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I received a pop up last Fall to purchase antivirus software. I did but have been nervous to install as I'm afraid it is a scam. It says McAfee and the email is from. Can anyone confirm this is legit or know how I can confirm?
[Email Edited by Moderator]
MacBook, macOS 10.14
No Anti-Virus software or so-called “cleaning” apps are needed or recommended for Mac OS. They can conflict with Mac's own built-in security. At best they will slow your Mac by using unnecessary resources and at worst will bork your entire system. Your Mac has all the built-in protection you need.
No Anti-Virus software or so-called “cleaning” apps are needed or recommended for Mac OS. They can conflict with Mac's own built-in security. At best they will slow your Mac by using unnecessary resources and at worst will bork your entire system. Your Mac has all the built-in protection you need.
Messages are sometimes received saying that antivirus is needed. It is not. My understanding is that those programs run in the background and can definitely slow down the computer, I would not install it. McAfee is a legitimate company, but you do not need their software. You could install Malwarebytes, which is free. It does check for malware and is the only app recommended by Apple's support specialists. I run it once a day and have on occasion found something to remove. It allows you to first review the suspected items, which you should do before removing them. I hope this is helpful to you.
FYI: running MalwareBytes once a day is overkill, unless you are installing new software from sources besides the App Store everyday (or frequently enough that a once a day habit is good to have).
At the moment, the only malware and adware that can get on the Mac must involve the user doing the install. Many times the user is "Tricked" into do the install, such as a download site putting their own installer around a free or shareware package and the download site does a side load of adware which they get paid for, or a developer agrees to do a side-load of adware for a fee when installing their software. And sometimes malware puts up a webpage that looks legit, or even just puts up huge Green ad banner that says "Download" on a page where you can download something legit, and trick you that way.
But if you are not installing something, then you are not getting adware or malware (again, that is the current state of malware/adware on the Mac).
Antivirus Software for MacBook
