Is it necessary to install an anti-virus software for mac?

As above. Thanks.

The only reason I have ever seen to install
anti-virus on my Mac was to satisfy my corporate IT
guys requirements that I am running up-to-date
anti-virus software before putting my Mac on their
LAN.
I basically launch it if they want to see it, then
close it...because its useless
If your company's IT staff is not so bright, write up a shell script that echos stuff as if its scanning for virus. Something like
#!/bin/bash
echo "Scanning for virus"
sleep 2
echo "..."
sleep 4
echo "0 Virus(es) found"
exit
stick that in a file, chmod +x, run from terminal with 'sh files' or './file'
BlackBook Mac OS X (10.4.7)

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Do we need anti virus softwares for Mac book pro?

do we need antivirus softwares for mac book pro?

That is a complex question, whose answer depends greatly on you. See my Mac Malware Guide for the information you need to protect yourself and to make a decision about anti-virus software.

Anti-virus software for Mac

Hi,
I have had an ibook G4 since March, 2005 and I want to get an anti-virus to protect my machine better, does Apple sell a anti-virus software?
thanks

Canadian_gal,
Sell? Not exactly. Apple does, however, ship the open-source clamav antivirus in OS X Server.
clamav is the standard antivirus in the BSD world.
There's a user-friendly version written by Mark Allan called ClamXav that uses the same antivirus engine.
It's light on the system, tends to update faster than commercial antivirus software, and is free (donation requested).
-Wayne
Edited for clarity.

Please recommend anti virus software for Mac Book Pro

Also, are there any system tools to do regular maintenance for the Mac to keep it running at its best?

Hi Marie,
Basically there are no viruses for Mac, so if there is malware. To get rid of this problemI recommend MacScan.
On the other hand, I recommend that you install software you do not use, in which case you want to install to test and then remove it, use AppZaper this app application completely eliminates the documents while away.
Greetings

What is the best Anti Virus Software for MAC?

Is Norton still number one, or does anyone recommend a more reliable and efficient software?

The facetious (but largely true) answer, lemacman, is OSX.
I've yet to see any virus checker that doesn't cause far more trouble than viruses do on Macs running under OSX.
Nortons / SAM AV was , mostly, the best under OS's up to OS9. That doesn't mean that it didn't cause problems, but it was generally better than the others. I used it briefly under OSX until one of the updates did something nasty (deleting all of my email, from memory) .
Virex became popular in some quarters for a while but unfortunately at one stage had the unfortunate habit of making peopl's processors run at 100% , causing overheating and other problems in iMac G5s and the like. If I had a quid for every occasion I had to tell someone to remove Virex at that time I'd be a financial rival to Donald Trump!
etc etc etc.
If you really feel you HAVE to have a virus checker, the only one I'd even consider at present is the free ClamX AV . There is a bit of a problem in that you have to use the public beta version if you are running Snow Leopard, but I have little doubt that even a public beta of it will cause less hassles than the current releases of the various commercial offerings!
So - given the number of Mac OSX affecting viruses "out in the wild" at present (none) - the safest course is not to use any, but if you really feel as insecure using your Mac without one as walking down the street without your pants on, then my vote would be that you go for the public beta of ClamX AV.
Cheers
Rod

Do you need anti virus software for mac book pro

Is it true that the new mac book pro computers are now more susceptable to virus attacks and malware then the Mac books made 5 years ago.
If this is true what is being recommended to protect your mac book pro?
thank you

OS X has got its own security systems, so you don't need any security application. Don't use any commercial antivirus. If you want more information about OS X and malware, see > http://www.thesafemac.com/mmg
If you want an antivirus, use ClamXav or Sophos, but as I said, you don't need these applications.
Now, there are some viruses for OS X. However, they are not serious, so you just need to keep your Mac updated, because the most recent Mac OS X versions include important security improvements

Do i need to install and anti virus software on my macbook air? if yes, which one should i install?

Do i need to install and anti virus software on my macbook air? if yes, which one should i install?

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
OS X has got its own security systems, so you don't need any antivirus. Furthermore, they will only slow down your computer. If you want more information, read > http://www.thesafemac.com/mmg
If you want an antivirus, install ClamXav, but you don't need an antivirus

Will I need anti virus software for boot camp?

