Need to secure my laptop for college

Hi everyone,
I'm going to college in the fall, and have been looking at some ways to beef up my Mac's security while I'm down there. I've done the basics, like disabling automatic login and setting the other options in System Preferences > Security, having a strong password, enabling FileVault, etc. I've also set an OpenFirmware password. Are there any other settings I should be aware of that'll make my data more secure?
Thanks!

Unless you're expecting the NAS to crack your machine, you've more than adequately secured it. Be cautious with FileVault you could lose everything in your user account if becomes corrupted. Periodically, turn it off and backup your user folder. I suggest getting an external, bootable FireWire HD, partition it into at least two pieces, and religiously backup your entire installation to one partition and your users folder to another.
Also, check out http://www.caveo.com/news/pdfs/2001.04.08.One%20Small%20Step.pdf and http://isnoop.net/blog/2006/05/20/macsaber-turn-your-mac-into-a-jedi-weapon/ for details about sudden motion detectors for laptops. I don't have one, but these popped up after a google search for laptop motion detectors.

Similar Messages

So I need a laptop for college, which I will also use for personal use. I've decided to get a MacBook Pro without Retina display and am trying to decide the specs.

Here are the things I will do with this laptop:
-Writing essays for college (which will be a lot)
-PowerPoints
-Personal Writing (Stories and things like that)
-Internet Surfing and Research (which means multiple tabs at a time)
-Watching Videos and Streaming Anime (DVDs, Hulu, Crunchyroll, etc)
-Downloads (PDFs)
-I don't play games.
So, with all of this in mind, what kind of specs and OS would be best? I will admit to not knowing a lot about computers and what's needed to do what I want, or much about the technicalities. I do know that I will be using 8gb of RAM, though I am not sure about HDD vs. SSD. I've basically been living off my iPad for Internet and stuff for the past two years and writing my papers at campus, but now that I'm going to be taking more English and writing-based classes, I'm going to need a laptop.

There's only one non-Retina MacBook Pro being sold by Apple now - the 13" on the left of the Apple Store page for MBPs.
If I were you, I would look for a refurbished 2012 15" from Apple. You can add RAM and a SSD (should you choose) yourself.
Clinton

I need a laptop for College.

I Will being off to college soon, and am in need of a laptop. Yes the MacBook seems as if it's a brilliant laptop, but not sure if its right for me.
I would be using iLife everyday and web browsing. There'd be occassional gamming and occassional Photoshop. Can this laptop last for Atleast 4 year? Or should I get the MacBook Pro? The MacBook Air is out of the queation.
I Need to know if it's worth paying for the wonderful design the MacBook gives, but the Intel core M chip is a downer when it comes to benchmark comparisons. Can someone change my mind? Is the MacBook right for me?

My suggestion: macbook pro 2015 13" retina. The 2015 Macbook 12" is definitely the prettiest of all MacBooks, no doubt, but if you spend the same money, you will get a 13" macbook pro with retina display and force touch. With that you will get a dual core i5 or i7 processor which will fit all your needs for next 4 years (more so than macbook 2015). It will also have all the standard ports ready to use. Don't get me wrong, I am not old school, but as it stands now, it will be an expensive proposition if you bought the new 2015 macbook as you will have to shell out for dongles and adapters too. I see this as a secondary laptop for most purposes and travel for people who can afford.

Laptop for College

My brother's graduation present is going to be a MacBook for college and it is my responsibility to find one for him. I was just wondering if you had any suggestions. He is not very tech savvy but doesn't have trouble using what he needs because we already have a Mac.

