Do I need an anti-virus for my iMac?

Question

There is a question on Answers posted about a year ago but I was wondering has there been any new incidents indicating that Mac users need anti-virus programs to protect their computers or is the fact that few virus creators choose to write for Mac systems enough of a reason to ignore an anti-virus program?

People who have had viruses, please write of your experience having had a virus and please how you got rid of it!

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

I'm not impressed by Gabriel and Andrew's responses. Gabriel is right, there are viruses for the Mac, they're about 15-20 years old and affected a completely different generation (OS 9 and earlier). Mac OS X 'viruses' are not actually viruses and most Mac OS security holes require root access to be exploited, even the remote exploits are not really worth worrying about. Mac OS X has been out for over 5 years with regaular updates and the number of viruses are negligable.



Most PC users don't use Symantec, Mac users certainly shouldn't. There were over 100,000 viruses for Windows last year alone (don't ask me if that includes other kinds of malware e.g. Trojans, rootkits, etc).



When people crossover from a PC environment they must expect systems to be insecure, Macs are simply more secure than Windows and don't require tonnes of third party security software to make the system safe.

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

Short answer: It is almost certainly unnecessary.



Long answer: Mac computers are based on an underlying system called FreeBSD, which is similar in many respects to linux. This type of system is designed to be quite secure, and is very specific about permissions (which is why the computer asks you for an administrator password before changing certain system settings, installing software, etc.).



In general, the worst that a Mac virus could do without the user entering their administrator password is that it could delete that particular user's documents, files, pictures, etc. The core system should remain unaffected.



There may be exceptions to this, of course, but there are effectively no Mac viruses in the wild. There are thousands (tens of thousands?) of Windows viruses in the wild.



Running anti-virus software incurs a bit of overhead (system resources must be reserved for scanning files with the anti-virus program), and considering the very low risk of Mac viruses, I would recommend that it's not necessary to incur the cost of such software.

Answer 4

A lot of people will tell you there are no viruses for Mac. That is a lie. There are very few viruses for Mac. If you are careful, I seriously doubt you will ever find one of those few viruses. Because there are so few viruses for Mac, there are few anti virus programs. I tried ClamXav. Its a free anti virus, and works ok, considering its free. I have not tried deleting a file with this.

My Dad has Systematic Anti virus for his Mac. It works well, considering it is NOT free. It does run a bit slow, even with good RAM. If you have the patience, you get constant updates, and its easy enough to delete bad files.

The Apple company, while not bogged down with constant virus threats, as Windows is, is able to keep on top of new threats. You can find Security Updates in Software Update for more protection.

Hope that helped.

Answer 5

No, you don't need AV software. There are still no Mac viruses in the wild, and despite the efforts of hackers around the world, it doesn't appear there will be any for some time to come. Even if somebody does develop one, a software update will likely close the hole it uses, so AV software will still be unnecessary.



Some people will tell you to use AV software to protect PC users (you could pass one on to them even though it won't affect you) but they should have their own AV software.









******** ASK ANYONE WHO SAYS THERE ARE MAC VIRUSES TO PROVE IT!!!!



If they can't point to a reliable source that has a verified list of one or more viruses, then THEY are lying. Lots of Windows apologists like to claim that there are Mac viruses, but so far not one can show you a true Mac virus.



Caution: They might claim a Trojan that can't propagate counts, but it can't affect any computer unless you download and install it manually. That equates to this being a virus: Manually delete your hard drive, then pass these instructions on to another user!

Answer 6

you dont need one but i recomend that you do get one