Interesting. A few people said that on here, but I was skeptical, but I am hearing it more and more. Are Macs in anyway susceptible to spyware and junk like that so as to warrant spybot search and destroy? I am actually writing a paper for law school on cyberwarfare, which I know a lot more about than basic spyware stuff, but am increasingly becoming interested in different security precautions for Apple. Maybe I will post a separate thread addressing that issue, but I just wanted to respond to your point.
Short version of what I want to say:
No need to have applications like Ad-Aware and Search&Destroy for spyware on OS X yet. Nothing big has hit OS X. As the Mac user base increases, so do the risks of crackers/"hacker" finding exploits for personal gain.
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Long Version:
If you must have some Antvirus (AV) scanner, rather than running Norton, try other alternatives like ClamXav. Apple uses the ClamAV engine in the server edition of OS X. ClamXav is just the GUI on the Clam engine, so it is easier for average consumer to run a quick test to make sure Windows partitions are not infected with viruses whether it is in Bootcamp or Parallels. OS X AV scanners shouldn't be used as if you are going to get in OS X virus tomorrow and that it would protect you, but it should be used as a means protect others who do run Windows or another OS on a network. I don't use Norton, ClamXav or the others like Virex from McAfee. My emails/files already go through servers with anti-virus checking in place to protect those who use Windows. I do, however, use Grisoft's AVG for Windows XP in Parallels.
I personally love Apple and OS X. I may be a "fanboy", but I do keep in mind that there is no such as a 100% secure OS. OS X and *Unix come close, but still have problems. No problems with spyware/viruses in OS X yet, but we need to stay aware that it could be a possibility.
How to stay aware (few quick steps I use when I get a new Mac) ...
1.
Do not run the default Administrator account for everyday use. Make another account that does not administer the computer. When you need to install an app, install it normally ... but it will ask you to authenticate. You enter the admin account name and its associated password. It takes a few seconds, but it will give you some good protection in the long run.
Just make sure to remember that it will only ask you for admin username/pass when installing apps, not for things like viewing pictures from a folder in Preview, listening to .mp3s, or when unzipping a file.
2.
Enable the firewall. Go to System Preferences and enable it.
3.
If you use Safari, untick the checkbox about opening "safe" files automatically.
In theory, people can use it against you for gain access to the computer.
I don't know if anyone ever attempted it.
4.
Optional: I use an app called "
Little Snitch". It lets you know about all incoming/outgoing connections your computer is making to the internet. Very useful. I'm sort of paranoid when it comes to security, so this is a must for all my Macs at home.
There are more tips, but I can't find the site I saw a while ago with a PDF on everything about securing OS X from using FileVault in SysPrefs and so on. Maybe someone here knows what I'm talking about and remembers the site.
