I've been hearing lots of different opinions and I just want a straightforward answer, do macs need anti-virus software, are they prone to threatening infection?
MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)
No!
No!
Even if I download alot of files, perhaps from "uncertified users"?
Read Here > Antivirus Discussion
The implied assumption is that OS X does not already include robust anti-malware protection. It does. Companies that claim to know how to protect the Mac better than the engineers and designers who developed it are selling snake oil. Don't buy it.
Additional third party (non-Apple) utilities are unnecessary and often cause problems that are difficult, expensive, or time-consuming to fix.
Macathon1996 wrote:
Even if I download alot of files, perhaps from "uncertified users"?
That depends. No anti-virus or anti-malware protection in the world can stop you from downloading and installing software that does whatever it is designed to do. If you want to install a program that wipes your hard disk, you can. If you want to install a program that steals your passwords, you can. There are many legitimate programs that do exactly that.
Nothing can stop you from installing software on your Mac except you. That's what computers are designed for. The point is that you must always know what you're installing, why you're installing it, what you expect it to do, and how to get rid of it when you don't want it.
does mac need anti-virus software?