Well you won't need to go pro then! (At least, not this time).
Here's some price comparisons to consider:
The stock white MacBook through the education store is $949.00.
The stock aluminum MacBook through the education store is $1249.00.
The main differences between these two machines are hard drive size (which is very easy to upgrade & replace yourself) and RAM type. The aluminum MacBook uses DDR3 RAM; the white MacBook uses DDR2. Both machines that I listed have the 2.0GHz core 2 duo processor.
Here's some other options currently available, under the "refurbished Mac" link (this is in the lower-left corner of the main store page).
The white MacBooks listed under the refurbished Mac link start at $849.00 and come with the same one-year warranty as a new Mac. They should be in "like new" condition when you receive it, should you choose to buy one. The only aluminum MacBook I see is priced at $1899, but I believe the higher cost is due to the machine coming with a Solid-State hard drive installed, rather than the traditional one with moving platters.
Personally, I'd go with a refurbished white MacBook--it costs even less than a new one through the education store and will perform just as well.
If you do decide to get a refurbished computer, take a good look at all the specifications (some machines have 1GB of memory; others have 2GB and they are listed as the same price) to get the most for your money.
~Lyssa

Laptops for college (computer science)

Hey! I'm going to be a college student in just a few weeks, and one of the hardest things about it is trying to buy the perfect laptop. I have been searching for one with certain specs that still remains good in quality and relatively cheap.
My specs are:
4th gen i7
at least 500gb hard drive
6-8gb ram (preferably 8)
dvd drive (blu ray if possible)
backlit keyboard (important)
webcam (usually standard)
matte (only if possible)
Max budget (probably 900 at the very most)
Do you guys have any suggestions? Do you have any laptops that people haven't really complained about as far as hardware failures or any problems? Are you coming out with any laptops in a few days? I still need to actually go to the store and try some out but I just wanted to hear some quick suggestions! Thanks!

adbdragonmaster wrote:
Hey! I'm going to be a college student in just a few weeks, and one of the hardest things about it is trying to buy the perfect laptop. I have been searching for one with certain specs that still remains good in quality and relatively cheap.
My specs are:
4th gen i7
at least 500gb hard drive
6-8gb ram (preferably 8)
dvd drive (blu ray if possible)
backlit keyboard (important)
webcam (usually standard)
matte (only if possible)
Max budget (probably 900 at the very most)
Do you guys have any suggestions? Do you have any laptops that people haven't really complained about as far as hardware failures or any problems? Are you coming out with any laptops in a few days? I still need to actually go to the store and try some out but I just wanted to hear some quick suggestions! Thanks!
Oh yeah, I almost forgot, BluRay has only found itself on TVs as the norm for viewing entertainment. It still has not caught up to the world of computers yet for some odd reason perhaps technology costs and barriers, but if you do find one, prepare to pay a pretty penny. You can buy an external one for not too much money but be sure the hardware you buy can decode and playback BluRay if you decide to go this route.
*******DISCLAIMER********
I am not an employee of BBY in any shape or form. All information presented in my replies or postings is my own opinion. It is up to you , the end user to determine the ultimate validity of any information presented on these forums.

In need of a new laptop for a small business

We have a small business that runs quickbooks on a desktop we are looking for a laptop that will be able to run quickbooks and go online. But I have no idea what to look at. I do not want all the bells and whistles. Does anyone have an idea of what I would need?
Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

For what you need you do not need anything powerful.
how portable do you need it to be?
Perhaps base what you purchase based on screen size as a good place to start.
Most of your laptops are going to have wifi and ethernet and the ability to plug in a second monitor.
I would suggest staying away from the Netbooks. You don't need anything robust but they are really more designed more for internet and email. I would also suggest staying away from most tablets. Many of them run Android and would not work in the first place, others have a scaled back version of windows that is not cabalble of runnig all software.
Check with quickbooks to see if it will work on Windows 8. Getting hard to find any machine that is not Windows 8. you may have to upgrade quickbooks to a newer version.
This one is a good price and should suffice your needs.
HP - Pavilion 15.6" Laptop - 4GB Memory - 640GB Hard Drive - Sparkling Black
Model: g6-2342dx
SKU: 9226089

Best laptop for college

Can you help us with any thoughts about the best lap top for our daughter entering college this fall.
Thanks

Contact her major department for their recommendations.
Some schools say, "Bring whatever, you'll be fine."
Others say, "We want you to use specific Hardware because that is all we are prepared to support."
Others say, "To be in this major, we want you to use the xyzzy package, which runs only on this specific system."
Still others say, "Bring a few pens, and maybe a typewriter."

