Q: How to find/get rid of viruses

That wasn't a virus. It was malicious JavaScript on a trashy website. Avoid the problem by avoiding the site.

I just went to Watch32, and just clicking a couple links resulted in all kinds of pop-ups, some of which loaded extremely sketchy sites. Sites that are known to have distributed adware and malware, among other things, for example. You need to avoid any such sites. Watching commercial movies for free online is basically theft in many countries, and there won't be anything good that comes from visiting those sites.

As to malware, there's currently no known Mac malware capable of sneaking in through browser vulnerabilities on a properly updated Mac. What version of the system are you running? (If you don't know, choose About This Mac from the Apple menu.)

Currently, there are no reports that malware can enter your Mac by just visiting a Website. But try to avoid going to untrusted websites to prevent it, there is a chance of getting malwares/viruses on your Mac. If you found that your Mac is running abnormally. You should try to restart your computer or have a system reinstall. If that fixed, your Mac will run normally again. There are few kinds of Malware/Viruses in the past for Macs. But all of them are only activated if you download it.

Jimmy

Much misinformation!

But try to avoid going to untrusted websites to prevent it, there is a chance of getting malwares/viruses on your Mac.

As I already said, not at this time. That could change at any time in the future, but right now, this is not the case. The worst that might happen at this time is adware, which is not recognized as malware by most security software, if you download and install the wrong thing.

If you found that your Mac is running abnormally. You should try to restart your computer or have a system reinstall.

"Abnormally" is a very broad term. There's a huge number of problems that a simple restart wouldn't do anything to fix. There's also a huge number of problems that a system reinstall would be major overkill for, or even wouldn't do anything to fix it, depending on the problem and how the reinstall was done.

This advice is much like saying, "If you feel sick, go to sleep or rush to the emergency room."

There are few kinds of Malware/Viruses in the past for Macs. But all of them are only activated if you download it.

Again, not true... and, oddly, this seems to contradict the first sentence of your post.

A significant portion of the Mac malware that has appeared in the last year has utilized vulnerabilities in Java, Flash or Microsoft Office to install itself without the user doing anything. Currently, there are no such vulnerabilities being exploited by any known Mac malware, but if you're talking history, malware does not always require being downloaded and opened by the user manually.

See my Mac Malware Guide for more accurate information on this topic.

Are there anti virus for Mac and are they recommended?

Are there anti virus for Mac and are they recommended?

There are. As to whether they are recommended, that's a complex issue. Most people here will tell you absolutely not, other folks will tell you you're a fool not to use it. The truth is, as usual, somewhere in between, and varies depending on the person. See my Mac Malware Guide for information about when to use it and what to use if you choose to.

You personally don't use Anti Virus software. But after I read your website I think i'm going to install a antivirus software.

Is this the one that you recommend?: http://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/free-tools/sophos-antivirus-for-mac-home-ed ition.aspx

I personally don’t use AV software.  It simply is not necessary at this time for someone who is cautious about their online activities.  However, there are some cases where AV software may be needed right now. For example:

• If you need to keep Java turned on in your web browser, AV software may be a good idea to avoid malware that takes advantage of Java vulnerabilities.
• If you are using a Mac in an environment where AV software is required
• If you frequently trade files with Windows users and don’t want to be accused of passing on a virus
• If you want the peace of mind and don’t mind installing software that may be obtrusive
• If you can’t be bothered to give any thought to what you download, though this is a very dangerous attitude on today’s internet
• If you are not at all tech savvy and have trouble accurately determining what is trustworthy and what is not
• If there is a major change in the malware affecting Mac users (in which case I will note it here)

Is this the one that you recommend?

It is one of them, though I have to say that I haven't tested it in Mavericks (Mac OS X 10.9) yet, so I don't know whether it might cause problems with that system or not.

As a further comment to the original poster, do not install "Sophos," as it serves no purpose on a Mac. It will not make you any safer than you already are from malware attack. All it will do is waste resources and possibly cause application crashes, kernel panics, and other problems. The false sense of security that it gives you may actually make you more likely to be infected with malware, if it causes you to behave unsafely on the Internet. Installing such useless "anti-virus" software is probably the most common mistake made by Mac users.

It's only fair to point out that Linc believes all anti-virus software on the Mac is equally worthless, despite having never actually tried most of it. I'm certainly not recommending anti-virus software for most people, but I do think a more balanced point of view is important.

For those who do need or want anti-virus software, Sophos has, in my own previous testing, proven to be the one of the most reliable with the least chance of problems. That could change at any point - and may have changed in Mavericks for all I know, since I haven't tested that yet.

It's only fair to point out that I believe all astrology and Tarot-card-reading software is equally worthless, despite never actually trying any of it. When software does something that is inherently pointless and can be harmful, it has no value. There is no reason to waste your time "testing" it.

Thomas,

I had to stop using the current version of Sophos, which I was testing with Mavericks, because Sophos was just causing too many kernel panics.

I'm waiting for them to come out with an update but, as of now, I can't recommend it running under Mavericks.

Clinton

Thanks for the update. That's the unfortunate reality of anti-virus software that works at a very low level... any changes to the system can break it.

Until there's a fix, I'd recommend VirusBarrier Express from the App Store. It's only capable of manual scans, but its detections are quite good.

When software does something that is inherently pointless

And there's the issue. You believe it's pointless. I, personally, have seen multiple cases where anti-virus software was capable of stopping malware before Mac OS X could. Such as in the recent case of Icefog, which was detected by most anti-virus software a full two weeks before Mac OS X protected users against it. In fact, some anti-virus software detected it from the start, since Icefog had been around longer for Windows, and the same signatures that detected the Windows version of Icefog also triggered for the Mac version.

The defenses in Mac OS X are quite good. But they're not impenetrable, as you seem to want to believe. See How does your Mac NOT protect you?.

When you make such absolute pronouncements, it calls into question all your advice on the topic.