terms for the various kinds of computer malfeasance blur into one another; if by spyware you mean code that installs itself on your HD, maybe even in the boot or BIOS sector, and produces pop-ups or otherwise tries to sell you sh**, then it's true that macs are still virtually immune. but spyware seems to be the term with the widest range of meaning now, and if you mean incidents of remote 'spying', by an intruder who exploits a non-secure wireless connection, for instance, and installs bots...with little or no hijacking of your system involved, necessarily (although they usually can't resist sooner or later)...well, macs are susceptible to this kind of intrusion same as what's their name's OS; it's happened to me on my mini more than once. The most important prevention is to configure settings in System Preferences/Sharing basically to ensure that sharing is precluded: no personal file sharing; firewall on and no exceptions permitted; and internet sharing off also. these settings, once applied, seem about as secure as they come. also, don't turn bluetooth power on (also, from System Preferences), keep bluetooth file exchange from automatically starting at system setup (Accounts), don't engage it from the kb and mouse setting (System Preferences)--and in Utilities resist tinkering with Bluetooth File Exchange. And of course the Security settings (System Pref again) shd be set to the highest level you can comfortably operate the computer with (I don't have any trouble turning everything available on).
It's worth mentioning this, b/c viruses/worms etc. basically are not being written for the Mac, so these preventive steps should be enough for most users to stay unmolested on or offline.
OK, so to finally answer your question... someone already mentioned macscan, it can be demo'ed for free before buying (or not), it does have the advantage of being very fast--much faster than Norton, and Norton does offer their products in a mac version, there is a Suite, and there is a simpler antivirus version. The most important element in any program for us mac users has to be the firewall; if you get a program that has one i would disable the one included in OS X and let the commercial firewall function uncontested.
I've tried macscan, and i bought norton antivirus, the only such program my local apple store had available for sale. since neither has ever detected anything, either they're working, or more likely they haven't had to. someone did break in however when i was trying to sync my palm pda with my mini using bluetooth, a process that went on forever (and i never did get to work) so there was lots of time to trespass.
finally, there is another commercial antispyware program for the mac, made by intego, i ordered it from amazon a couple of days ago, but haven't yet received it, it was the highest rated (by a clear margin) of the three reviewed in macworld. it's also the most expensive ($70; and all charge ~$15 a year to keep virus definitions up to date.)
You need to look carefully at what you're buying here b/c some of the older programs won't work with Intel, others will work, but just barely, with 10.3 and later versions of the OS. Check out the customer reviews on amazon, they saved me from buying the Intego Suite, some components of which evidently would not have worked on my mini. Norton Antivirus 10.0 is ok, but the Suite (2.0) apparently struggles with all versions of 10.4, which is probably why the apple store didn't carry it.
the issue of macworld with the antispyware article pointed out that you don't buy such a program to fix yr computer, but to keep it healthy in the first place. The uninfect function on all the programs i'm familiar with personally, mac or windows-based, is worthless, although i suppose a real wimp of a virus might succumb to one. once they're in there, they tend to stay, and there are so many places they can hide now. anyway, the article pointed out that, although there have only been 3 ⚠ viruses written for the mac that have come to widespread attention, more can and will be written; and when the hackers know the system thoroughly the result can be devastating. Moral being, get an antispyware program (or whatever the manufacturer chooses to call it, versions exist out there which are identical but packaged as antivirus in one, antispyware in another package, i don't think it's meant to deceive, it's done b/c the distinctions have become blurred, but not everyone knows this yet...) for your mac, and keep the definitions up to date (all three will do that automatically if so configured) against the day your mac does get infected--or someone tries to. If that happens, don't disable the firewall under any conditions! Suffice it to say that little lapse in judgment and breach in security is what ultimately brought me to mac--after three computers had been totaled by this worm disguised as a windows update, which destroyed every file i'd created, and migrated easily from one computer to others nearby by my means of the wireless hardware...
You're right to ask, unfortunately I don't think anyone is in a position to give a definitive answer to which program is best, since mac medicine is in its infancy. but mac viruses won't be outnumbered forever by programs meant to kill them, so get one. why not download the trial version of macscan it's very fast and should give you peace of mind for now...
Anyone know where I can get some thing free to kill
spyware or is there something already in my minni I
can use.
Randy
