Antivirus Software

this is a user-to-user forum, you won't have any apple Response from here. However, the official Security page on the Apple website (https://www.apple.com/osx/what-is/security/) does state:

• "Gatekeeper makes it safer to download apps by protecting you from inadvertently installing malicious software on your Mac."
• "The App Sandbox in OS X helps ensure that apps do only what they’re intended to do. App sandboxing isolates apps from the critical system components of your Mac, your data, and your other apps. Even if an app is compromised by malicious software, sandboxing automatically blocks it to keep your computer and your information safe. OS X delivers sandboxing protection in Safari by sandboxing the built-in PDF viewer and plug-ins such as Adobe Flash Player, Silverlight, QuickTime, and Oracle Java."
• Built right into the processor, the XD (execute disable) feature creates a strong wall between memory used for data and memory used for executable instructions. This protects against malware that attempts to trick the Mac into treating data the same way it treats a program in order to compromise your system.
• Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) changes the memory locations where different parts of an app are stored. This makes it difficult for an attacker to do harm by finding and reordering parts of an app to make it do something it wasn’t intended to do.
• The antiphishing technology in Safari can protect you from such scams by detecting these fraudulent websites. And if you try to visit a suspicious site, Safari disables the page and displays an alert warning you about its suspect nature.
• files you download using Safari, Mail, and Messages are screened to determine if they contain applications. If they do, OS X alerts you, then warns you the first time you open one. You decide whether to open the application or cancel the attempt. And if a file contains software identified as malicious, OS X offers to move it to the Trash.

Basically, OS X is an Antivirus software, probably more powerful than any other you'l find. however, it does remind you that : "no system can be 100 percent immune from every threat". Basically, when people say you don't need an Antivirus software, it means that installing one (or 10) wouldn't prevent any virus: Either OS X detects it, or no one is able to detect it

Hope this answers your question

Plus the forums have more performance issues and kernel panics reported because of Anti-Malware packages.

The feeling of the frequently contributes to the forum is "Just Say No"

CarlSims wrote:

Hi i have been using macs for a bit now. sometimes no antivirus and sometimes with antivirus software. My question is this. Apple and the community says you don't need antivirus software. Is that true and could i have an official response from Apple on this Please. I am a very nervous sort of person so using a system with no antivirus makes me quite nervous. If someone from Apple could tell me a definitive answer either yes or no that would be most appreciated. but also just explain why as well Thanks

I'm not sure why I would expect an Official response from Apple. They don't know how you use your Mac. The ability to install malware is directly related to how you use your Mac.

If you think big software companies are greedy for charging so much for their software and therefore you have a right to use it for free, you are likely to install malware on your Mac. As a corollary, you use peer-to-peer (p2p) file sharing sites and have their software installed, you are likely to install malware on your Mac.

If you see a random request to enter your admin username and password and can't resist just entering the information, you'll likely install malware on your Mac.

If you get emails from Nairobi Princes requesting money to unlock an account and provide you with millions just for giving $500, and you believe it, you will likely install malware on your Mac.

If you get legitimate looking emails from your financial institution requesting login information to "verify" your account, and you click on the link in the email and enter that information on the linked site, you are very likely to install malware on your Mac.

If you download software from aggregating sites like CNet, Softpaedia, Softonic, etc, you will likely install malware on your Mac.

If a website requires you download and install a "codec" from their site in order to view their content, and you download that "codec," you will likely install malware on your Mac.

You may also be vulnerable to adware schemes, which no AV will protect your from because adware is technically legitimate.

Here is some good information on How to install adware

If those behaviors apply to you, then you should install AV software and learn to deal with the problems inherent at running system-level hacks.

I wrote a little program called EtreCheck to help people remotely diagnose various problems here in the forums. It will show all background processes including both antivirus and any malware. Malware is not a significant, or even noticeable problem. Adware, however, is huge and growing. One of the interesting things I have noticed from all of these EtreCheck reports is that people whose reports list adware also frequently list antivirus too. So what good is antivirus on a Mac if it consistently fails to identify and stop the most common and growing type of malware on the Mac platform? I understand your nervousness. But even if I discount or accept the huge amount of problems that antivirus software itself causes for Mac users, Mac antivirus simply isn't effective at protecting people from the biggest malware threats. So why use it?

I use Sophos free for home use, Anti Virus also ClamXAV is also available free from the app store

http://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/free-tools/sophos-antivirus-for-mac-home-ed ition.aspx

.. I am a very nervous sort of person so using a system with no antivirus makes me quite nervous.

The only thing non-Apple "anti-virus" products might accomplish for you is to make you feel less nervous. That won't actually accomplish anything. "Feeling" secure or less nervous is hazardous because using such products is only likely to increase your exposure to viruses and malware. Many of those products are poorly conceived and some of them will just crash your Mac, make it run poorly, or indiscriminately destroy data. Some of them are just scams designed to take your money, while wasting your time. Don't use such things.