Need advice on new MBP for College

Hey everyone, I am currently a Senior in High School and will be attending UMass Amherst in the fall and will most likely be studying Computer Science there. I have narrowed my search down to either the 13 inch 2.9ghz MBP or the 15 inch 2.3ghz.
Now with the 13 inch, I wouldn't be upgrading anything as I don't believe spending $270+ on a SSD is worth it. But if i get the 15 inch, i would upgrade the RAM from 4gb to 8gb and I'm thinking about adding the Antiglare screen. However, which would be easier on the eyes for starring a computer screen for hours programming, the 13 inch or the 15 inch? I know the 15 inch supports a couple more screen resolutions than the 13 inch but is it worth the extra money?
Also, which would be more portable to take to places like the library and to classes? I know its about a 1 pound difference but which is actually easier to lug around everyday?
Thanks for the help everyone.

If you are looking at the standard mac notebooks, not a retina model, then don't upgrade anything from apple. Just buy the base system that apple offers and you can do the ram and hard drive upgrade yourself for much less money then what apple charges for those same upgrades. Doing those upgrades yourself will not void your warranty. In fact the aftermarket ram and hard drive will come with a longer warranty than apple supplies.
I also suggest you buy the applecare warranty because to fix any mac computer once the standard warranty runs out can be costly. The applecare extended warranty will give you 2 more years of hardware warranty, making it a full 3 years of warranty, along with increasing the free phone tech support from 90 day to 3 years.

IMac iPad MacBook Pro for college?

As title says do you think an iMac in combination with a iPad I already be a good combination for college? I will be an IT major. Or do you think that a MacBook Pro trumps the combination?

I'd like to add to what bold_seagull and Michael Duquette1 said. I purchased a refurbished iMac 21.5 and was delivered just a few days ago. I can't find a single scratch on it and it works perfectly. Would definitely recommend you consider a refurbished Mac from the online Apple store and alongside purchasing AppleCare, you'll not be paying much more than for a new Mac without the extended AppleCare.
If you're allowed to take your laptop into the class (believe it or not, the department head of the IT dept. last year banned the use of laptops in the class room, until recently where we're allowed to use laptops in the class room now), then I'd recommend you opt for a MacBook Pro. They're pretty powerful and can do most demanding tasks. If you're looking for portability, get a 13" MacBook Pro. I've never owned nor do I know how heavy the 15" MacBook Pros are, but if you're looking for more screen space while having portability nonetheless, then opt for a 15" MacBook Pro (though the 15" MacBook Pros are obviously a bit expensive; but there probably are 15" models available to buy on the Refurbished Macs section of the Apple website often).
Otherwise, if you don't need to take your laptop into college much, perhaps consider an iMac instead? The iMac is obviously more powerful and the screens are big.
Hope this helps.

MBP GOOD FOR COLLEGE?

Will be buying a laptop for college and wonder if MBP or a PC would do me better. I will be running typical applications; internet, word, and the like. I have always used pc but am curious about all the buzz for apple lately and I will definately spend the money if I know its a better investment.
I see some online concerns about performance. I definately had issues with performance with pc's. They would get slow as ****. Is this evident on mbp? Should I load up on ram and get the 2.16 processor?
I am looking for speed and reliability. I was also curious...am i reading correctly when people say they are running apple os and microsoft os at the same time?
Happy to pay the money if the switch to apple is truly worth it in the long run.
Any advice would be greatly appriciated...Thank you in advance.

