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Anti Virus ??

do you need anti virus on a Mac?

MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)

Posted on Oct 20, 2012 11:42 AM

Reply
71 replies

Oct 20, 2012 1:09 PM in response to LordZedd

LordZedd wrote:


OSX does not have any antivirus protection built-in.


I disagree with you. So does Apple.


Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard and later checks for malware

Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard and later builds upon the existing unsafe file type check by also checking for known instances of "malware", or malicious software. When you open a quarantined file, the file quarantine feature will check to see if it may include known malware.


OS X: About Gatekeeper

Oct 20, 2012 1:13 PM in response to MBonde70

If you are using a Router and getting your IP Address via DHCP (which is essentially always when using WiFi) you are not visible, and not reachable form the Internet. The only BIG problem remaining is your own cautiousness.


Thomas Reed, a long-time contributor to the forums, has a white paper on the subject that I recommend heartily:


http://www.reedcorner.net/mmg-antivirus/

Oct 20, 2012 1:49 PM in response to MBonde70

There are several free options to protect your machine from viruses.


Another thing to consider is that its not just you that you are protecting, its everyone else your data comes in contact with, especially windows users. The good scanners like iAntivirus also scan for Windows virsues. They won't harm OSX, but if you use Bootcamp or have a virtual Windows machine running it can infect them or be spread through your e-mail or USB sticks.


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Anti Virus ??

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