It's also a very common misconception that OS X has no inherent anti-virus protection. It does. Promises of additional benefit from companies who claim how to protect OS X better than Apple does should be regarded with skepticism, if not outright ridicule.

There will always be threats to your information security associated with using any Internet - connected communications tool:

1. You can mitigate those threats by following commonsense practices
2. Delegating that responsibility to software is an ineffective defense
3. Assuming that any product will protect you from those threats is a hazardous attitude that is likely to result in neglecting point #1 above.

OS X already includes everything it needs to protect itself from viruses and malware. Keep it that way with software updates from Apple.

A much better question is "how should I protect my Mac":

• Never install any product that claims to "clean up", "speed up", "optimize", "boost" or "accelerate" your Mac; to "wash" it, "tune" it, or to make it "shiny". Those claims are absurd.

  Such products are very aggressively marketed. They are all scams.

• Never install pirated or "cracked" software, software obtained from dubious websites, or other questionable sources.
  • Illegally obtained software is almost certain to contain malware.
  • "Questionable sources" include but are not limited to spontaneously appearing web pages or popups, download hosting sites such as C net dot com, Softonic dot com, Soft pedia dot com, Download dot com, Mac Update dot com, or any other site whose revenue is primarily derived from junk product advertisements.
  • If you need to install software that isn't available from the Mac App Store, obtain it only from legitimate sources authorized by the software's developer.
• Don’t supply your password in response to a popup window requesting it, unless you know what it is and the reason your credentials are required.
• Don’t open email attachments from email addresses that you do not recognize, or click links contained in an email:
  • Most of these are scams that direct you to fraudulent sites that attempt to convince you to disclose personal information.
  • Such "phishing" attempts are the 21st century equivalent of a social exploit that has existed since the dawn of civilization. Don’t fall for it.
  • Apple will never ask you to reveal personal information in an email. If you receive an unexpected email from Apple saying your account will be closed unless you take immediate action, just ignore it. If your iCloud, iTunes, or App Store account becomes disabled for valid reasons, you will know when you try to buy something or log in to this support site, and are unable to.
• Don’t install browser extensions unless you understand their purpose. Go to the Safari menu > Preferences > Extensions. If you see any extensions that you do not recognize or understand, simply click the Uninstall button and they will be gone.
• Don’t install Java unless you are certain that you need it:
  • Java, a non-Apple product, is a potential vector for malware. If you are required to use Java, be mindful of that possibility.
  • Java can be disabled in System Preferences.
  • Despite its name JavaScript is unrelated to Java. No malware can infect your Mac through JavaScript. It’s OK to leave it enabled.
  • The same precaution applies to Adobe Flash Player. Newly discovered Flash vulnerabilities appear almost weekly.
• Beware spontaneous popups: Safari menu > Preferences > Security > check "Block popup windows".
  • Popup windows are useful and required for some websites, but unsolicited popups are commonly used to deceive people into installing unwanted software they would never intentionally install.
  • Popups themselves cannot infect your Mac, but many contain resource-hungry code that will slow down Internet browsing.
  • If you ever receive a popup window indicating that your Mac is infected with some ick or that you won some prize, it is 100% fraudulent. Ignore it.
  • The same goes for a spontaneously appearing dialog insisting that you upgrade your video player right this instant. Such popups are frequently associated with sites that promise to deliver "free" movies or other copyrighted content that is not normally "free".
  • The more insistent it is that you upgrade or install something, the more likely it is to be a scam. Close the window or tab and forget it.
• Ignore hyperventilating popular media outlets that thrive by promoting fear and discord with entertainment products arrogantly presented as "news". Learn what real threats actually exist and how to arm yourself against them:
  • The most serious threat to your data security is phishing. Most of these attempts are pathetic and are easily recognized, but that hasn't stopped prominent public figures from recently succumbing to this age-old scam.
  • OS X viruses do not exist, but intentionally malicious or poorly written code, created by either nefarious or inept individuals, is nothing new.
  • Never install something without first knowing what it is, what it does, how it works, and how to get rid of it when you don’t want it any more.
  • If you elect to use "anti-virus" software, familiarize yourself with its limitations and potential to cause adverse effects, and apply the principle immediately preceding this one.
  • Most such utilities will only slow down and destabilize your Mac while they look for viruses that do not exist, conveying no benefit whatsoever - other than to make you "feel good" about security, when you should actually be exercising sound judgment, derived from accurate knowledge, based on verifiable facts.
• Do install updates from Apple as they become available. No one knows more about Macs and how to protect them than the company that builds them.

Summary: Use common sense and caution when you use your Mac, just like you would in any social context. There is no product, utility, or magic talisman that can protect you from all the evils of mankind.

pennbank, either you did not read the posts in this thread or you make yourself known as a salesman for Sophos.

Sophos is an antivirus app that this thread is advising against antivirus apps....