Freeware antivirus programs for iMac

We only recently made the switch to Mac from (excuse the expression) Windows. And even more recently...like 45 minutes ago...the switch to Leopard from Tiger! Until now, I haven't worried about virus protection for my husband's iMac (I do all the computer worrying in the family). However, I have read that it is a good idea to have an anti virus program, even on the less susceptible Apple machines, if one is going to do things like surf the net or open attachments...and who doesn't?
What about this? Do I need an anti virus program? Which ones are best? And...since I am saving for a MacBook Pro of my own...is there any good freeware out there??

ClamXav isn't worth the cpu cycles probably. Even when it found a Word Macro virus, it couldn't do anything about it but delete the file.
Intego AntiVirus X4 might, but you still don't need it unless you share emails and files that might be infected to prevent passing along. Free demo fully functional.
Web browsers; javascript; realmedia; even Adobe PDFs can all be sources of infection.
Disable javascript and plug-ins; use Firefox and NoScript. look for alternatives. And keep your system up to date.

Similar Messages

Do i need antivirus program for imac

do i have to put antivirus program my imac?

No. If you want to check it for Windows viruses, download and run ClamXav.
(70725)

Is it worth getting an antivirus program for iMac?

Was wondering if I should get an antivirus for my iMac. If I do, does Apple provide antivirus, or I should use 3rd party programs? Which ones to trust and not to trust? Thanks.

there are some free malware scanners in app store
I scan with one once in awhile
Note that those have some pretty big limitations. Most importantly, due to sandboxing restrictions, they are incapable of searching everywhere on your hard drive. Checking specific files or places (like your downloads folder) is okay. Trying to use them for full-system scans is completely worthless... kind of like trying to find the source of car problems without being able to open the hood.

Do I need to download any antivirus Program for IPad 2, which program is better?

Do I need to download any antivirus Program for IPad 2, which program is better?

But you could have viruses that may not effect an iOS device or even a Mac, but could easily be unwittingly passed on to PC users. So, if you send and receive a lot of email with attachments,and many of your receivers are PC users, you may consider whether you want to risk forwarding them a virus, etc.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/virusbarrier/id436111378?mt=8

It is should be installed an antivirus software for iMac product?

Hi dear Apple..
I would like to ask about an antivirus software for iMac product. It is should be installed for virus protection, for example Kaspersky Antivirus?
Thanks..

OS X versions 10.6.7 and later have built-in detection of known Mac malware in downloaded files. The recognition database is automatically updated once a day; however, you shouldn't rely on it, because the attackers are always at least a day ahead of the defenders. In most cases, there’s no benefit from any other automated protection against malware.
The most effective defense against malware 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 trojans, which can only work 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 site, merely in order to use the site, 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.
“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.
Disable Java (not JavaScript) in your web browser(s). 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 versions has bugs that make it unsafe to use on the Internet. Those bugs will probably never be fixed, because those older operating systems are no longer being maintained by Apple. Upgrade to a newer version of OS X as soon as you can.
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.

Hi, are there any free replace program for iMac 27' 2011 mid?

hi, are there any free replace program for iMac 2011 27' mid? I just read some news which said apple could provide a free replacement of graphics card for imac 2011 mid. becacue imac produced from 2011 to 2012 had some issued in graphic card. is it true?

If it qualifies, see > iMac (27-inch): AMD Radeon 6970M Video Card Program

I need program for iMac to read the arabic subtitle of movies

what is the best subtitle program for imac to read the arabic subtitle for movies ?

Hello, Are you using DVD Player, or what?
Is Arabic enabled in Languages?

Looking for antivirus program for ipad2???

I have performed an extensive search for antivirus program for iPad2. I am told we don't need it with iPad, but I really don't feel comfortable without one. Does anyone have any ideas?

Rudegar is 100% correct on IOS, Safari, and the Apple app store. It's virtually impossible to get a virus on an iPad using the system the way Apple has set it up. They take great pains to keep it safe as well. Here is where the user could open themselves to vulnerabilities.
1) there are other online 'app stores'. If you use them and expect the same level of vigilance Apple gives then you expect far too much.
2) when you hook you iPad to a PC, it is essentially an external hard drive to the PC. It is possible for the PC to put infected files on your iPad. Will these files affect your iPad, no... But your iPad could transport the infected files to another vulnerable PC and infect it.
3) there are many iPad apps that allow you to share iPad files on the wireless network. This, when coupled by the previous point is why some networks will not allow iPads without a/v software. There is a potential for them to be a virus carrier. It hasn't happened yet, but security people deal in possibilities, openings, risks, and mitigations. There is a potential risk here going to them with anything less than a quantitative study from NSA will be viewed as slightly less believable than a fairy tale.

