would it be recomended If I install a antivirus or some software to keep clean and secure my mac?
would it be recomended If I install a antivirus or some software to keep clean and secure my mac?
MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.4)
would it be recomended If I install a antivirus or some software to keep clean and secure my mac?
MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.4)
It isn't really necessary to install AV software. OS X protects on its own.
Helpful Links Regarding Malware Protection
An excellent link to read is Tom Reed's Mac Malware Guide.
Also, visit The XLab FAQs and read Detecting and avoiding malware and spyware.
See these Apple articles:
Mac OS X Snow Leopard and malware detection
OS X Lion- Protect your Mac from malware
OS X Mountain Lion- Protect your Mac from malware
If you require anti-virus protection I recommend using ClamXav.
It isn't really necessary to install AV software. OS X protects on its own.
Helpful Links Regarding Malware Protection
An excellent link to read is Tom Reed's Mac Malware Guide.
Also, visit The XLab FAQs and read Detecting and avoiding malware and spyware.
See these Apple articles:
Mac OS X Snow Leopard and malware detection
OS X Lion- Protect your Mac from malware
OS X Mountain Lion- Protect your Mac from malware
If you require anti-virus protection I recommend using ClamXav.
The people at best buy told me (obviously to sell a product), it would be better if I have protection against viruses, malware and to protect information and passwords, so that worries me.
rioslawyer wrote:
The people at best buy told me (obviously to sell a product), it would be better if I have protection against viruses, malware and to protect information and passwords, so that worries me.
They probably also wanted to sell you their extended warrantee that you don't need, at least they always have when I bought something from them.
As long as you keep your software fully up-to-date, pay attention to any warnings the OS gives you, keep GateKeeper enabled and don't install Java, you are fully protected against all currently known malware that can impact OS X and it's applications. If you must install Java for any reason, keep it turned off in all your browsers except when you must visit a site that requires it and disable it immediately after leaving the site.
If you regularly exchange files with Windows users, then I'm sure they would appreciate your using an A-V product that detects Windows malware to keep from infecting them.
There is currently no Virus that infects OSX. If you want to secure your mac, read this user tip by ds store. It is extremely comprehensive and helpful:
You may find this User Tip on Viruses, Trojan Detection and Removal, as well as general Internet Security and Privacy, useful: The User Tip seeks to offer guidance on the main security threats and how to avoid them.
If you find this comment too long or too technical, read only sections 5, 6, and 10.
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:
For the reasons given above, App Store products, and other applications recognized by Gatekeeper as signed, are safer than others, but they can't be considered absolutely safe. "Sandboxed" applications may prompt for access to private data, such as your contacts, or for access to the network. Think before granting that access. OS X security is based on user input. Never click through any request for authorization without thinking.
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. XProtect, Gatekeeper, and MRT reduce the risk of malware attack, but they're not absolute protection. 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, or that does something inherently untrustworthy. How do you know what is trustworthy?
Fortunately, client-side Java on the Web is obsolete and mostly extinct. Only a few outmoded sites still use it. Try to hasten the process of extinction by avoiding those sites, if you have a choice. Forget about playing games or other non-essential uses of Java.
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. Any database of known threats is always going to be out of date. Most of the danger is from unknown threats. If you need to be able to detect Windows malware in your files, use one of the free anti-virus products in the Mac App Store — nothing else.
8. An anti-malware product from the App Store, such as "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
Anti-virus software 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 the software unless a network administrator requires you to do it.
The ClamXav developer won't try to "upsell" you to a paid version of the product. Other developers may do that. Don't be upsold. For one thing, you should not pay to protect Windows users from the consequences of their choice of computing platform. For another, a paid upgrade from a free app will probably have the disadvantages mentioned in section 7.
Kappy Tampa, FL and Vancouver, BC
It isn't really necessary to install AV software. OS X protects on its own.
Install ClamXaV for that "in case the sky falls and pigs fly" occurance.
ClamAV is currently tested daily in comparative tests against other antivirus products on Shadowserver. In 2011, Shadowserver tested over 25 million samples against ClamAV and numerous other antivirus products. Out of the 25 million samples tested.
its free
Mr. Reed,
I read your blog and often point people to it. I think my statement was quoted out of context, however, given the fact that I followed it with ds store's user tip, which explains the differences in depth and explicitly states:
"Viruses are malware that attach themselves to known files and shared amongst users unawares. OS X based viruses are rare and so far non-existent in circulation."
I think my statement was quoted out of context
I disagree. Many people want their information in small bits, and will not bother to click through to the page you linked to. They will read "there are no Mac viruses" and stop there, not interested in the nitty-gritty details, and ending up with a resulting false sense of security. I'm trying to raise people's awareness on this site of the dangers of making such statements.
"would it be recomended If I install a antivirus or some software to keep clean and secure my mac?"
This was the original question.
In my opinion, if an OP is unwilling to read a User Tip a few pages in length that clearly and succinctly explains the answer to that question, then the OP has no interest in actually finding an answer.
That being said, I think you raise a good point. I agree that the statement 'there are no Mac viruses' can be misleading. It would be more helpful to append "though OSX is not invulnerable to all types of malware...etc" to that statement...(which I will do in the future, now that you pointed it out). Cheers 😎.
That being said, I think you raise a good point. I agree that the statement 'there are no Mac viruses' can be misleading. It would be more helpful to append "though OSX is not invulnerable to all types of malware...etc" to that statement...
That's all I'm saying. There are many here who refuse to listen to that point, so I appreciate that you are!
Thanks for the tips, have been very helpful.
would it be recomended If I install a antivirus or some software to keep clean and secure my mac?