Anti Virus on Apples?

HEy just bought a macbook pro. Was wondering if it comes with anti-virus software installed, or if I have to buy it? If I have to buy it, are all brands compatible with Apple? Thanks

 

i guess you're used to windows....there are very few viruses that attack os x....most believe careful usage is enough and an anti-virus scanner will just slow the computer down.

 

Hes right, Where I work there are over 1250 2 year old iBooks, A G5, And a few Powerbooks for network admins and such, we have tested numorous antivirus systems just on the G5 to test them. However we never put them on any machines and non so far (knock on wood) have gotten viruses.

 

That doesn't mean you can't get them or that you shouldn't take preventative measures now.

Scrb45, Symantec has a verion of Norton for Macs if you want to take a look. May not be the best option out there, but it is 1 option. There are bound to be others.

 

Hey!

There are three recommended Mac anti-viral software from MacWorld Magazine. I have listed them below in order of highest recommendation to lowest.

1. Intego VirusBarrier X4, this was reported to be very fast and integrates with many OS X applications to ensure it's a system-wide scan. It also features a dashboard widget for easy checking of updates. ($70 for program, $30 for yearly subscription.)

2. Nortons Anti-virus mostly just because of its already massive database of virus information, the magazine quoted Windows viruses for that, and it seems to be a rather dumb reason for picking it to be second? I mean your running OS X here, not Windows. ($50 for program, $15 for annual subscription)

3. This one is the free program, it's open source so it maintained by a community of people who devote their free time to it, this would also mean that virus updates might not be as quick as the other two. Macworld reports that it gets the job done, however its not exactly well integrated as #1, and is a bit slower than the other two, but thats the price you pay for something that is free. The program name is ClamXav 1.0.3, (free, free subscription)

Do a search on these products and decide which one you like, I'm sure they all have trials, so make sure you research before you buy (that is if you decide to go ahead and purchase one of the commerical ones)

Now, you don't exactly need an Anti-Virus software for OS X, but thats not to say it will never happen to you, but follow a set of proper guidelines to go by for opening of e-mails from windows users, or anything you don't know the source of is something to be proceeded with caution.

1. Don't open e-mail attachments from windows users, make sure you know that the file is expected to come. Granted windows viruses are ineffective against OS X most likely, it should be a safety percaution regardless. There are gonna be ways to run windows applications on OS X eventaully, and this rule will be more important then, because at that time you could actually just pass the virus on.

2. make sure anything you download is from a credible source, it's becoming more common for sites to offer an MD5 of files, what is this? Well its basically an algorithm that organizations use to compare their file they have to the originals MD5 code to verify it is indeed an exact untampered copy. You most likely don't need to do this really at all if whatever you get things from are from credible businesses or whatever.

Any other questions feel free to ask!

Cheers

 

I would avoid Norton as they take up a lot of space, problematic in its interface and operability and eats up system resources like you wouln't believe. It has been known to cause the system to be unstable as well and notorious, like bad spyware, to fully uninstall even on a Mac

 

Don't waste your money on an AV for a Mac. Just use good behaviors:
Don't download attatchments (Even if you do, don't put your password in if it asks)
Don't click links in email (phishing)
Don't install anything you are a little unsure of. Make sure it is legit.

Really the last one is the most important for virus/spyware. Installing malware yourself is, as of now, the only way to infect your system. Visiting a website cannot infect Mac like a Windows PC because the browsers available for the Mac don't ActiveX.

To be honest, I don't run AV on my Windows computer either. It is really not needed as long as it you are careful and use common sense. For Macs, it is not needed because there are no viruses in the wild for Mac.

**EDIT** One more thing. Getting one now just in case is also a waste. The Mac AV's generally are not well supported. They do not receive regular updates and would likely not help you in the event a virus was released thata actually could propogate for Macs.