Do Mac Computers Use Antivirus Software

13.09.2020by
Antivirus

No, you should not at this time.

For more options, see Best Mac antivirus programs: Top rated Mac antivirus programs for 2019. Best free antivirus software for Mac. As with most things in life there’s usually a catch when a product is free. Security is not an area we recommend you cut corners on but if you really don’t want a paid solution here are two free options. May 07, 2020  “A decade or longer ago, the argument that antivirus software could slow down your Mac certainly may have had some merit, in some cases,” he explains. “But modern Macs generally have plenty.

The myth that Mac computers are immune to viruses and malware is simply not true. Mac computers can get viruses and need file-based antivirus protection. Additionally, they need the other layers of protection offered in a device security software suite such as Firewall, Intrusion Prevention. You should strongly consider protecting your Mac with a top-rated antivirus program such as Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac ($39.99 for one year). In the old days, things were simple for Mac owners.


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Helpful Links Regarding Malware Protection


An excellent link to read is Tom Reed's Mac Malware Guide.

Do Mac Computers Use Antivirus Software

Also, visit The XLab FAQs and read Detecting and avoiding malware and spyware.

See these Apple articles:



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.

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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.

Do Macs Need Antivirus Software

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.

Apr 11, 2014 7:02 PM

You should strongly consider protecting your Mac with a top-rated antivirus
program such as Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac ($39.99 for one year).

In the old days, things were simple for Mac owners. Computers running OS X didn’t get viruses or malware. It was far more lucrative for hackers to target PCs instead because there were so many more of them out there.

Today, a Mac that runs the OS X operating system is still far more secure than a PC running Windows. But that’s not to say Macs aren’t at risk. Apple dropped its “Macs don’t get viruses” advertising line two years ago following a high-profile botnet attack that infected over half a million computers. And, plenty of new malware threats have arisen in the meantime. Given the recent growth in OS X market share, the threats will keep coming.

Apple computers running OS X do have a default security program called XProtect built in. Unfortunately, testing has shown that protection to be quite unreliable. Thomas Reed over at Safe Mac ran a test of XProtect and found it failed to protect against many known malware programs – even older, well-known threats. If you don’t have a third-party security program running on your Mac, you’re definitely at risk for an attack.

Other threats to Mac owners

There are plenty of threats to your Mac beyond malware, too. Last week, Techlicious reported on a new computer bug affecting some Macs called Shellshock (Bash). If exploited, a hacker could execute a wide range of commands on your computer, effectively taking it over. Apple has since released a patch for OS X, which you can download directly from its website. Security researcher Greg Wiseman of Rapid7 warns, however, that the coverage that patch provides may be incomplete.

Another danger for Mac owners: Phishing attempts are on the rise. Thieves are getting increasingly clever with spoofing emails and websites, tricking even some of the most alert web users. Some crooks are using holes in Javascript to place their own webforms on your bank’s homepage. Many Mac security products will protect against these types of identity-theft attacks.

The best internet security software for Macs

Does Mac Computer Need Antivirus Software

Earlier this year, the security researchers at AV-TEST put 18 different OS X security software offerings to the test, seeing how each performed against known threats. Here, BitDefender, GData, Norman and Microworld all come in with perfect scores, identifying 100% of the malware infections it was tested against. Avira (68.4%), Symantec (54.7%), Trend Micro (38.5%), McAfee (26.5%) and Webroot (19.7%) all scored the lowest detection rates of the bunch.

Do Mac Computers Use Antivirus Software Windows 10

Bottom line: If you own an Apple Mac, you should definitely invest in solid Internet security protection. Personally, I like the simple-but-effective Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac 2015. It tests well across the full range of malware threats, protects against malicious links, scans quickly and seems light on my computer’s resources. You can purchase a one-year subscription to the anti-virus platform for $39.95 (or $59.95 for up to 3 Macs) through bitdefender.com.

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