There are two things I would consider, having used a ThinkPad in college and now owning a MBP for work and going to med school next month.
First, how do you plan to use the laptop? The MBP is rather large compared to the tiny pullout desks in lecture halls and rooms. It also runs rather hot and probably not a good idea to use on the lap. It's also a bit heavy for an ultra-portable. The MacBook is smaller, but still heavy. As an undergrad, I brought my ThinkPad to class every day but never did I take notes with it, rather I used it to keep myself entertained. So, if you don't plan on using a notebook in class, the MBP is a good desktop replacement for the dorm or apartment.
Second, what major are you, what apps will you need? Make sure apps you may need will run on a Mac if you get a Mac. I was a bio major and didn't need anything beyond Word and Powerpoint. Both run great under Windows, but the Mac versions are strange (and I almost hate them in comparison, while others love Mac Office). Until Microsoft releases the next version of Office that will run natively on a Mac, using Office on a Mac under Rosetta is rather slow.
You can use Parallels to run Windows within OSX or use BootCamp to run Windows on the MBP. The latter isn't very convenient. I use the former to run some molecular modeling and database software on occasion an it works well. I don't know that it would satisfy me if I had to use it regularly. In other words, don't count on either feature to make up for needing a Windows PC.
Anyway, if you're just going to be running Office and internet, I'd get a MacBook, and perhaps use the remaining $5-800 and get a 20, 23, or 24" widescreen LCD (cheaper from someone other than Apple) for the dorm or apartment, which would make a nice little setup.

Powerful laptop for video editing?

Sometimes people ask what laptop to buy for video editing. My laptop has the following specification.
1 gigabyte graphics memory (NVIDIA GeForce GT 620M)
Intel core i7 3632qm CPU (quad core, 2.2 GHz with maximum 3.2 GHz).
5400 RPM hard drive in two partions C: and D:
6 gigabytes with RAM
I use Windows 8.1, with Windows settings for maximum performance.
I have spent more than 200 hours editing a project which is about 110 minutes long.
RAM, graphics card respectively CPU have been no limitation. But my hard drive must often work hard.
Partition C: became full with media cache files since my project is so big. So in the future I will put the media cache files on partition D: For this project I solved the problem by deleting those media cache files which were no longer needed.
Alright, I have been forced to split up my long project into smaller pieces. So I have projects which each contains a few hours with raw material, out of which there is about 10 minutes on the timeline. For each project I export a video file. These files I import into another project where I join them into one video file which is 110 minutes long.
I find it inconvenient when PE 12 needs more than one minute to load a particular project. This is the reason why I split up my long project into smaller pieces.
To avoid confusion, I never use video transitions. And I only use video effects when I am forced to correct poor footage. So in each project there is at most about a minute of footage to be rendered. I mean, even though I don't render, PE 12 works well.
I hope this will help those who need to buy a laptop for editing.

Thanks for the comments.
Sorry for this delay in answering. I didn't check if there was any comment because I didn't expect any.
a.
I should had expressed myself differently.
No, I have not monitored CPU usage because it is the hard drive which limits how fast my laptop works.
There is one advantage with having a track for video expanded rather than collapsed. One can see what one has already put on the timeline without moving the cursor. If one waits until the computer has generated pictures on the timeline.
But I realized that with my laptop one has to wait uncomfortably long for those pictures to be created. So it is faster to move the cursor to that position where I have guessed that I have already put the footage I want to find.
b.
I have not tested multiple monitors. Neither would I bother if CPU usage increased because it is the hard drive, not the CPU, which limits how fast my laptop works.
c.
I have not used Premiere CC so I have not checked the hardware requirements.
Unless I have misunderstood something, Premiere CC has somewhat higher hardware requirements than Premiere Elements. Understandable since professional camcorders use higher bit rate (more information per second) than cheaper camcorders.
So presumably I would be forced to split up my projects in even smaller parts to make everything manageable. On the other hand, using footage which is intra frame compressed rather than inter frame compressed would mean that the hardware needs to work less hard, so perhaps it would be possible to edit long projects.
At the same time, some professional programs can work with proxy files, and in that case the high bit rate for professional footage would be no problem.
Besides, unless something is wrong with my memory, Edius has somewhat lower hardware requirements than Premiere CC, so possibly that program would be more relevant for usage on my laptop.
Higher bitrate means that there is room for fewer hours with raw material on my single hard drive. So with 100 Mbps I would in practice be limited to creating movies which are at most about 40 minutes long.
One advantage with professional video editing software is that it can edit video with higher resolution than 1920*1080. But I doubt that would work on my laptop.
Thanks for your congratulations.
Yes it works. And after posting in another forum in my native language, another film maker commented that he had edited on a laptop with even less powerful CPU. For him it was also the speed of the hard drive which limited how fast his laptop worked.

