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Thinking about buying Norton Antivirus for Mac

M

mac.andy

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 22, 2009
40
0
I was thinking about ordering Norton Antivirus when I order my new iMac.

But I can't really track down a reliable review of the product, and how it impacts on a modern iMac. ie. Does it slow the system down?

So if there is any members who use Norton Antivirus for Mac, like to hear from you.

I realize there is few Mac threats, I guess I want to keep my removable USB drives clean so that viruses don't spread between PC's mostly.
 
DON'T DO IT

Sorry to yell...

You don't need it at all
And it will eff your system

That is all

If you are worried about infecting PC users then use ClamXav

Woof, Woof - Dawg
pawprint.gif
 
mac.andy said:
I was thinking about ordering Norton Antivirus when I order my new iMac.

But I can't really track down a reliable review of the product, and how it impacts on a modern iMac. ie. Does it slow the system down?

So if there is any members who use Norton Antivirus for Mac, like to hear from you.

I realize there is few Mac threats, I guess I want to keep my removable USB drives clean so that viruses don't spread between PC's mostly.
Click to expand...

Don't read their product description. I can summarize it in a few words/phrases. Slow. Buggy. Useless. Waste of money. Not necessary.
 
Wow. Thanks for the advice. Really glad I asked for advice here on MacRumors :eek:

ClamXAV it is!
 
Jethryn Freyman said:
Don't do it.

ClamXAV picks up Windows threats only and is free.
iAntiVirus picks up OS X threats only and is free.
Click to expand...

Interesting. iAntivirus is a PCTools product. PCTools is owned by Symantec now I believe?

But iAntivirus is light and quick then?
 
mac.andy said:
Interesting. iAntivirus is a PCTools product. PCTools is owned by Symantec now I believe?

But iAntivirus is light and quick then?
Click to expand...

Yes and yes.

I'm still not convinced about iAV, though. It lists a lot of threats that aren't threats, some it fails to detect, others aren't detected once installed (only the installer packages are detected.)

Some files that are quarantined are damaged and modified in the process. PC Tools is looking into that.
 
Jethryn Freyman said:
Yes and yes.

I'm still not convinced about iAV, though. It lists a lot of threats that aren't threats, some it fails to detect, others aren't detected once installed (only the installer packages are detected.)

Some files that are quarantined are damaged and modified in the process. PC Tools is looking into that.
Click to expand...

Hmm. OK. Free or not, if it's an inferior product - I'm going to pass on it.
 
Neil321 said:
Why ?, as snowleopard2008 just stated their arnt any viruses in the wild to protect against, its just a waste of resourses,their are trojans but common sense is the key
Click to expand...

Sure. I get that. It was more so I can scan removable usb media that may pick up a virus from a PC - I understand a PC virus won't spread onto a Mac; I just want to break the virus cycle if I plug an infected usb media device from one infected PC to another.

Did I make sense? ;) Sometimes I confuse myself. :D
 
no need for AV?

so there's no need for anti virus at all??
i'm very new to mac so i really need
to know whether i shud install it or not.. :confused:
 
Anti Virus is (basically) not needed. However, be sure your browsers are updated and you run software update every week or so. Keep up to date on security bulletins, perhaps subscribe to a mailing list on mac security issues.

My way of thinking is anti virus won't necessarily hurt if you're computer is "modern", but DO NOT buy Norton. It's complete crap, from my experiences and those of many others. Best of luck!
 
Why is it Mac users feel they don't need virus protection on their computers? I think the old saying, "it's better safe then sorry" wraps it nicely. I would buy virus protection and implement safe web browsing practices using common sense as a second layer of protection. Look, some geek not long ago hacked a macbook in less then 10 seconds and won some $5,000 for doing it. So Mac's are not as safe as we all them to be, yes it's safer then a PC but I wouldn't bet my data on it.
 
YsoSerious said:
Why is it Mac users feel they don't need virus protection on their computers?
Click to expand...


Because no viruses exist.

I think the old saying, "it's better safe then sorry" wraps it nicely.
Click to expand...

Safe from what? There are no viruses. Any virus made would infect every single computer immediately... as NO anti-virus software would be able to find it.

Look, some geek not long ago hacked a macbook in less then 10 seconds and won some $5,000 for doing it.
Click to expand...

Guy did everything beforehand and loaded a website. That isn't hacking in ten seconds. It isn't even hacking.
 
THERE ARE NO VIRUSES on OSX.

Since there are no viruses, anti-virus cannot determine what is a virus at this time.

Giz Explains: Why OS X Shrugs Off Viruses Better Than Windows
http://i.gizmodo.com/5101337/giz-explains-why-os-x-shrugs-off-viruses-better-than-windows

The Mac Malware Myth
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/01/29/the-mac-malware-myth/

The Unavoidable Malware Myth
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/...-apple-wont-inherit-microsofts-malware-crown/

Road to Mac OS X Snow Leopard: 64-bit security
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/01/16/road_to_mac_os_x_snow_leopard_64_bit_security.html
 
I use Norton just because I get it free (legally!). I have not noticed any detriment to system performance or speed. Really, I hardly notice it's running aside from when I download something or when I switch on my external HD. It is annoying at those moments. I've been using it about 9 months and have not come across one virus or trojan.

Since I have never uninstalled it, I can't tell you if it's buggy in that regard or not. I know that it used to be (I hated in on OS9), but it's run so much better than it did back then, I'd be surprised if it caused the problems people have mentioned here.
 
mac.andy said:
I was thinking about ordering Norton Antivirus when I order my new iMac.
Click to expand...

If you buy Norton Antivirus let me know because I have another product you might like. It's a charm necklace that if worn will absolutely prevent you from being abducted by space aliens. Double your money back if it fails to work.

before you pay Norton any money you should figure out how "stuff" could possibly get on a thumb drive and how Norton could possibly prevent that. If you can't answer in detail or find anyone else who can then you are just wasting your money.
 
I will send you my copy and pay the shipping;)

I didn't notice it slowing my system down too much but I could not for the life of me un-install it completly. I thought I had deleted it successfully but as soon as I connected any type of media or downloaded something it start to scan. Erase and Install was all I could get to work:(
 
There are a few OS X viruses out there, but because of the way the operating system was designed it's extremely hard for them to infect you, you practically have to install them manually.

Besides, norton is a terrible antivirus.
 
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