support/security/guides/docs/SnowLeopard_Security_Config_v10.6.pdf

(Yes this is the Snow Leopard document; the lion has not been released)