Are there speech to text programs for iMac?

My wife is having shoulder surgery and she needs to continue work. What is a good speech to text program for iMac or Macbook Pro?

Dragon for Mac is probably the best - http://www.nuance.com/for-individuals/by-product/dragon-for-mac/index.htm.
Clinton

What is best 2015 antivirus program for my iMac

Which antivirus program is recommended for my 2011 iMac running OSX Yosemite 10.10.1?

thedjjams wrote:
There are quite a few Mac virus / malware that has come out over the years.
A few. A total of 51 in all the years Mac OS X has existed. All of which are currently extinct, because they either won't work on current versions of Mac OS X or are blocked by the anti-malware features of recent versions of Mac OS X. There is no currently known malware capable of infecting Mac OS X, and though the possibility of unknown malware exists, anti-virus software can't protect you against that.
I personally have used Sophos AntiVirus for Mac for the past few years.
I used to recommend Sophos to people who insisted on using anti-virus software, but it is no longer as low-profile as it used to be. Sophos has been causing more problems for Mac users recently, and I no longer recommend its use.
I am including some links on the matter below.
It's important to keep a few things in mind with regard to those links. The Tom's Guide article is very light on actual information about how they evaluated the software they reviewed, and the site is littered with advertising, including some for anti-virus software. That review should be considered potentially biased.
Similarly, the AVTest site receives payment from anti-virus companies for the testing they do, so there's definitely potential for bias. Their testing of malware detection seems to be pretty close to my own results, so that's probably good data... but, it's only one data point. My own testing data has been routinely misinterpreted by people who believe that because Avast tops the detection rate list, that makes it good. (In actuality, I strongly recommend against Avast for a variety of reasons.) Paying too much attention to just detection, or just how fast a Mac can copy files while anti-virus is installed, and not to other issues is a very serious error.
The Intego article you linked to is a bad link, but if you Google it, you'll find that some of the information there is good, but other points are weak at best. One points out that some malware has gotten past the anti-malware features of Mac OS X, without mention of the fact that 1) that malware also got past anti-virus software at the time, or 2) those anti-malware features were still not entirely complete at the time. Another point is a straw man argument. (I've never seen anyone arguing that Mac malware doesn't affect "real people," so arguing that it does is meaningless.)
Now, let's consider something else... because both Mac OS X and anti-virus software are not strong against brand new threats, and because they are also not strong against things like adware (which is not really malware), neither one can be relied on for full protection. Yet the installation of anti-virus software is often treated by users as full protection, which leads them to behave in unsafe ways under the false belief that they are safe. Thus, running anti-virus software can actually be more harmful than good!
For more information, see my Mac Malware Guide.
(Fair disclosure: I may receive compensation from links to my sites, TheSafeMac.com and AdwareMedic.com.)

Where can I find a antivirus program for my Mac Book Pro?

Can anyone help me?
I would like to know where I can find a antivirus program that apple provide. I need to clean up my mac and install a antivirus program.
Thank you :-)

So far all of the "cleanup my mac" software I have tested has been a dismal failure.
They either don't do anywhere near what they claim they will do or else they do dangerous stuff without even asking your permission first.
For these reasons I recommend most strongly that you avoid them all.
Allan

What is the best antivirus program for mac

Can somebody tell me what the best antivirus program is at this moment for macbook air?