Hi everyone,
i'm looking at installing leopard and xp onto an external portable hard disk. Will i need to install all the rubbish windows xp anti virus software if i'm not going to run / connect to the internet while using xp? My main use for xp is for some unavailable software and pc games.
And if i don't install the anti virus software would potential viruses affect only my external hard drive with the xp partition or both my internal drive and external drive?
thanks guys

"...i'm looking at installing leopard and xp onto an external portable hard disk...."
Why both? For instance, I have XP on my MacBook and I also have an old hard drive with XP (from another computer) in a portable case with USB. I can plug that thing into my MacBook and it is merely seen as an external storage drive. (I've never tried to boot from it though...)
"...Will i need to install all the rubbish windows xp anti virus software if i'm not going to run / connect to the internet while using xp?..."
Obviously viruses etc come from outside places, so either they come from the 'net or else from email or disks or storage sticks. If someone knowingly or unknowingly planted malware on them then your not safe. Macs are immune (99.9%) and of course Windows is wide open for trouble. If you stay off the 'net that is 90% of the battle. The rest is whether or not YOU place on your system a file or disk or jump drive which has "been places".
"...And if i don't install the anti virus software would potential viruses affect only my external hard drive with the xp partition or both my internal drive and external drive?..."
With BootCamp you only need a hard firewall (a router, wireless or wire) and free AVG antivirus to protect your Windows side. (Unless you are doing serious file swapping and surfing scary websites - then you need to purchase top notch AV like Symantec) but that is only a problem for your Windows installation.
Your Mac side will always (99.9%) be safe from your Windows problems.
That is the great thing about BootCamp. Your Windows side could be totally infected and destroyed and you can still boot to OS X no problem and perform a fresh install of Windows. Windows needs protection - OS X just doesn't (unless the FBI, Interpol, and MI5 are after you - if someone WANTS to trash OS X they can. It appears no one ever wants to though...)
I'm saying that if you intend to have external BootCamp SIMPLY to be safe (instead of just right on your Mac's internal hard drive) from viruses, it is not necessary. If you have Windows on your internal drive and only boot to it while offline it is the same safety level - totally safe. If you have the hard firewall and free AVG you are seriously safe as it is. And your Apple side is always safe no matter what.
Just my opinion / experience. Others can chime in with their views / experiences - I'd like to hear them...
Cheers

Once and for all: Do I need anti-virus software for my Mac?

I've always heard that you don't really need anti-virus or anti-spyware software for Macs - but I do wonder that there has to be viruses about that would affect Macs?
I do alot of creative and professional work on my Mac. The data on it, means a **** of a lot to me, and I'd hate for my Mac to be infected with something horrible.
Could anybody please tell me if I really do need anti-virus or anti-spyware software for my iMac? And if I do, which one do you recommend? (Ideally I would want it to be cheap and not hog lots of system resources)...
Thank you!

Hi
I can only give you my personal experience on this one.
The short answer is "no". I've been using macs for the past 4 years, my partner for many more. Neither I nor she have an anti virus program installed.
We both use firewall on both the os x setup and via our router. I tend to install the security updates posted by apple after they are released and check the forums to be aware of any potential problems.
A much better idea is to back up your important projects etc on a regular basis to dvd and external hard disk.
I have one experience of anti-virus software on the mac:
About 2.5 years ago i thought i had a virus - my diskspace was being eaten up at a very very fast rate - and i was worried. Found out that the os update from 10.3.2 to 10.3.5 had an incompatability issue with the mcafee shock game controller driver (obscure eh!)
Anyway, after this experience and deleting the driver which i no longer needed, i decided to err on the side of caution and tried out both mcafee and norton. Both of which slowed down my system and norton especially caused problems when i was running logic pro etc. really really annoying.
Once i'd got over my "insecure" stage and having spoken to other mac users i realised anti-virus software was causing many many more issues than resolving any - and besides since then i have still had no problems and have never come across any viruses on mac os x.
It all depends on what makes you feel safer. Personally i wouldn't recommend ant-virus programs... i wonder if anyone has any positive experiences of anti-virus software on the mac?
that's my 0.02 pence

Shall i buy anti virus software for my MAC pro lion

Do I need to install anti-virus software for my Mac pro?

You do not need any anti-virus for a Mac.
Do not download any software from the web to protect your Mac.
Apple releases updates that will offer all the protection a Mac needs.
Keep the software updated.
Many in this community use ClamXav and recommend using it.
Best.

Anti-virus software for HP Strem 8 model 5901

I recently purchased an HP Stream 8 tablet 5901. It has Windows 8.1 on it. I would like to install free anti-virus software on it, but there are so many "out there" that I'm not sure which one is best for this model of HP tablet. Accordingly, I'm looking for a recommendation as to which one would be a good fit for this tablet.
This question was solved.
View Solution.

Since all of your content is cloud storage based, a seperate antivirus product is not really needed. Windows 8.1 has the built in Windows Defender.
****Please click on Accept As Solution if a suggestion solves your problem. It helps others facing the same problem to find a solution easily****
2015 Microsoft MVP - Windows Experience Consumer

Free anti virus software for nokia 5530

Does anyone know where you can download free anti virus software for the 5530? i've tried a few sites (even trend micro) but none of the software i've downloaded is compatible with my phone

The security model of SymbianOS 9.2 and above simply does not allow software to install without the user specifically allowing it and without the software in question being signed with a valid certificate. A phone running S60v3 and above simply cannot be infected with a virus.
http://3lib.ukonline.co.uk/viruses.htm
The phone therefore needs no protection against viruses.
It may, however, need protection against the user! If you accept and install anything sent to you via bluetooth, MMS or e-mail, or if you make a habit of installing cracked warez from dubious sources, them your phone almost certainly will become infected with some form or other of malware, although it will not be a virus. It might be a worm or a trojan. In any event, it's up to the user to behave responsibly.
Another risk is that the phone may carry Windows or MacOS malware that was copied to it when it was connected in mass storage mode to a computer that was already infected. While such malware will be absolutely harmless to the phone (because the phone runs a completely different operating system on which the malware simply won't run), it could certainly be harmful for the next copmputer to which you connect the phone. The solution here is to scan the phone's mass storage with normal antivirus software on your computer.
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What is the best anti virus software for a MacBook air?

