Q: Thinking of buying new iMac do I need anti virus or is what's installed enough

No, you do not need any anti-virus nor is any installed. I have had my laptop for 7 years and desktop for 3, haven't had one single virus. It's just not applicable.

You do not need anti-virus software.  None is installed by default.  If you wish to use anti-virus software you can download and install ClamXAV - MacUpdate or CNET Downloads. Also visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on spyware and malware.

Considering there are currently no, none, ado, zip and zero virus's for a Mac antivirus software is unnecessary. I would recommend reading Viruses by Thomas Reed this will help educate you. Currently there is a trojan called Mac Defender affecting some users, these users for the most part are naive and were only affected because they naively downloaded and installed software they didn't know anything about based on a popup that came up on their screen warning them of virus's. As a general rule with any computer never download software unless a) know what it is and b) specifically requested it.

If you still are not convinced then I'd recommend downloading ClamXav antivirus software. The reason I mention this one is because it's not intrusive and doesn't create problems like other antivirus software. It is also updated regularly and is free.

If you live in an area where there is an Apple Store drop by and ask your question, it's a valid question and deserves a knowledgeable response.

Roger

That is unless you consider the thousands of posts asking about viruses on the Mac.  At the rate they are increasing they may be the virus.

@ Rkaufmann-

As a new user I was wondering if you could elaborate as to why there are no viruses for Mac.

Is it the fact that Macs are Unix based. Or is it the more popular opinion that there not as valuable a target as Windows.

Thanks.

There are none because no one has tried writing and distributing one.  This may be because OS X is rather secure and Macs are not a big market compared to Microsoft Windows.  I doubt it is because OS X is a Unix OS variant.

That said there have been numerous trojans released including a couple still floating around.  But they are well-known, do not spread virally, and require the user to explicitly install them.  So far none do anything particularly malicious.

So it's not impossible right. The reason I ask is because I've read a number of interesting articles lately ( zero of which have been from AV makers) suggesting that viruses will become a much bigger problem in the near future for Mac users, and Apple products in general.

One even goes as far as to suggest that the latest "MacDefender" trojan is proof of that.

My own $0.02 worth is - as Kappy said, none have been written - I believe that is because anyone writing a virus wants to make a splash or statement: "I am special; because of me, your computer/system is totally mucked up and it'll take you days to fix it" - you can only make a splash if hundreds of thousands computers get mucked up. Apple's share is still below or around 10%, so infecting half of those may not be worth the endeavor. Mucking up half the world's computers is. So, since the virus is written to read/infect the Windows OS, it cannot do it on the Mac because it wasn't written to be able to read the Mac OS. However, as Apple's share increases, someone might finally feel that it's worth messing up Mac OS.

Nothing is impossible.  But it is important to know the difference between trojans and viruses.  Although mostly related to Windows here's a decent explanation.

Whether Macs become a bigger target in the near future remains to be seen. Needless to say the computer media tends to always exaggerate.  They enjoy opportunities for poking holes at Apple's successes.

Don't use a commercial product.  Use ClamXAV - MacUpdate or CNET Downloads.

JAs a new user I was wondering if you could elaborate as to why there are no viruses for Mac.

 

Is it the fact that Macs are Unix based. Or is it the more popular opinion that there not as valuable a target as Windows.

 

I suspect it's for 2 reasons, one OS X doesn't hold as large a market share as MS Windows and second the built in security is pretty darn good. It was built on a solid foundation to begin with but it's not totally infallible. It's not impossible to write a virus for OS X and believe me I am not a virus expert however at this writing they simply do not exist for OS X.

As far as Norton, whatever  you do stay away from that one. As Kappy, myself and a couple of others have stated if you must have antivirus software on your Mac use ClamXav. 

I hate to ask so many questions, but I'm so curious to learn all I can. Thankfully I know enough from my PC years to stay away from Norton and the like. I just feel a little, well, naked if you will, since I moved to a Mac.

Thanks for the response.

Your welcome. Welcome to the light side and enjoy your new Mac. BTW if you haven't already I'd recommend bookmarking and studying these sites. They are written specifically for folks like yourself that have or are considering switching from MS Windows to OS X.

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