Apple M1 Chip - native Malware/Anti-Virus App

Yes, malware, adware, scareware, and ransomware is out there in the wild attacking Macs. Most of it is not terribly dangerous but more annoying. Mac's are not immune to these threats but if you observe common sense safe practices it is unlikely to be a problem.

Exercising some caution in regards to phishing emails and text / social media messages as well as noticing those pop-up advertisements that attempt to convince you that you are infected and to install fake anti-malware tools, etc. goes a long way to protecting you. The rest is a matter of the following:

1. Do not install software from anywhere except the Mac App Store or directly from a reputable vendors direct website. Most cleaners, maintenance tools, Anti-virus, and Anti-malware tools are not to be trusted and are mostly unnecessary. If they are legit tools, they do more to slow down your Mac than anything else.
2. If an application states it wasn't signed by an Apple Developer nor Notarized (scanned for malware by Apple) think twice and maybe a third time before you install it. Make sure you fully trust the source of this application.
3. Do not pirate software nor media of any kind (very common for malicious payloads to be included)
4. Be wary of free games or download shareware sites that tend to include adware and another annoyances. Pay attention to text during the installation and uncheck necessary things like browser extensions, etc.
5. Running any ad-blocker will go a long way to protecting you from rogue drive-by malware inside ad networks. I've had things download and attempt to run that originated from a rogue advertisement on a mainstream website.
6. Avoid the seedy underbelly of the Internet (pr0n, hacking, illegal activity, etc.)
7. Do enable the Firewall
8. Disable any Sharing features in System Preferences you do not really need
9. Do keep macOS and all your Applications up-to-date with security updates.
10. Never Ever install a Configuration Profile unless it's your employer or schools IT department asking you to enroll BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) or it's a Mac owned by your employer or school. Never install any Configuration Profile that isn't signed with a valid certificate either. You will see a lot of red text and warnings. Do not ignore them.

[Edited by Moderator]

a. *Yes* you should use antivirus, especially if you are doing any kind of business or handling sensitive data. It would be irresponsible to not do so. Here's a good article on some common ways Macs get infected. https://www.sentinelone.com/blog/macos-security-so-how-do-macs-get-infected-with-malware/

My experience as a sysadmin has been that Macs get infected from browser plugins and downloading bad DMGs, regardless of how cautious a user is.

b. I'd recommend BitDefender and SentinelOne. Both have M1 support in development as of February 2021.

...what the original poster and most people who have this concern are asking for is software that puts up additional guardrails around their computer usage, either because they know their behavior could invite exploitation, or because they know they have no idea.

... and the experts on this site are saying that the extra software is not needed because of the very reason that the OS is intrinsically well protected.

If people want to run anti virus software then that's their choice in the end. When users ask for advice and then choose to ignore the advice provided by the experts here with the added reinforcement that the best protection being to be careful where you loiter on the internet and be careful what you download, is it any wonder that the response (when they come back here asking why their mac is now running more than 50% slower or something no longer works) should not be surprising when you get the reply, "We told you so".

Vendors marketing Anti Virus software for Mac are doing so by playing on peoples fear of getting an infection. As has been pointed out many times in this thread, that won't happen unless you ACTIVELY allow an installation package to be installed. If you don't know what's in it, then don't install it. Always... ALWAYS... make sure that you download software from reputable sources.

Do your research on any software package before considering using it.

Threads abound on this forum from people with sob stories that they have lost everything through downloading dodgy software like "MacKeeper", "CleanMyMac" and "Mac Defender" (also know in many other guises like "MacProtector", "Mac Security", "Apple Security", and "Apple Security Center").

First, there is no reason to ever install or run any 3rd party "cleaning", "optimizing", "speed-up", anti-virus, VPN or security apps on your Mac.  This user tip describes what you need to know and do in order to protect your Mac: Effective defenses against malware and other threats - Apple Community.  

There are no known viruses, i.e. self propagating, for Macs.  There are, however, adware and malware which require the user to install although unwittingly most of the time thru sneaky links, etc.   

Anti Virus developers try to group all types as viruses into their ad campaigns of fear.  They do a poor job of the detecting and isolating the adware and malware.  Since there are no viruses these apps use up a lot of system resources searching for what is non-existent and adversely affect system and app performance.

There is one app, Malwarebytes, which was developed by a long time contributor to these forums and a highly respected member of the computer security community, that is desshoigned solely to seek out adware and known malware and remove it.  The free version is more than adequate for most users. It runs on M1 Macs. 

Also, unless you're using a true VPN tunnel, such as between you and your employer's or bank's servers, they are useless from a privacy standpoint: Public VPN's are anything but private.  

There are many instances of native binary arm64 malware examples in the wild. Seems the bad guys are more adept than the AV vendors.

