Virus protection
Please recommend and virus protection if needed.
Bill and meryl
MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3)
Please recommend and virus protection if needed.
Bill and meryl
MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3)
My opinion is you don't need it at all. Just don't be stupid on the 'net.
Take a look at Thomas Reed's Mac Malware Guide: http://www.thesafemac.com/mmg/
My opinion is, it's a good idea. There aren't many Mac threats, but better safe than sorry.
Do a google search for "Sophos Anti-Virus Home Edition". It's free, it constantly updates itself with the latest definitions, and it works really well. It will find Mac and Windows viruses, and it's already caught a number of Windows viruses that come attached to spams. I wouldn't open them anyway, but it's nice to have them intercepted before I get the chance. As far as Windows viruses: they may not infect a Mac, but they can be passed along to Windows users.
And, did I mention it's free? ;-)
Just download it, install it, and forget about it.
Sophos is worthless garbage.
2. All versions of OS X since 10.6.7 have been able to detect known Mac malware in downloaded files, and to block insecure web plugins. This feature is transparent to the user, but internally Apple calls it "XProtect." The malware recognition database is automatically checked for updates once a day; however, you shouldn't rely on it, because the attackers are always at least a day ahead of the defenders.
The following caveats apply to XProtect:
Gatekeeper doesn't depend on a database of known malware. It has, however, the same limitations as XProtect, and in addition the following:
4. Starting with OS X 10.8.3, a third layer of protection has been added: a "Malware Removal Tool" (MRT). MRT runs automatically in the background when you update the OS. It checks for, and removes, malware that may have evaded the other protections via a Java exploit (see below.) MRT also runs when you install or update the Apple-supplied Java runtime (but not the Oracle runtime.) Like XProtect, MRT is presumably effective against known attacks, but maybe not against unknown attacks. It notifies you if it finds malware, but otherwise there's no user interface to MRT.
5. Beyond XProtect, Gatekeeper, and MRT, there’s no evidence of any benefit from other automated protection against malware. The first and best line of defense is always your own intelligence. With the possible exception of Java exploits, all known malware circulating 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. The threat therefore amounts to a battle of wits between you and the malware attacker. If you're smarter than he thinks you are, you'll win.
That means, in practice, that you never use software that comes from an untrustworthy source. How do you know whether a source is trustworthy?
7. Never install any commercial "anti-virus" or "Internet security" products for the Mac, as they all do more harm than good, if they do any good at all. If you need to be able to detect Windows malware in your files, use the free software ClamXav — nothing else.
8. ClamXav doesn't have these drawbacks. That doesn't mean it's entirely safe. It may report email messages that have "phishing" links in the body, or Windows malware in attachments, as infected files, and offer to delete or move them. Doing so will corrupt the Mail database. The messages should be deleted from within the Mail application.
A Windows malware attachment in email is usually easy to recognize. The file name will often be targeted at people who aren't very bright; for example:
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥!!!!!!!H0TBABEZ4U!!!!!!!.AVI♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.exe
ClamXav may be able to tell you which particular virus or trojan it is, but do you care? In practice, there's seldom a reason to use ClamXav unless a network administrator requires you to run an anti-virus application.
grumpypup wrote:
My opinion is, it's a good idea. There aren't many Mac threats, but better safe than sorry.
Do a google search for "Sophos Anti-Virus Home Edition". It's free, it constantly updates itself with the latest definitions, and it works really well. It will find Mac and Windows viruses, and it's already caught a number of Windows viruses that come attached to spams. I wouldn't open them anyway, but it's nice to have them intercepted before I get the chance. As far as Windows viruses: they may not infect a Mac, but they can be passed along to Windows users.
And, did I mention it's free? ;-)
Just download it, install it, and forget about it.
My opinion is, from experience, it's rubbish.
Cheers🙂
Pete
My opinion is, from experience, it's rubbish.
Thank you for going into so much detail. We've all learned a lot from your experience, and we appreciate your logical reasoning and all the thought that went into your reply.
Cheers🙂
grumpypup wrote:
My opinion is, from experience, it's rubbish.
Thank you for going into so much detail. We've all learned a lot from your experience, and we appreciate your logical reasoning and all the thought that went into your reply.
