Anti Virus ??

This guy again?

MBonde70 wrote:

does anyone of you use anti virus?

Not I.

MBonde70 wrote:

does anyone of you use anti virus?

One would think I should - I have traveled extensively, use many public Wi-Fi networks, have several many Macs, some of which are on 24/7, and I don't even bother with OS X's built-in firewall. I don't use any third party anti-virus software, never have, and have yet to encounter a single virus or malware infection. Not one.

Does that mean I place my complete trust in the great and powerful Apple to keep my Macs 100% safe? Of course not. What I don't do is click on unknown links in an email, thoughtlessly provide my username and password just because some popup window gratuitously demands them, or download illegally copied software from the Internet's nether regions. I run Software Update periodically. I know what I am installing, what I expect it to do, and how to get rid of it should I want to. I routinely back up my data. I am cognizant of phishing scams and am going to be really skeptical of anyone requesting personal information.

By doing all these things - in other words using common sense and ignoring the fearmongers - I am confident my personal information is not at risk and that my systems remain safe from harm. This has worked for me for nearly three decades.

Having read all this, I recommend you use your own common sense, and draw your own conclusions.

XProtect and Software Update, both built-in, are all you will need. Do NOT download commercial anti-virus software as those companies' only goal is to make a quick buck.

MBonde70 wrote:

can anyone of you see if something is needed to be done here.

Yes. You need to get rid of Avast. It is completely useless and will report many false positives. At best it will slow down your Mac. At worst Avast may cause your Mac to crash, lose data, or become generally unreliable.

Avast is one of those programs that cannot be uninstalled by merely dragging its app to the Trash. You must uninstall it according to the developer's instructions and ensure its complete eradication.

This is precisely why I wrote

John Galt wrote:

... I know what I am installing, what I expect it to do, and how to get rid of it should I want to.

"This file is a decompression bomb" ???

Unfortunately, your question has drawn the attention of someone who habitually posts misinformation on this site.

This comment applies to malicious software ("malware") that's installed unwittingly by the victim of a network attack. It does not apply to software, such as keystroke loggers, that may be installed deliberately by an attacker who has hands-on access to the victim's computer. That threat is in a different category, and there's no easy way to defend against it. If you have reason to suspect that you're the target of such an attack, you need expert help.

All versions of OS X since 10.6.7 have been able to detect known Mac malware in downloaded files. The recognition database is automatically updated once a day; however, you shouldn't rely on it, because the attackers are always at least a day ahead of the defenders. In most cases, there’s no benefit from any other automated protection against malware.

Starting with OS X 10.7.5, there is another layer of built-in malware protection, designated "Gatekeeper" by Apple. By default, applications that are downloaded from the network will only run if they're digitally signed by a developer with a certificate issued by Apple. Applications certified in this way haven't actually been tested by Apple (unless they come from the Mac App Store), but you can be sure that they haven't been modified by anyone other than the developer, and his identity is known, so he could be held responsible if he knowingly released malware. For most practical purposes, applications recognized by Gatekeeper as signed can be considered safe. Note, however, that there are some caveats concerning Gatekeeper:

1. It doesn't apply to software that comes packaged as an installer. Treat all third-party installers with caution.
2. It can be disabled or overridden by the user.
3. It can be bypassed by some third-party networking software, such as BitTorrent clients and Java applets (see below.)
4. It only applies to applications downloaded from the network. Software installed from a CD or other media is not checked.

Notwithstanding the above, the most effective defense against malware attacks is your own intelligence. All known malware on the Internet that affects a fully-updated installation of OS X 10.6 or later takes the form of so-called "trojan horses," which can only have an effect if the victim is duped into running them. If you're smarter than the malware attacker thinks you are, you won't be duped. That means, primarily, that you never install software from an untrustworthy source. How do you know a source is untrustworthy?

1. Any website that prompts you to install a “codec,” “plug-in,” or “certificate” that comes from that same site, or an unknown one, is untrustworthy.
2. A web operator who tells you that you have a “virus,” or that anything else is wrong with your computer, or that you have won a prize in a contest you never entered, is trying to commit a crime with you as the victim. [Some reputable websites did legitimately warn users who were infected with the "DNSChanger" malware. That exception to this rule no longer applies.]
3. “Cracked” copies of commercial software downloaded from a bittorrent are likely to be infected.
4. Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, must be downloaded directly from the developer’s website. No intermediary is acceptable.

MBonde70 wrote:

does anyone of you use anti virus?

I have four such applications installed on this Mac and have not routinely used any of them for several years now. All of the real-time protection features have been disabled and about the only time I run one manually is for testing purposes.

MBonde70 wrote:

http://www.technewsdaily.com/best-mac-antivirus-software/intego-virusbarrier-rev iew.html

I own both the X5 and X6 versions. X5 is still installed with real-time scanning disabled and I allowed the subscription to expire after one year of never finding anything I didn't already know about. A much better choice than Avast at the present time, but for now I don't need it to interfer with the the operation of this Mac. If I spent a lot of time on sketchy web sites and downloaded from pirate sites, I might think differently. If I was prone to ignoring alerts given to me by my OS, I might think differently. If I turned off the protection given to me by my OS or left Java on in my browsers all the time, I might think differently. I realize there may well be a time when the OS is not able to keep up, which is why I have protective apps at the ready. Until then I feel very secure with my current environment.

Thanks for giving us a great example of how good you are at using deception.

Using an anti-virus program is common sense. The fearmongering is done by people like you who deceive people into thinking they are safe when they actually are not.

I don't see anyone else saying that anti-virus is "common sense" aside from you. Who is deceiving who?

stevejobsfan0123, that is false information.

XProtect currently has 52 entries, of which MacDefender are 12 and Flashback are 24. That means out of the thousands of viruses circulating, you are protected from only 17 directly by Apple.

Protecting yourself is common sense. Macs are not immune to viruses, even Apple has acknowledged that fact on several occasions. The very existence of XProtect is proof of that fact, but XProtect is not updated frequently enough for all users to be safe and it does nothing to protect others or your Bootcamp partition from Windows viruses you may be harboring.

<Edited by Host>

So does Apple.

John, that is false information.

Apple's built-in software does not protect against Windows viruses anyone may be harboring.

http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/06/mac_viruses/

One other problem: Even though they may not harm Mac OS X, Sophos believes that about 20 percent of Mac computers are actually infected with Windows malware, most likely copied via an infected USB drive or else installed in Macs that were set up to dual-boot Windows and Mac OS X.