Anti virus software - do i need it for my mac?

Hi - with all the publicity in the news about the hacking of PC's and we only have 2 weeks to protect our computers from hackers - would you recommend that we purchase particular software for our iMac's to combat this forthcoming attack?  Any information gratefully received.  x

with all the publicity in the news about the hacking of PC's and we only have 2 weeks to protect our computers from hackers
You have to protect your computers from hackers all the time. The point is that you have to do that, and delegating that responsibility to some magical product that claims the ability to do it for you is an ineffective defense.
There is no two week countdown to anything; there never has been.
- would you recommend that we purchase particular software for our iMac's to combat this forthcoming attack? 
Absolutely not. 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 "speed up", "clean up", "optimize", or "accelerate" your Mac. Without exception, they will do the opposite.
Never install pirated or "cracked" software, software obtained from dubious websites, or other questionable sources. Illegally obtained software is almost certain to contain malware.
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 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.
Block browser popups: Safari menu > Preferences > Security > and check "Block popup windows":
Popup windows are useful and required for some websites, but popups have devolved to become a common means to deliver targeted advertising that you probably do not want.
Popups themselves cannot infect your Mac, but many contain resource-hungry code that will slow down Internet browsing.
If you ever see a popup indicating it detected registry errors, that your Mac is infected with some ick, or that you won some prize, it is 100% fraudulent. Ignore 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. To date, most of these attempts have been pathetic and are easily recognized, but that is likely to change in the future as criminals become more clever.
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.

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    Why reward points?(Quoted from Discussions Terms of Use.)
    The reward system helps to increase community participation. When a community member gives you (or another member) a reward for providing helpful advice or a solution to their question, your accumulated points will increase your status level within the community.
    Members may reward you with 5 points if they deem that your reply is helpful and 10 points if you post a solution to their issue. Likewise, when you mark a reply as Helpful or Solved in your own created topic, you will be awarding the respondent with the same point values.

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    Roadzee wrote:
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  • Shall i buy anti virus software for my MAC pro lion

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  • What is Apple's position on Anti-virus software for the mac?

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    This comment applies to malicious software ("malware") that's installed unwittingly by the victim of a network attack. It does not apply to software, such as keystroke loggers, that may be installed deliberately by an attacker who has hands-on access to the victim's computer. That threat is in a different category, and there's no easy way to defend against it. If you have reason to suspect that you're the target of such an attack, you need expert help.
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    It doesn't apply to software that comes packaged as an installer. Treat all third-party installers with caution.
    It can be disabled or overridden by the user.
    It can be bypassed by some third-party networking software, such as BitTorrent clients and Java applets (see below.)
    It only applies to applications downloaded from the network. Software installed from a CD or other media is not checked.
    For more information about Gatekeeper, see this Apple Support article. Notwithstanding the above, the most effective defense against malware attacks is your own intelligence. All known malware on the Internet that affects a fully-updated installation of OS X 10.6 or later takes the form of so-called "trojan horses," which can only have an effect if the victim is duped into running them. If you're smarter than the malware attacker thinks you are, you won't be duped. That means, primarily, that you never install software from an untrustworthy source. How do you know a source is untrustworthy?
    Any website that prompts you to install a “codec,” “plug-in,” or “certificate” that comes from that same site, or an unknown one, is untrustworthy.
    A web operator who tells you that you have a “virus,” or that anything else is wrong with your computer, or that you have won a prize in a contest you never entered, is trying to commit a crime with you as the victim. [Some reputable websites did legitimately warn users who were infected with the "DNSChanger" malware. That exception to this rule no longer applies.]
    “Cracked” copies of commercial software downloaded from a bittorrent are likely to be infected.
    Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, must be downloaded directly from the developer’s website. No intermediary is acceptable.
    Java on the network (not to be confused with JavaScript, to which it's not related) is always a potential weak spot in the security of any operating system. If a Java web plugin is not installed, don't install it unless you really need it. If it is installed, you should disable it (not JavaScript) in your web browsers. Few websites have Java content nowadays, so you won’t be missing much. This setting is mandatory in OS X 10.5.8 or earlier, because Java in those obsolete versions has known security flaws that make it unsafe to use on the Internet. The flaws will never be fixed. Regardless of version, experience has shown that Java can never be fully trusted, even if no vulnerabilities are publicly known at the moment.
    Follow these guidelines, and you’ll be as safe from malware as you can reasonably be.
    Never install any commercial "anti-virus" products for the Mac, as they all do more harm than good. If you need to be able to detect Windows malware in your files, use the free software ClamXav — nothing else.
    Why shouldn't you use commercial "anti-virus" products?
    Their design is predicated on the nonexistent threat that malware may be injected at any time, anywhere in the filesystem. Malware gets into the system by being downloaded, not by materializing from nowhere.
    In order to meet that nonexistent threat, the software duplicates low-level functions of the operating system, which is a waste of resources and a common cause of instability and poor performance.
    By modifying the system at a low level, the software itself may create vulnerabilities that could be exploited by malware attackers.
    ClamXav doesn't have these drawbacks.

  • Anti-Virus Software Needed @ Work in a Windows/Exchange 2003 Environment?

    I'm taking delivery of a new 24" iMac, and will be using it at work in a Windows/Exchange 2003 environment. I'll be using VMWare Fusion, and Win XP Pro 32 bit to run our business-critical applications. Also, until Office for Mac 2007 is released in January, I'll be using Office 2007 (including Outlook 2007) from the Windows partition. I'm the "pioneer" (the first) Mac user at our company and want to get this right. Regarding antivirus sofware (which I've never had to worry about on my home G5):
    1.) Do I need it at all?
    2.) Do I need to get it for the Windows partition? the OSX partition? both?
    3.) If I need anti-virus software for either or both, what is recommended, given my workstation/network setup? will the same product work for both OSX and XP? or do I need separate programs for each?
    Thanks!

    For the windows antivirus software I would avoid Norton. I've had problems with every version of it that I've used, both on my own pc and others. I've also had problems with Mcafee. Go with either ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite, Kaspersky Antivirus, or AVG from Grisoft. AVG has caught things that norton doesn't. I use the free version in conjunction with ZoneAlarm on my XP machine, but they have business versions. Zonealarm's firewall works very well. The inbound/outbound program control is hard to beat. Their anti-spyware/adware solution leaves a little to be desired though. For the ultimate antivirus protection on a PC, you really need to run redundant programs.
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