Is Malwarebytes necessary for malware protection on my iMac?

Remember that malware doesn’t just show up on your Mac. You have to be tricked into installing it yourself. As long as you use common sense you do not need anti-virus/malware software. Malwarebytes has a free level for detecting malware already on your device. You need a subscription for realtime monitoring but I personally consider that a waste of money.

In addition to what the others have mentioned, as long as users practice safe computing habits as outlined in the following article, then you greatly minimize the risk of having any problems & have no need for any third party anti-virus apps, cleaning/optimizer apps, or third party security software:

Effective Defenses Against Malware and Other Threats

FYI, all of those types of third party apps usually cause more problems than they solve because they interfere with the normal operation of macOS (actually any OS).

I've run the free version of Malwarebytes every once in a while – like once every several months – and it has never detected any malware.

Note that all versions of macOS from Big Sur, onwards, store some parts of the operating system itself in a signed, sealed, system volume; and only run off read-only snapshots of that volume. This would make it hard for malware to modify that part of the operating system, and even harder for it to be run from there. (If your Mac sees that the cryptographic signature is wrong, at the time you start up, it will refuse to boot.)

Thus it is mainly things outside of that sealed system volume – such as your applications, a few of the ones that come with the Mac, and your data – that would be most exposed to malware attack. Even there, the Mac offers built-in anti-malware defenses. It wants you to install apps that are from the App Store, or are at least signed by their developers. It also has a database (XProtect) that it uses to check downloaded applications against a list of known malware signatures. As Apple updates this database, your Mac will quietly download those updates in the background to gain the new protection.

marciafrommars wrote:

Do i need malwarebytes on my imac?

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: malware protection

Depending on what Version you Subscribe to

You may get more that you bargain for

https://www.malwarebytes.com/pricing?x-clickref=1101lD8x8x3F&gad_source=1

Windows-like viruses that self-replicate and affect macOS don’t exist because of the underlying UNIX Foundation and permission limitations.

The macOS operating system resides in a sealed and read-only volume that can’t be opened by users or third-party applications.

Mac app security enhancements are sufficient to protect computers from malware.

Effective defenses against malware and other threats

Adware and Malware can affect computers and are often downloaded from “shady” websites or developers who inject them into downloads.

Torrents is a good vector to download Cracked third party Pirated Software

Source: User tip from @Kurt Lang

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250008855

Commercial VPNs 

They may not be what one believes they are doing for the computer and what they actually are doing behind the scenes and unbeknownst to the user ( you ) 

They may also reduce your Internet Speeds by upwards of 30% 

https://gist.github.com/joepie91/5a9909939e6ce7d09e29

VPN: What you need to know - Apple Community

Only if you're trying to remove accidentally-installed malware.

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