I want to buy a laptop for my study in college. I need it for web browsing, youtube, words, powerpoint, and light-medium photoshop. Should I buy rMBP 13" or MBA 13" ? Thx

I want to buy a laptop for my study in college. I need it for web browsing, youtube, words, powerpoint, and light-medium photoshop. Should I buy rMBP 13" or MBA 13" ? Thx

Either - if you need the 'ultimate' in portability, buy the Air. But whichever you buy, make sure that you max out the RAM and the storage as neither the Air or the Retina MacBook Pro are user upgradeable.
Clinton

I am a college student trying to decide if I should get a laptop of an Ipad 3 for college work. Which one would be better suited?

Please specify pros and cons if possible.

Other posters here made good points. A laptop is pretty much a necessity.
Many colleges require a laptop for class, so you might want to check with the school. My younger son, starting his junior year in college, recently got an e-mail saying he must have a laptop for class. Other groups were required to buy a netbook directly from his university last year with pre-loaded programs.
You might also be required to have microsoft word, excel, etc. as my sons have to. If you get a laptop, and need/want microsoft word, etc., you might want to wait until you get to school and find two others in the same position with same type of laptop (pc or mac) and split the family pack. You'll save a lot of money.
Also, neither an ipad or a netbook (they all crawl and do not come with much memory - we have two) has a dvd drive, and that could make a big difference to you.
An ipad is fun and very portable. If you can get both, good for you. Enjoy!
We were pc users until less than two years ago. Our computers were fried by a microsoft security update. We now have two imacs and a macbbok pro. They are so much easier - no more viruses frying hard drives - at least three each on our son's laptops, replacing $80.00 adapters, etc. We have saved money because of this. My older son (just graduated) has the 13" macbook pro 2010 and still loves it - incredibly fast, reliable and long lasting battery. We do not plan on using pc's any more.
Many countries have the student discount where on a 13"macbook pro you get a $100. gift card for the app/itunes store and another $100. off the price of the macbook pro (so $1099.00). So when you're deciding on a laptop, you might take this student pricing into account. You must buy directly from an Apple store, Apple online or your Apple approved college bookstore. You don't need the retina display version, the added cost, or the additional weight of a larger model. With savings, you'll actually be paying $999.00. Also, if you buy apps for your macbook pro, those apps can be used on up to five authorized family imacs or macbook pros. Given the prices of some apps, that can be a great savings.
On the other hand, pc laptops keep improving (?) and might have sales because at at this point, they want to sell off the windows 7 versions before the new windows os comes out.
Whatever your decision, enjoy your new computer and college.

Do I need additional anti-virus protection for my Macbook Pro for everyday us than what is already on the laptop when you buy it?

I just purchased my Macbook Pro so it is brand new and I will only use my laptop for everyday use at college. So do I need extra protection for it and if I do what do you recomend.

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.
If you find this comment too long or too technical, read only sections 5, 6, and 10.
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. 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.
10. As a Mac user you don't have to live in fear that your computer is going to catch some terrible disease every time you install an application, read email, or visit a web page. But neither should you have a false sense of safety. The greatest harm done by security software is precisely its selling point: it makes people feel safe. They may then also feel free to take risks from which the software doesn't protect them. Nothing can lessen the need for safe computing practices.

What Malicious Software Removal Tool can I use for my Mac Book? I need do to do this for a College class.

What Malicious Software Removal Tool can I use for my Mac Book? I need do to do this for a College class.

You may find this User Tip on Viruses, Trojan Detection and Removal, as well as general Internet Security and Privacy, useful: The User Tip seeks to offer guidance on the main security threats and how to avoid them.
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-2435

Need to secure my laptop for college

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