Is an Anti-Virus program necessary for a Mac?

[Sharon]

A friend was telling me earlier that I need to install CCleaner on my computer because my forum appears to be infected. I've never had a problem with Malware on this computer though.

Is an anti-virus program necessary for a Mac computer?

 

[Thomasss]

A friend was telling me earlier that I need to install CCleaner on my computer because my forum appears to be infected. I've never had a problem with Malware on this computer though.

Is an anti-virus program necessary for a Mac computer?

I'm not sure what CCleaner is going to do for you, it doesn't get rid of malware, and if your forum is infected you otta ask what makes her think that so you can fix it.

I would download Avast and Malwarebytes, Mac is usually safer as most malware isn't designed to infect Mac's but it's still something you should do. 😛

 

[BorderLab]

Your forum being infected won't necessarily mean your computer is, unless you are hosting your forum on your local server (eg. XAMP). There are less viruses for Mac but you may want to try Cyber Security by ESET (eset.com) to do a scan if there is concern, as it has a free trial. In addition to this, Little Snitch is a good firewall. As for your forums being infected, you will want to have a professional check it out if there is legitimate concern. Also important to note, is that sometimes people's computers can be infected, and that causes websites to appear to have extra/strange ads, etc., but it is actually their own computer producing the appearance of an infected website - you can have others have a look on your site to see if they see the same thing as your friend. If it is an issue with your friend's computer, try Smart Security for Windows (also by ESET), or just the antivirus NOD32. The ESET products catch things that most other antiviruses (paid and free) leave behind, and they come with a free 30 day trial.

 

[RH-Calvin]

Mac and Windows do require antivirus software to defend your OS against malware and other viruses. Their security is not very strong to defend against virus attacks compared to Linux systems.

 

[Credo]

Probably not.

 

[Edelheid]

I used to recommend ClamXav if people REALLY wanted one for manual scans because having the software do it automatically will just slow your computer to an absolute crawl. It's just unnecessary baggage. That being said, ClamXav is a paid software now – so, what should you use instead?

You don't need an anti-virus unless you've downloaded MacKeeper (this app is an expensive scam) or other apps known for messing with your computer. If all you do is browse* and download signed apps from the App Store while keeping all your software updated then you have very little to worry about.

However, if you think your computer is unusually slow and you have a hunch it's coming from some sort of infection, then you should download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. This software used to be AdwareMedic – one of the best scanning tools for OS X – until Malwarebytes bought it. It still is as it helps you find the some of the most common malware or adware that you'd find on a Mac. If your computer is clean, then you're good to go!

*You have to try really hard to get infected from visiting websites on a Mac, but it's still something to watch out for. Just be careful overall.

 

[Cierra]

Not sure, but I just feel better protected with one so I downloaded Sophos (https://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/f ... ition.aspx). It's free and pretty simple to use. You only run it when you want to so it doesn't take up a lot of RAM/resources. I will probably scan a few times a month or near that.

 

[Cosmic]

Anti-Virus programs are overrated in my opinion. Modern web browsers do an excellent job of filtering out dangerous content. TBH, I don't think an anti-virus is absolutely required for Windows, Mac, or Linux. I'd recommend a removal tool like Malwarebytes, but only for removal, not to run in the background. An anti-virus can seriously slow down your machine, so you should definitely keep that in mind when deciding whether to use one, and how invasive of one to use.

 

[Migi]

As a research assistant, I have to get data from computers at clinic which strangely has a virus that hides everything. It can only be opened by local antivirus (not even ones like AVG or Avira, strangely). A senior once borrowed my laptop just to use the antivirus to unhide the data. So to a certain sense it may not be necessary to have protection, but only if you trust things around you are clean as well.

 

[Cosmic]

Recently installed ESET anti-virus on my mac. Still not sure that I recommend an anti-virus for all mac users, but I myself have been pretty paranoid lately with security, so I'd rather be safe than sorry. 😛

Anyway, seems to be a pretty good product so far.

 

[Joshua Farrell]

Honestly, Macs are just as susceptible to infections as Windows are, it is just that 5-10 years ago, it wasn't as common as it is becoming now. I recommend getting something to do the occasional scan of ones' computer, just so that you can say you are safe. I personally do one on a monthly basis, and my scanner does a pretty good job of preventing access to things that may be infected.

 

[Cierra]

Recently installed ESET anti-virus on my mac. Still not sure that I recommend an anti-virus for all mac users, but I myself have been pretty paranoid lately with security, so I'd rather be safe than sorry. 😛

Anyway, seems to be a pretty good product so far.

What do you think about Norton? I bought a subscription for my Mac after reading lots of positive reviews and it seems to be working well so far. It's one of the "always running in the background" anti-viruses but it doesn't seem to be too processor intensive.

 

[Cosmic]

Recently installed ESET anti-virus on my mac. Still not sure that I recommend an anti-virus for all mac users, but I myself have been pretty paranoid lately with security, so I'd rather be safe than sorry. 😛

Anyway, seems to be a pretty good product so far.

What do you think about Norton? I bought a subscription for my Mac after reading lots of positive reviews and it seems to be working well so far. It's one of the "always running in the background" anti-viruses but it doesn't seem to be too processor intensive.

Haven't tried Norton. Most anti-viruses are pretty similar I think. I read that ESET had a pretty good UI, and most importantly, doesn't slow down the machine too much.

I'll probably get Kaspersky for my Windows machines. They seem pretty well renowned for their virus-detecting capabilities on Windows. Their mac version has poor reviews though.