1. 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 intruder 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.
OS X now implements three layers of built-in protection specifically against malware, not counting runtime protections such as execute disable, sandboxing, system library randomization, and address space layout randomization that may also guard against other kinds of exploits.
2. All versions of OS X since 10.6.7 have been able to detect known Mac malware in downloaded files, and to block insecure web plugins. This feature is transparent to the user, but internally Apple calls it "XProtect." The malware recognition database is automatically checked for updates once a day; however, you shouldn't rely on it, because the attackers are always at least a day ahead of the defenders.
The following caveats apply to XProtect:
It can be bypassed by some third-party networking software, such as BitTorrent clients and Java applets.
It only applies to software downloaded from the network. Software installed from a CD or other media is not checked.
3. Starting with OS X 10.7.5, there has been a second layer of built-in malware protection, designated "Gatekeeper" by Apple. By default, applications and Installer packages downloaded from the network will only run if they're digitally signed by a developer with a certificate issued by Apple. Software certified in this way hasn't necessarily been tested by Apple, but you can be reasonably sure that it hasn't been modified by anyone other than the developer. His identity is known to Apple, so he could be held legally responsible if he distributed malware. That may not mean much if the developer lives in a country with a weak legal system (see below.)
Gatekeeper doesn't depend on a database of known malware. It has, however, the same limitations as XProtect, and in addition the following:
It can easily be disabled or overridden by the user.
A malware attacker could get control of a code-signing certificate under false pretenses, or could simply ignore the consequences of distributing codesigned malware.
An App Store developer could find a way to bypass Apple's oversight, or the oversight could fail due to human error.
For the reasons given above, App Store products, and other applications recognized by Gatekeeper as signed, are safer than others, but they can't be considered absolutely safe. "Sandboxed" applications may prompt for access to private data, such as your contacts, or for access to the network. Think before granting that access. OS X security is based on user input. Never click through any request for authorization without thinking.
4. Starting with OS X 10.8.3, a third layer of protection has been added: a "Malware Removal Tool" (MRT). MRT runs automatically in the background when you update the OS. It checks for, and removes, malware that may have evaded the other protections via a Java exploit (see below.) MRT also runs when you install or update the Apple-supplied Java runtime (but not the Oracle runtime.) Like XProtect, MRT is presumably effective against known attacks, but maybe not against unknown attacks. It notifies you if it finds malware, but otherwise there's no user interface to MRT.
5. XProtect, Gatekeeper, and MRT reduce the risk of malware attack, but they're not absolute protection. The first and best line of defense is always your own intelligence. With the possible exception of Java exploits, all known malware circulating 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. The threat therefore amounts to a battle of wits between you and the malware attacker. If you're smarter than he thinks you are, you'll win.
That means, in practice, that you never use software that comes from an untrustworthy source, or that does something inherently untrustworthy. How do you know what is trustworthy?
Any website that prompts you to install a “codec,” “plug-in,” "player," "extractor," 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 visitors who were infected with the "DNSChanger" malware. That exception to this rule no longer applies.)
Pirated copies or "cracks" of commercial software, no matter where they come from, are unsafe.
Software of any kind downloaded from a BitTorrent or from a Usenet binary newsgroup is unsafe.
Software that purports to help you do something that's illegal or that infringes copyright, such as saving streamed audio or video for reuse without permission, is unsafe. All YouTube "downloaders" are in this category, though not all are necessarily harmful.
Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, must be downloaded directly from the developer’s website. If it comes from any other source, it's unsafe.
Even signed applications, no matter what the source, should not be trusted if they do something unexpected, such as asking for permission to access your contacts, your location, or the Internet for no obvious reason.
6. Java on the Web (not to be confused with JavaScript, to which it's not related, despite the similarity of the names) is a weak point in the security of any system. Java is, among other things, a platform for running complex applications in a web page, on the client. That was always a bad idea, and Java's developers have proven themselves incapable of implementing it without also creating a portal for malware to enter. Past Java exploits are the closest thing there has ever been to a Windows-style virus affecting OS X. Merely loading a page with malicious Java content could be harmful.
Fortunately, client-side Java on the Web is obsolete and mostly extinct. Only a few outmoded sites still use it. Try to hasten the process of extinction by avoiding those sites, if you have a choice. Forget about playing games or other non-essential uses of Java.
Java is not included in OS X 10.7 and later. Discrete Java installers are distributed by Apple and by Oracle (the developer of Java.) Don't use either one unless you need it. Most people don't. If Java is installed, disable it — not JavaScript — in your browsers.
Regardless of version, experience has shown that Java on the Web can't be trusted. If you must use a Java applet for a task on a specific site, enable Java only for that site in Safari. Never enable Java for a public website that carries third-party advertising. Use it only on well-known, login-protected, secure websites without ads. In Safari 6 or later, you'll see a lock icon in the address bar with the abbreviation "https" when visiting a secure site.
Follow the above guidelines, and you’ll be as safe from malware as you can practically be. The rest of this comment concerns what you should not do to protect yourself from malware.
7. Never install any commercial "anti-virus" or "Internet security" products for the Mac, as they all do more harm than good, if they do any good at all. Any database of known threats is always going to be out of date. Most of the danger is from unknown threats. 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 file system. Malware is downloaded from the network; it doesn't materialize from nowhere.
In order to meet that nonexistent threat, the software modifies or duplicates low-level functions of the operating system, which is a waste of resources and a common cause of instability, bugs, and poor performance.
By modifying the operating system, the software itself may create weaknesses that could be exploited by malware attackers.
8. ClamXav doesn't have these drawbacks. That doesn't mean it's entirely safe. It may report email messages that have "phishing" links in the body, or Windows malware in attachments, as infected files, and offer to delete or move them. Doing so will corrupt the Mail database. The messages should be deleted from within the Mail application.
ClamXav is not needed, and should not be relied upon, for protection against OS X malware. It's useful only for detecting Windows malware. Windows malware can't harm you directly (unless, of course, you use Windows.) Just don't pass it on to anyone else.
A Windows malware attachment in email is usually easy to recognize. The file name will often be targeted at people who aren't very bright; for example:
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥!!!!!!!H0TBABEZ4U!!!!!!!.AVI♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.exe
ClamXav may be able to tell you which particular virus or trojan it is, but do you care? In practice, there's seldom a reason to use ClamXav unless a network administrator requires you to run an anti-virus application.
9. The greatest harm done by security software, in my opinion, is in its effect on human behavior. It does little or nothing to protect people from emerging "zero-day" threats, but if they get a false sense of security from it, they may feel free to do things that expose them to higher risk. Nothing can lessen the need for safe computing practices.
10. It seems to be a common belief that the built-in Application Firewall acts as a barrier to infection, or prevents malware from functioning. It does neither. It blocks inbound connections to certain network services you're running, such as file sharing. It's disabled by default and you should leave it that way if you're behind a router on a private home or office network. Activate it only when you're on an untrusted network, for instance a public Wi-Fi hotspot, where you don't want to provide services. Disable any services you don't use in the Sharing preference pane. All are disabled by default.

