do i need security software

To everyone here who say "There is no need for security software on Mac, go to Youtube and check this link out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=tlA0E5_dsSs

I am not at all worried about a virus on any Apple device BUT, I detest spies and for a very good reason....identity theft and all of the other bad things that can happen to you when SOMEONE HACKS YOUR MAC. DOes anyone here know what it's like to have your identity stolen? I hope you never have to learn that lesson.

And I hope APPLE contacts me about my reply to this post because I feel that someone WAY up high is dropping the ball by allowing these things to be posted on youtube. Allen, you do so need security software with your Mac.

davesnewlion wrote:

To everyone here who say "There is no need for security software on Mac, go to Youtube and check this link out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=tlA0E5_dsSs

I am unaware of any third party security software that can protect a computer against attacks involving physical access.

I hope APPLE contacts me about my reply to this post because I feel that someone WAY up high is dropping the ball by allowing these things to be posted on youtube.

There is no guarantee that Apple will even see your reply here. They provide the venue, but are not openly involved in responses. For that you will need to contact their product security department.

i wouldnt advise any virus software for mac, my personal opinion it slows things down. id probably only install virus software if i was messing with things i know may be unsafe. if your asking yourself "how do i know if what im doing is safe" then you most likely have nothing to worry about.

for the average consumer/user i wouldnt recommend anything. mac functions and maintains perfectly well through normal use without virus protection.

I guess I need to point out that the OP asked this question almost a year ago and probably has made up his mind by now and even though I agree with much of what has been said, it's probably falling on deaf ears now.

Alan House wrote:

do i need a security software for my mac

No.

Now read that again.

First, the best defense against viruses or malware is

"common sense".

Anytime you are prompted to download or install anything,

if you didn't ask for it don't do it.

If a site says you need to update a plugin, go to the

vendor of that plugin to verify and download it there. If

you do have the latest, put that site on a list never to

visit again.

Only install software from reputable vendors and download

directly from their sites.

The above rules will help keep you safe regardless of platform.

That said, if you do a lot of emailing with Windows users,

you may want to install one of the mentioned AV products

and set it to scan only your mail folder. Although the Mac

may not get infected, it can be a "carrier" when forwarding

infected emails. Or better yet, if your email service provider

offers any "pre-scan" ability on their servers, enable it and

adjust settings with it.

davesnewlion wrote:

And I hope APPLE contacts me about my reply to this post because I feel that someone WAY up high is dropping the ball by allowing these things to be posted on youtube. Allen, you do so need security software with your Mac.

As MadMacs0 mentioned, these forums are for user discussions, not contacting Apple. But even if Apple's engineers & lawyers spent hours pouring through the tens of thousands of comments posted every week looking for actionable items, there is nothing they could do about what gets posted on YouTube unless it contains information Apple holds the copyrights for.

FWIW I've been using Macs since September 1995, have never installed any "Security Software" and have never had any problems of any kind. That's nearly 20 years. Draw your own conclusions, folks !

And I hope APPLE contacts me about my reply to this post because I feel that someone WAY up high is dropping the ball by allowing these things to be posted on youtube.

Why would they care if it's posted on YouTube if they provide the instructions to reset an account password on their own web site?

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1274

You're barking up the wrong tree. There's no security software in the world that will protect against this sort of thing. If someone with the right knowledge and malicious intent gets physical access to your machine, you're pretty much screwed. The only protection against physical access, regardless of what system the machine is running, is whole-drive encryption, like FileVault 2 in Mountain Lion. Even that is insufficient if you have garnered the attentions of a government or some other powerful organization that can afford to install spy hardware inside your computer.

davesnewlion wrote:

To everyone here who say "There is no need for security software on Mac, go to Youtube and check this link out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=tlA0E5_dsSs

Again, I know of no "security software" that could prevent this, but OS X Lion and later offer several security features to restrict these situations. The following Apple Support Knowledge Base articles provide details on enabling two of these features:

<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1352> Setting up firmware password protection in Mac OS X

<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4790> OS X Lion: About FileVault 2

Apple recommends you take advantage of these features if you're concerned about the physical security of your Macs. Enabling either of these features disables the single-user mode feature you observed until after a password has been entered.