new Mac user

[Mirakl]

i'm a new mac user i've been tired of using pc ok you can say welcome
my question is should i have an anti-virus on my new iMac ?
ok it's because i've seen many macs without an anti-virus and that makes me glad cuz it's not like on windows but i'm also worried if i must have an anti-virus or not please i need an explication thanks

 

[GGJstudios]

i'm a new mac user i've been tired of using pc ok you can say welcome
my question is should i have an anti-virus on my new iMac ?
ok it's because i've seen many macs without an anti-virus and that makes me glad cuz it's not like on windows but i'm also worried if i must have an anti-virus or not please i need an explication thanks

There are no viruses in the wild that affect Macs. The only reason to have anti-virus software is if you frequently share files with Windows computers that don't have their own AV protection. You can't get a virus on your Mac, but you could pass one to a Windows PC if that PC doesn't have AV.

Welcome to Mac ownership and welcome to MacRumors:Forums! You'll find a lot of information both here and on the web. Here are a few resources that may be helpful:

Mac 101 a tour of the Mac OS X
Switch 101 a tutorial on the process of migrating to a Mac
Apple Support search Apple Support and the Knowledge Base
MRoogle for searching the forums with Google (always a good idea before posting new questions)
How to set up a quick right-click search of the MR forums.
MacRumors FAQ
MacRumors Rules
MacRumors Guides Very helpful stuff!
A list of the MR Forums (so you'll know which forum is best to post a new question)
Maximizing your MacRumors troubleshooting experience. (if you really need help, this is valuable to know!)
Apple Find Out How
Apple Keyboard Shortcuts
You can find lists of essential applications here and here and here.....and here.

If you search the forums and don't find what you're looking for, just ask! There's lots of friendly help here! Enjoy your new Mac!

 

[b1u3b0y]

I don't have an anti-virus and ive had no problems.. you should be fine without one... you really dont need it... but then again it's all about what you prefer

My opinion is no lol

 

[dubhe]

Welcome!

I have never had an Anti-Virus, Apple used to offer one with dotmac membership but that was dropped with the upgrade to Tiger I think. Anyway, never had a problem with virus', I think it is because all the programmes on a Mac are written by Mac people for Mac hardware, so there are not as many loop holes as there would be with Windows.

 

[plumbingandtech]

I would not worry about virus programs for now.

Do know that if you run windows on VMware or Parallels and you get email or surf in them, then windows might get one, but it will not affect your mac.

(think sandbox protection)

welcome!

 

[mgguy]

I've used Macs exclusively for both work and leisure without virus protection for 25 years and have never experienced any virus problems. From what I have been reading though, the number of Macs is growing due to their popularity, which is drawing more of the attention of those wishing to breach computer securities and spread viruses. While you may not necessarily need it, it couldn't hurt to have it.

 

[Mirakl]

thank you all

Thank you i start loving my iMac and apple company ( i hate microsoft now lol ) i've never been welcome on any windows forum
Thank you ggjstudios for urls

 

[dubhe]

i've never been welcome on any windows forum

Maybe that says something about Windows users
You're always welcome here

 

[yoppie]

You don't need anti-virus protection for your mac but you might want to look into ClamXav if you care about your Windows friends (I don't, they should be protecting their own computers).

 

[scotty96LSC]

Our company runs more than 20 MACs from desktops to laptops to servers and non of them have anti-virus. This, of course, drives the Windows IT guys nuts.
However, we also must test our products on Windows Machines and each one has anti-virus.

 

[barnkeeper]

Msgs re security and virus information are confusing

This forum posted a msg (pasted in below) which I think may be inconsistent with the statements about no viruses being found on Macs. I am not sure what a "concept" virus is. Does that mean that iMacs are starting to have viruses? As a newbie I believe that either the messages saying we can't get a virus using an iMac, OR the messages such as the one below are inconsistent. After reading the following message in its entirety I think I need a lot more information about what to use to protect our expensive new computer from ANY kind of attacks. Please let me know what the following is talking about and whether my confusion is just jargon related. Thanks.
>>> Security company Secunia reports that a new vulnerability in the way Mac S X handles the "fpathconf()" system call has been discovered.
The vulnerability exists due to an error in the "fpathconf()" syscall when it is called with an unsupported file type and can be exploited to cause a system panic.

The vulnerability was initially found in FreeBSD and was discovered in the latest version of 10.4.8 (with all patches applied) by Ilja Van Sprundel. The severity of the vulnerability is rated as "not critical," although a patch from Apple is not yet available. It is not currently known whether other systems (10.3.x, etc) are effected.

Recently, another Mac OS X concept virus was developed, code named OSX.Macarena. Similarly deemed "not critical", the virus is not known to be in the wild on more than 50 computers worldwide or at more than 2 sites (according to Symantec). <<
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