Cheers🙂
As Yours 😉
Pete
I just had to throw my two cents into this discussion.
please read through the macsafe website link that is in this post, most people come away with one or two points of view (yes or no to the av on the mac) based on who they are and how they use their mac.
their are also different views on the internet on "keeping your mac secure"
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/products/story/2012-05-20/apple-mac-virus-pr otection/55064130/1
it really is a personal thing at this point in time, if you are capable of completely managing your mac and read all of the suggestions to protect your mac
"old school - long time mac users will say no AV" they can protect their computers
"win cross overs will say" I feel safer with one with a AV"
"other people will say - the mac will be infected at some point in time - I want a AV ffor safety"
Another key as the safemac points out is the different AV protection rates (however some of the AVs impact macs stability and are frowned upon)
Also when something is found, is it a virus or not and how it should be removed (see clamxav and sophos support sites)
* its a personal choice
"other people will say - the mac will be infected at some point in time - I want a AV ffor safety"
AV software will not be able to protect you from those things because the AV software doesn't know about them until they appear. If you solely depend on AV software, you will get infected. If you are smart about how you behave, the probability of being infected is significantly lower. Funny how that works for a lot of diseases.
Barney I agree (sorry for the typing)
As you know,
signature based detection only works after you updated your virus defintions....
* if my threat is new - lets say its contained in a email from "mr youve won a new mac each year for the rest of
your life" and my AV virus signature definition has not been updated for this scenario, it can sneak through
hueristic detection is based on mannerisium that are exhibited
* if i dont have a threat - lets say its a email from "someone you know" but they used a certain "template" or theme style that mirrors a potenital "baddy" it could be flagged as a "virus or issue".
however being smart is the best move
Eg I had a family member who downloaded everything with out thinking ---- you need new codecs, you need a new flash player you need this or that to continue..... needless to say, I was rebuilding the pc every six months from scrath..... however, if they were on the mac and not thinking, potentially the same thing could happen.
Linc Davis wrote:
Sophos is worthless garbage.
The problem with that opinion is that you have that opinion about every anti-virus program, yet you haven't actually tested them.
The problem with that opinion is that you have that opinion about every anti-virus program, yet you haven't actually tested them.
As I have explained to you before, there is no reason to test them, any more than there is a reason to test software that purports to predict the future by reading Tarot cards. Testing them would be a waste of time. They do nothing that is in any way useful to anyone. On the other hand, I know from the experience of solving problems on this site that they do cause problems. Maybe not always, but sometimes. Since there is nothing on the positive side of the balance sheet -- not a shred of evidence that any of those products has ever helped anyone who follows safe computing practices, or anyone at all for that matter -- and something on the negative side, the conclusion is obvious.
So, anti-virus software is intrinsically worthless, just because Linc Davis says so, and we should ignore any other information that someone else who has actually worked with those programs can provide? I'm sorry, that's transparently ridiculous, and invalidates your entire point of view.
It's not your fault, but here we go again....
Today, you do not need anti-malware software for your Mac. You'll probably be safe tomorrow and the next day as well. If and/or when some real malware hits the OS X world, having anti malware software will be a good thing.
Until then, do what you would do on a Windows machine even if you have good anti malware software. Don't click links that you aren't sure about, be very wary of email attachments, and be very careful about what web sites you visit.
If some OS X viruses pop up, it will be news, and it should be pretty easy to avoid.
But all this is for people who are paying attention. A lot of people use computers like an appliance, without any real regard for security, just like you use your refridgerator or dishwasher. Once you decide how vigilant you will be using your Mac, you can decide to install ClamAV or Sophos AV, and maybe be a little more careful how you use your Mac.
I'm responsible for 200 or so Macs where I work, so I have, and we pay for Sophos. I can't possibly control everything people do, and if a real threat hits the internet, I'd be in a bad way without any protection. It's pretty much like paying for flood insurance in a place that is not likely to flood.
Keep reading, inform yourself, and decide whether it's worth installing an AV solution. You will not find a concensus here.
There's no point in continuing this debate. I can see that you have an emotional investment in believing that your bogus "tests" of these crapware products are meaningful. So go on believing it. Just don't expect your belief to rub off on me. If you want to see what a real security researcher does, read Bruce Schneier's blog, for example.
Virus protection