There are enterprise security endpoints such as CrowdStrike and Jamf Protect that do things the Apple recommended way and they work very well. But these are not available to the average consumer and are meant to be deployed by an IT department. Unfortunately most all consumer retail security solutions are hot garbage that will slow down your Mac and cause more problems than they solve.

If the average user merely follows best practices they will be unlikely to get infected.

1. Try not to install software unless it's obtained via the Apple App Store.
2. If you have to install software make sure you obtain it directly from the vendors website.
3. Avoid shareware sites as they tend to inject adware into the downloads to help pay for their services.
4. Open Source applications are quite good but be sure you know what you are doing if you decide to use them.
5. If you are a developer be extremely cautious about installing 3rd party libraries from open repositories. Become very versed in developer best practices. New forms of attack involve infecting the supply chain. Make sure you audit any such code.
6. Never ever pirate commercial software, most of the time there is a malicious payload that hitches a ride onto your system.
7. When installing software, read the screens especially the tiny fine print and look for checkboxes. Do not approve 3rd party add-ons, etc.
8. Always keep your operating system and applications up-to-date
9. Avoid surfing the seedy underbelly of the Internet
10. Install an ad-blocker
11. Beware of phishing emails and text messages
12. Create two user accounts, one an admin account and a limited account to use as your primary account
13. Think twice and perhaps a third time before using your admin account to install anything
14. Backup your system, really no excuse since Time Machine is literally a no brainer backup solution.

Government computers, especially at the ABC agencies are heavily locked down to an extreme degree. The users are not allowed to do much at all in regards to configuration. They can merely use the computers. They cannot install software, hardware, etc. Everything is managed by an IT department and IT Security department.

Instead of repeating nonsense, check into the "native" protection of Catalina and beyond. You clearly have no idea. Starting with Catalina, Mac OS and the system files are now "sequestered: in their own own volume which is read only. That means neither you nor anyone else nor malware will have access to do anything.

Your data are now on a second volume (Mac HD - Data) and that is read/write, but that is not where a virus would go to. And, "malware" also encompasses simple adware which can pop up if you go to a site that allows such things; however, that is easy to get rid of and no AV software will be able to prevent that.

So, yes, Mac OS is protected. There is no need to slow down your system by software which cannot access what it wants anyway and that will only lead to slowdowns. Nor can any "cleaning" app be helpful.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210650

Yup - the best protection in the new M1 is in the M1 and Mac OS already and between the shoulders of most people but not all. You can run Malwarebytes if you have the deep need to spend $ and run something as it is least intrusive to Mac OS and it is what Apple Tech Support uses for a malware removal tool. It’s not a full blown antivirus program. It’s a tool.

I’m Googling around myself this morning hoping to find when a Native version will be available. If you find something let me know... I’ll do the same. Don’t believe people who tell you it’s not required as that’s nonsense as in 2019 it was estimated that perhaps as many as 10% of Macs were infected malware. Apple will mention XProtect but it’s not up to the job. Stick to Apple Store apps until you install one and as someone with decades in the IT industry I’d recommend Bitdefender. Kaspersky would be my second choice.

"malware" is a very open ended term.

There are no known viruses in the wild that can affect macOS. Full Stop.

"Malware" simply means "malicious software".

Is there malware out there for Macs? Sure. You can not get it without taking positive action.

Common sense is the best defense against malware.

As someone with well over 3 decades in IT, I will also say that Kaspersky should NEVER, EVER be recommended or used on ANY platform. Not unless you really want to feed personal data to the Russian security service.

I'm using Sophos Home Premium until BitDefender gets it "together". Sophos is M1 and Big Sur compatible and has a 30-day trial and a Free version as well.

Wonderful. That does not make it necessary - the only "necessary" part is that it makes money for the developer.

michaelm411 wrote:

I mention this as origin of business should be a factor in a purchase.

Some may not make versions for MacOS or for that matter be fully compatible with M1.

And they are all unnecessary.

See here:

Effective defenses against malware and ot… - Apple Community

Your mac, your call.

If you want to learn why learned members of the community advise against it and make a more informed decision, you’d do well to read this excellent user tip:

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-8841

Do not install third party apps that claim to secure your Mac:

macOS - Security - Apple

Set up your Mac to be secure - Apple Support

Security features on your MacBook Pro - Apple Support

Protect your Mac from malware - Apple Support

Effective defenses against malware and ot… - Apple Community

I'm using Sophos Home Premium until BitDefender gets it "together". Sophos is M1 and Big Sur compatible and has a 30-day trial and a Free version as well.

Hac-D-Mac wrote:

I'm using Sophos Home Premium until BitDefender gets it "together". Sophos is M1 and Big Sur compatible and has a 30-day trial and a Free version as well.

I am sure they appreciate you sending them money for something

totally useless at best and a system corrupter at worse.

Actually the best malware/virus protection is sitting between your shoulders!