Mckeeper has something like antivirus etc in it. Is it really advisable to buy it and have it installed in your macbook knowing mac is immune to viruses? Or is it? Thanks for any replies.
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What is mackeeper?
- Thread starter the hippie
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there is no need for you to buy and install the software on your mac, all those are just marketing bs...
You don't need MacKeeper. You really don't need "cleaner" or "maintenance" apps to keep your Mac running well, and some of these apps can do more harm than good. Most only remove files/folders or unused languages or architectures, which does nothing more than free up some drive space. It will not make your Mac run faster or more efficiently, since having stuff stored on a drive does not impact performance, unless you're running out of drive space.
Mac OS X does a good job of taking care of itself, without the need for 3rd party software.
You also don't need any 3rd party antivirus software to protect Mac OS X from malware. Macs are not immune to malware, but no true 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 only malware in the wild that can affect Mac OS X is a handful of trojans, which can be easily avoided with some basic education, common sense and care in what software you install. Also, Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Lion have anti-malware protection built in, further reducing the need for 3rd party antivirus apps.
Interesting factoid: According to the Genius bar at the Mac store last night this statement is incorrect. They say there have been a total of 6. I didn't press them for specifics, but considering I always see you making this claim, found it interesting that Apple employees refute it.
The "Genius" is dead wrong. Remember, "Genius" is only their job title, and not and indication of their knowledge, experience or intelligence. There has never been a Mac OS X virus in the wild. If anyone tries to say otherwise, have them name just one. There are hundreds of examples reported in this forum of Apple employees not knowing what they were talking about.
Like I said, I found it interesting - dunno about the veracity of the info and frankly didn't care.. Would have thought that they'd wear the "no virus" banner proudly. Doesn't seem to be the case where I was.
The problem is, that lots of malware is dubbed as "virus", but isn't an actual virus according to the virus definition. See the Malware FAQ GGJstudios linked to.
I asked genius bar one time but they said Mac can't have virus. But when i bought my macbook pro at bestbuy, it came with a trendmicro antivirus for free so i installed it coz it's free and it won't hurt anyway & the Bestbuy guy said it's possible Mac can get virus and it's on the rise coz hackers are increasingly studying how to do it. I don't know. Maybe Mac isn't perfect but it it's close to it.
English is not my native language, so pardon me. Are you a "grammar police"? If you don't mind me asking.
Please read that Malware FAQ GGJstudios linked to, as there is no need for CPU consuming software to scan for non existent viruses and maybe a dozen malware titles you can avoid via common sense.
Also have a read here:
The Mac OS X Malware Myth Continues
For most part it is user's ignorance that got them into a lot of trouble. Not all things that were free are good. You have to research and find for yourself if it is good for you or not and not rely solely on other people's opinions.
No no, you interpreted it wrong. I was being literal. Grammar is not indicative of genius. Who gives a crap if you wrote "have" twice. It is no way a symptom of stupidity - just a clue to how eager & quick you were to reply.
As I already stated, Macs are not immune, so they can be infected by a virus, but first one must be created and released in the wild, so a Mac user can encounter it. That has never happened with Mac OS X. So a Mac can get a virus, but they don't, since none exist.
Some antivirus apps can actually increase your Mac's vulnerability. Just because something is free doesn't mean it's a good idea to install it. I'd recommend you uninstall any antivirus and read the link I posted to learn how to avoid malware.
Looks like there's actually one virus for OS X, though maybe it's technically a worm? It's a PPC virus, came out sometime in 2006, so not really a threat. GGJ, does this fall under the classification of a virus, or something else?
Classic Mac OS had quite a few, though. Nowhere near the amount for Windows, of course, but they did exist.
Leap-A is not a virus, despite what Sophos says in trying to sell their antivirus app. Read the definition of a virus in the Mac Virus/Malware Info link I posted, then read how Leap-A works. You'll see it's a trojan/worm, not a virus.
First, you're right that there were true viruses in the wild that affected Mac OS 9 and earlier. You should also be aware that the list you linked by iAntiVirus is bogus. This post will explain how many items on that list are not even malware.
Sophos calls it a virus on that page, because they want to be the first to do so I guess.
But it is a worm: http://www.symantec.com/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2006-021614-4006-99
http://www.sophos.com/en-us//threat-center/threat-analyses/viruses-and-spyware/OSX~Leap-A.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leap_(computer_worm)
I read this year about 3 viruses floating around. Just like everyone here has stated you have to be smart about what you click on the web, and what you download to your computer. If it's not a reliable source then do not download from there.
For me Safari has been pretty accurate in recognizing Malware. I haven't downloaded any antivirus stuff because I never did on any PC I've own. Just try to stay away from sites that looks suspicious.
Like Nameci said "user ignorance" I remember a few parents/coworkers telling me that their computers have a virus. The first thing I ask is if their kids use the computer and if they have limewire or P2P sites installed. Everyone responds yes.
@the hippie just remember to turn on your firewall, download from the developers site, do not click a link from a website to get you there either. Check Mac forums to see if any notifications of updates have been posted and you will be fine.