Hi,just joined the community .just wanting to know what anti virus software for a macbook air running os x mavericks 10.9?I keep getting pop ups on safari.
Any help much appreciated!

There is no need to download anything to solve this problem. You may have installed a variant of the "VSearch" ad-injection malware.
Triple-click the line below on this page to select it, then copy the text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C:
/Library/LaunchDaemons
In the Finder, select
          Go ▹ Go to Folder...
from the menu bar and paste into the box that opens by pressing command-V. You won't see what you pasted because a line break is included. Press return.
A folder named "LaunchDaemons" may open. Look inside it for a file with a name of the form
          com.something.daemon.plist
Here something is a variable word, which can be different in each case. It could be "cloud," "dot," "highway," "submarine," "trusteddownloads," or pretty much anything else.
There may also be a file named
           com.something.helper.plist
in the same folder.
Leave the LaunchDaemons folder open, and open the following folder in the same way:
/Library/LaunchAgents
In this folder, there may be a file named
          com.something.agent.plist
where the word something is exactly the same as before.
If you feel confident that you've identified these three files, back up all data, then drag the three files you found to the Trash. You may be prompted for your administrator login password. Close the windows and restart the computer.
Don't delete the "LaunchAgents" or "LaunchDaemons" folder or anything else inside either one.
The malware is now permanently inactivated, as long as you never reinstall it. You can stop here if you like, or you can remove two remaining components for the sake of completeness.
Open this folder:
/Library/Application Support
If it has a subfolder named just
           something
(where something is the same word as before), drag that subfolder to the Trash and close the window.
Don't delete the "Application Support" folder or anything else inside it.
Finally, in this folder:
/System/Library/Frameworks
there may an item named exactly
            v.framework
It's actually another folder, though it has a different icon. Drag it to the Trash and close the window.
Don't delete the "Frameworks" folder or anything else inside it.
If you didn't find the files or you're not sure about the identification, post what you found.
If in doubt, or if you have no backups, change nothing at all.
The trouble may have started when you downloaded and ran an application called "MPlayerX." That's the name of a legitimate free movie player, but the name is also used fraudulently to distribute VSearch. If there is an item with that name in the Applications folder, delete it, and if you wish, replace it with the genuine article from mplayerx.org.
This trojan is often found on illegal websites that traffic in pirated content such as movies. If you, or anyone else who uses the computer, visit such sites and follow prompts to install software, you can expect more of the same, and worse, to follow. Never install any software that you downloaded from a bittorrent, or that was downloaded by someone else from an unknown source.
In the Security & Privacy pane of System Preferences, select the General tab. The radio button marked Anywhere should not be selected. If it is, click the lock icon to unlock the settings, then select one of the other buttons. After that, don't ignore a warning that you are about to run or install an application from an unknown developer.
Then, still in System Preferences, open the App Store or Software Update pane and check the box marked
          Install system data files and security updates (OS X 10.10 or later)
or
          Download updates automatically (OS X 10.9 or earlier)
if it's not already checked.

What is the best anti-virus software for my Mac?

What is the best anti-virus software for my IMAC?

If you are still using OS X 10.4.x "Tiger" please confirm.
atpatt wrote:
What is the best anti-virus software for my IMAC?
Use what Apple already provided.
There will always be threats to your information security associated with using any Internet - connected communications tool:
You can mitigate those threats by following commonsense practices
Delegating that responsibility to software is an ineffective defense
Assuming that any product will protect you from those threats is a hazardous attitude that is likely to result in neglecting point #1 above.
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 "clean up", "speed up", "optimize", "boost" or "accelerate" your Mac; to "wash" it, "tune" it, or to make it "shiny". Those claims are absurd.Such products are very aggressively marketed. They are all scams.
Never install pirated or "cracked" software, software obtained from dubious websites, or other questionable sources.
Illegally obtained software is almost certain to contain malware.
"Questionable sources" include but are not limited to spontaneously appearing web pages or popups, download hosting sites such as C net dot com, Softonic dot com, Soft pedia dot com, Download dot com, Mac Update dot com, or any other site whose revenue is primarily derived from junk product advertisements.
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.

Best Anti-Virus Software for OS X 10.6.8

Hello, what is the best anti-virus software for OS X 10.6.8? Thank you.

Read here & decide for yourself:
http://www.reedcorner.net/mmg/

Is it necessary to install an anti-virus software for mac?

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