What Antivirus would be recommended for an older Apple computer?

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What Antivirus would be recommended for an older Apple computer?

Recently, my main computer has become unsalvageable, forcing me to return to return to an older Apple computer until my new computer arrives. I am concerned that due to its age, that it may be vulnerable to viruses. Would anyone be able to recommend any antivirus protection for it? I understand that there aren't very many viruses targeted at Apple computers, but due to my computers age, I really would like to be as safe as possible.

Mac OS X (10.4.11), Pre Intel processor

Posted on Dec 20, 2012 9:02 PM

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Answer 1

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Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Dec 20, 2012 9:03 PM in response to Renee169

None.

Helpful Links Regarding Virus Protection

An excellent link to read is Tom Reed's Mac Malware Guide.

Also, visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on malware.

For general anti-virus protection I recommend using ClamXav.

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Answer 2

John Galt

Level 10

141,460 points

Dec 20, 2012 9:06 PM in response to Renee169

If you are running Mac OS X 10.4.11 as in your profile, there are no viruses that affect it and you have no reason for concern.

I routinely use a Powerbook running that OS.

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Answer 3

Renee169 Author

Level 1

0 points

Dec 20, 2012 9:07 PM in response to John Galt

That's good news to hear, thank you very much 🙂

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Answer 4

MadMacs0

Level 5

5,221 points

Dec 21, 2012 2:11 AM in response to John Galt

John Galt wrote:

If you are running Mac OS X 10.4.11 as in your profile, there are no viruses that affect it and you have no reason for concern.

No viruses, but there has been recent malware that will attack PPC's as well as Intel machines. Mostly targeted attacks (e.g. Tibetan sympathizers) that use either e-mail or the Java vulnerability that is present on all OS X 10.4 and 10.5(PPC) Macs. It's very low threat and I haven't run into anybody in the forum that has been hit by them yet.

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Answer 5

thomas_r.

Level 7

31,989 points

Dec 21, 2012 4:02 AM in response to Renee169

As MadMacs0 points out, there is some malware out there right now that can affect PowerPC machines (assuming that's what you mean in your profile by "Pre Intel processor"). And Mac OS X 10.4 has absolutely none of the built-in malware protections offered by more recent versions of the OS, and it has an insecure version of Java installed. Although it's highly unlikely that you will run into any of the current threats, you should disable Java in your web browser. (Simply avoiding "bad sites" isn't enough, as legit sites can be hacked to contain a malicious Java applet.) You can otherwise avoid malware by being cautious what you download and open, but you may want to run ClamXav just for peace of mind.

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