Does Mac OS X need any Antivirus or Protection Software?

No. The Mac is not self protecting from virus. The case is that so far there has not been a virus written that con infect OS X.

For that reason I recommend that AV software not be installed.

Allan

No.

And as you said, the reasons have been explained here many times already. Asking the same question again is really not necessary.

By and large if you stay away from bad or questionable sites such as torrents and the like, there really isn't much to worry about.

Allan

Torrents are very unsafe. No one pays any attention to what nefarious payloads get added to the stuff (most of it illegally copied) that is commonly offered for downloading via torrents. Stay away from them.

The answer is simple: No.

There are no known viruses; basic malware protection is built into the OS; only a user can protect against phishing scams, etc; commercial AV software causes more problems than it's worth; stay away from torrent sites, although, they too are geared towards Windows users.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1147

Yes, the Mac App Store might be the 'most secure', but that doesn't mean other places are 'insecure'. You can use, for example, MacUpdate, as a source of shareware, with full confidence.

The App Store is as safe a place as any. The web sites of responsible software developers who choose not to do business through the App Store because they don't agree with Apple's terms for doing so are also safe places to obtain their software.

Like any store, the App Store sells some software that is ill-conceived and/or poorly written. The fact that an app can be purchased through the App Store is not a guarantee of its quality or usefulness.

Do NOT respond positively to any pop-up window in a web browser that tells you your computer is infected with anything. Such pop-ups are always scams, usually designed to sell you something that will steal personal information about you and/or cripple your computer.

I have stopped recommending MacUpdate since their web site has been flooded with so many adverts for MacKeeper.

MacKeeper is scamware and should be avoided at all costs.

Allan

You can get your software from any reputable company (such as buying actual media at a brick and mortar store or online reseller such as Amazon, etc) or downloading directly from the software developer's site if they offer that option (i.e. downloading Office directly from Microsoft).

Yeah, but unfortunately it seems like those ads are absolutely everywhere.

You will always get Yes or No answer, each person is different. Just weigh the options and chose the best path for you.

The only reason I have Virus protection is because i share files to Windows users and dont want to pass a virus on to them even though it doesnt affect me.I dont use active virus protection either, I use one I have to initiate myself. There are tons of theories and other things about it. I use a Mac on a government atmosphere and they required Virus protection on every device, regardless of type.

Viruses Protection: I would use ClamX http://www.clamxav.com/ which is a free anti-virus program.

Spyware: MacScan, is for the removal and detection of spyware for a mac. Trial version is available.

http://macscan.securemac.com/