First time Mac user! Should I have supplemental security products?

Question

Level 1

8 points

First time Mac user! Should I have supplemental security products?

Should I have additional security such as anti virus, etc, on my 2017 iMac, 27" 5K running Mojave? This is my very first Mac after 25 years of Windows ( where I was never w/o added security for a goor reason). I have had it for about 2 weeks.. But I have no supplemental security, other than a strong password, firewall, etc. Any info would be appreciated. Thank you.

P.S. Excited to be a new Mac owner finally!!!

iMac 27" 5K, macOS 10.14

Posted on Jun 2, 2019 2:00 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

woodmeister50

Level 7

20,569 points

Jun 3, 2019 4:13 AM in response to bonesamon1

One of the simplest ones: Common Sense.

-Don't visit questionable sites.

-Never ever download anything you did not specifically ask for.

-Never install any app except from the MacApp Store or directly

from the app vendor.

-Set up a standard user account for everyday use and only use the

administrator account when required for system updates, app updates

or installing new apps.

-In System Preferences->Security and Privacy, set the "Allow apps downloaded from:"

to App Store only. If you need to install a known "safe" app, you can always

temporarily change that.

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Answer 2

Jun 2, 2019 2:08 PM in response to bonesamon1

No. The installation of any third party software that claims it will offer increased security is strongly recommend that it not be installed. It fail to increase security and only uses a large amount of system resources to cause problem.

The best way to keep a Mac secure is to keep the software from Apple current.

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Answer 3

bonesamon1 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jun 3, 2019 9:41 AM in response to bonesamon1

Well that is certainly clear enough! Thank you. A question. I understand and would not download app anywhere except the official Apple App Store, however, what about regular programs that you download from Safari, that there is no app available. For instance I recently added Nikon NX-i, Adobe PS/LR, and I even added a speed tester from Ookala.com. I only run mainstream household names. The speed tester is about as exotic as I get ( Im not a gamer or anything). Are these programs ( Windows vocab. if it applies here) a problem?

Thanks to everyone for your responses. And Woodmeister50 I will indeed set up a non admin user id. Thank you.

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Answer 4

Jun 3, 2019 10:04 AM in response to bonesamon1

The programs you listed sound innocent enough.

The only thing to be careful about is where you download them at. Some of the download sites are known to load a bunch of malware along with what they are downloading to you. I tend to avoid download site and search for the one where the developer upload his programs at.

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Answer 5

Jun 4, 2019 4:35 AM in response to bonesamon1

bonesamon1 wrote:

... For instance I recently added Nikon NX-i, Adobe PS/LR, and I even added a speed tester from Ookala.com. I only run mainstream household names. The speed tester is about as exotic as I get ( Im not a gamer or anything). Are these programs ( Windows vocab. if it applies here) a problem?....

If you downloaded them from the directly from vendor sites,

you are safe. However, as with any app on any platform, some

can be just poorly written and problematic to start with but

has nothing to do with security.

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