Need genealogy program for imac intel

I need genealogy program for new imac intel. My old program was for Apple G II S. Have viewed program called heredis mac x.2 but don't know if it is compatible for imac intel. All new territory for me. Thank you, Lisa

Though I don't have an Intel Mac, I use both Heredis and Reunion. You could check with each company about Intel compatibility.
I keep my file in both because the FH represents the greatest investment of time for anything on the computer. I want always to have a usable file so dont put all my eggs in one basket.
Reunion is a bit more versatile inrespect of the fundamental structures but Heredis uses a different basic construction which I wanted as a reserve. Heredis is about £20 less expensive here in UK than Reunion.
One specific thing about Heredis is that it stores the actual data file or files as documents in the user documents folder. You need to realise what these things are in said folder and not delete them by accident.
The down side of using two different programmes is that of synchronisation. If you add new data in one app you need to add it manually in the other. I would never trust it to GEDCOM transfer to transfer all fields correctly especially if you have data in the more esoteric fields of any particular programme.
Heredis has an ability to display a 3d tree showing all, I repeat all the relationships including the families of removed cousins etc rather like a complex organic molecule. It is zoomable and you can get text data displayed from any person box, any 'atom' ,to pursue the analogy. It has source and repository features just as good as the more expensive Reunion. It may be ruled out for some though. It has no tab to indicate the 'disposal' of a family member as being "abducted by aliens', whereas Reunion has!

Any up date programs for iMac 27in mid 2011

hi I'm looking to see if omac 2011 mid has any replacement program for it

Here is the list:
http://www.apple.com/support/exchange_repair/
(found on the main support page)

Mass email program for iMac?

I apologize for posting this here. I could not find an appropriate category for this question. If you have a better idea of where I should post this, please let me know.
On my old PC I used Groupmail to send out mass e-mails. Since I've recently switched to an iMac, I want to find a similar mass email program that I can use on my iMac. (There is no Groupmail for Mac.) Any suggestions?

Hi,
I apologize for posting this here. I could not find an appropriate category for this question. If you have a better idea of where I should post this, please let me know.
[Using Mac OS X Leopard|http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=1225] might be a better place (or [Leopard Mail and Address Book|http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=1223] but those refer to the built-in OS X applications, rather than the email topic in general)
Good luck!

Freeware antivirus programs for iMac

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for