i am new to Mac do i need antivirus software
i am new to Mac do i need antivirus software
Mac mini, OS X Mavericks (10.9)
i am new to Mac do i need antivirus software
Mac mini, OS X Mavericks (10.9)
No, you should not at this time.
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 Thomas Reed recommends using Dr.Web Light from the App Store. It's free, and since it's from the App Store, it won't destabilize the system. If you prefer one of the better known commercial products, then Thomas recommends using Sophos.(Thank you to Thomas Reed for these recommendations.) If you already use Sophos, then be aware of this if you are using Mavericks: OS X Mavericks- Sophos Anti-Virus on-access scanner versions 8.0 - 9.1 may cause unexpected restarts
From user Joe Bailey comes this equally useful advice:
The facts are:
1. There is no anti-malware software that can detect 100% of the malware out there.
2. There is no anti-malware that can detect anything targeting the Mac because there
is no Mac malware in the wild, and therefore, no "signatures" to detect.
3. The very best way to prevent the most attacks is for you as the user to be aware that
the most successful malware attacks rely on very sophisticated social engineering
techniques preying on human avarice, ****, and fear.
4. Internet popups saying the FBI, NSA, Microsoft, your ISP has detected malware on
your computer is intended to entice you to install their malware thinking it is a
protection against malware.
5. Some of the anti-malware products on the market are worse than the malware
from which they purport to protect you.
6. Be cautious where you go on the internet.
7. Only download anything from sites you know are safe.
8. Avoid links you receive in email, always be suspicious even if you get something
you think is from a friend, but you were not expecting.
9. If there is any question in your mind, then assume it is malware.
No, you should not at this time.
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 Thomas Reed recommends using Dr.Web Light from the App Store. It's free, and since it's from the App Store, it won't destabilize the system. If you prefer one of the better known commercial products, then Thomas recommends using Sophos.(Thank you to Thomas Reed for these recommendations.) If you already use Sophos, then be aware of this if you are using Mavericks: OS X Mavericks- Sophos Anti-Virus on-access scanner versions 8.0 - 9.1 may cause unexpected restarts
From user Joe Bailey comes this equally useful advice:
The facts are:
1. There is no anti-malware software that can detect 100% of the malware out there.
2. There is no anti-malware that can detect anything targeting the Mac because there
is no Mac malware in the wild, and therefore, no "signatures" to detect.
3. The very best way to prevent the most attacks is for you as the user to be aware that
the most successful malware attacks rely on very sophisticated social engineering
techniques preying on human avarice, ****, and fear.
4. Internet popups saying the FBI, NSA, Microsoft, your ISP has detected malware on
your computer is intended to entice you to install their malware thinking it is a
protection against malware.
5. Some of the anti-malware products on the market are worse than the malware
from which they purport to protect you.
6. Be cautious where you go on the internet.
7. Only download anything from sites you know are safe.
8. Avoid links you receive in email, always be suspicious even if you get something
you think is from a friend, but you were not expecting.
9. If there is any question in your mind, then assume it is malware.
In General 3rd Party AV Software and Cleaning Utilities tend to cause More Issues than they claim to fix...
They are Not Required...
Mac OS X tends to look after itself.
See > http://www.apple.com/osx/what-is/security.html
More Info Here > https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4545776?tstart=0
Also read here > http://www.thesafemac.com/mmg/
No, many of the anti-virus programs do nothing for a Mac since there are no viruses in the wild that can infect a Mac OS X system. Some, such as Norton and McAfee actually end up doing harm to the operating system.
Avoid at all costs the cleaner programs and MacKeeper - one of the worst forms of malware.
Use common sense with the Mac, let the operating system do its job of organizing the storage and maintaining its builtin firewall and you should be fine.
The only thing I would suggest is something like ClamXAV and
only use it to check your mail directories. And the only reason for this
is that you could still be a "carrier" for Windows viruses that you could
spread to PCs (however, these days most ISPs have available means
to set these up before ever reaching you which is the prefered method).
As far as other forms of nasties, some simple rules:
-Very basic rule of thumb, if you didn't ask for it, don't accept it.
-Never, ever click links in emails to go to any "information sensitive"
websites. If you get an email, say from your bank, always go directly
to the website from your browser. "Phishers" can produce very
convincing emails and phoney websites to extort your personal information.
-If a website says "click now to upgrade....", DON'T. If there is some app
or plug in they claim they will upgrade, refuse and check directly with
the distributor of said app or plug in.
-Avoid like the plague any sort of "warez" sites. Besides the fact that
they are breaking all manner of copyright laws, they are also real source
of malware and trojans.
there are no viruses in the wild that can infect a Mac OS X system.
Not true by the definition of "virus" that most people go by. There is malware that can affect Mac OS X.
Time to re-evaluate safety of Mac OS X
oh no! I just bought a new mac book Air, and right away this screen popped up recomending mackeeper. Like a dummy I downloaded it. just the little free file that doesn't actually do anything, but of course it informed me that there were 64,000 problems that needed to be fixed on my 2 hour old machine. Anyway I am new to mac and limited in computer skills so live and learn. I noticed my internet not running very smoothly shortly after. Videos are buffering non stop and that did not happen before. What should I do beyond uninstall mackeeper?
Uninstall it using the following:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6442738
http://applehelpwriter.com/2011/09/21/how-to-uninstall-mackeeper-malware/
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6736761
since the uninstall nstructions provided by MacKeeper does not work
For general info about threats see:
As I go through several web pages, reviews on the best website, come to know that no need of antivirus for a time being, but in some webpage and reviews shows that there is a virus that already affects the mac OS X, see this link for more information https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trojan_BackDoor.Flashback.
For a safer side you must use an antivirus, I am using Bitdefender its shows that No.1 spot on top ten reviews, see this link for more information http://mac-antivirus-software-review.toptenreviews.com/
i am new to Mac do i need antivirus software