New to iMac... antivirus/malware?

[Digeeedad]

Received my daughter's new 27" iMac a few days ago. All of us are new to Macs. Newbie question... does she need antivirus/malware protection? On our PCs, for many years, we have used ESET Internet Security. I see that ESET has a program for Macs "Cyber Security/Cyber Security Pro". Any suggestions greatly appreciated.
* I just found this thread, which should help answer our questions.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/do-you-use-antivirus-software.2157692/

 

[theapplehead]

Received my daughter's new 27" iMac a few days ago. All of us are new to Macs. Newbie question... does she need antivirus/malware protection? On our PCs, for many years, we have used ESET Internet Security. I see that ESET has a program for Macs "Cyber Security/Cyber Security Pro". Any suggestions greatly appreciated.
* I just found this thread, which should help answer our questions.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/do-you-use-antivirus-software.2157692/

No you do not need any antivirus software for Mac. Macs have their own built-in security software that surpasses any third-party security software. This is a result of the tight integration of hardware and macOS. No need to ever install any security programs on a Mac.

Cheers

 

[adamk77]

 

 

[Digeeedad]

It is possible to get viruses and malware on your Mac. Many companies install anti-virus software on their employees' Mac computers (all of the companies I've worked for did).

However, the Mac goes the extra mile trying to protect you from these threats. It will not let you run third party software that you downloaded from some corner of the internet. You will have to explicitly go into the security settings and give it permission, which must be further unlocked with your admin password.

As long as you follow some sensible rules, I think you should be fine without one.

• Download third party software from the App Store (they are signed and reviewed, so should be safe)
• Major well known software should be safe (Adobe, Microsoft, etc)
• Keep your OS updated (they release security patches)
• Use a non-admin user account

I don't use one. But I don't click on suspicious links and don't install suspicious programs. Anti-virus software slows down your computer considerably.

It wouldn't hurt to do a scan every now and then for a peace of mind. I just would not run it in a way that it scans every single file I try to access.

Thanks for the reply and info!

 

[nambuccaheadsau]

They may have installed resource hogging AV software without understanding viruses cannot execute on the UNIX based Mac OS X. For sure use DetectX Swift to control malware and other problems. AV companies now for the last several years have started labvelling malware as a 'virus' to sell their software and scare Mac users.

 

[Digeeedad]

They may have installed resource hogging AV software without understanding viruses cannot execute on the UNIX based Mac OS X. For sure use DetectX Swift to control malware and other problems. AV companies now for the last several years have started labvelling malware as a 'virus' to sell their software and scare Mac users.

Thanks for the reply and info!

 

[curmudgeonette]

Many companies install anti-virus software on their employees' Mac computers (all of the companies I've worked for did).

The purpose of that may be to protect PC users. While a Mac may be unaffected by certain malware, it is still possible to forward infected files through a Mac.

 

[RootBeerMan]

I've never used anti-virus on any of my Macs for the last 25 years or more. I do keep Malwarebytes up and running. As others have mentioned, if you're going to be exchanging lots of files with Windows users, you might want to run a virus scan to kill any Windows viruses that may be in an attachment. Just to make it safer for the Windows users. Anti-virus for the Mac is just as waste of money, otherwise.

 

[Crash Davis]

I've never used anti-virus on any of my Macs for the last 25 years or more. I do keep Malwarebytes up and running. As others have mentioned, if you're going to be exchanging lots of files with Windows users, you might want to run a virus scan to kill any Windows viruses that may be in an attachment. Just to make it safer for the Windows users. Anti-virus for the Mac is just as waste of money, otherwise.

I've never run any anti-virus on a Mac but I also run Malwarebytes from time to time. I don't know how many years I've been doing that (several) but it's never found anything.

 

[adamk77]

 

 

[Crash Davis]

My favorite security related app is Little Snitch which is an advanced firewall that can monitor outbound connections. I've been using it for 10+ years and can't imagine not having it. It's the first thing I install on a new machine. Then 1Password.

 

[RootBeerMan]

I've never run any anti-virus on a Mac but I also run Malwarebytes from time to time. I don't know how many years I've been doing that (several) but it's never found anything.

Same here, where anti-virus is concerned. Malwarebytes did find one on mine a couple of years ago. Nothing really harmful, just some malware that downloaded along with something I had downloaded. After that, I just kept it running. Never have had anything else.

 

[Steve121178]

Received my daughter's new 27" iMac a few days ago. All of us are new to Macs. Newbie question... does she need antivirus/malware protection? On our PCs, for many years, we have used ESET Internet Security. I see that ESET has a program for Macs "Cyber Security/Cyber Security Pro". Any suggestions greatly appreciated.
* I just found this thread, which should help answer our questions.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/do-you-use-antivirus-software.2157692/

Not required but goes without saying to advise your daughter to avoid porn/torrent sites as they are riddled with all sorts of issues than can deceive a user by asking them to install malicious apps riddled with malware etc.