Which anti-virus program do you recommend?

My school requires that I install an anti-virus on my iBook G4. Which anti-virus program works better with Mac?

Look at these links.
The Mac Malware Myth
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/01/29/the-mac-malware-myth/
Should Mac Users Run Antivirus Software?
http://db.tidbits.com/article/9511
Reviews of Antivirus products for Apple Mac OS X
http://netsecurity.about.com/od/macav/Reviewsof_Antivirus_products_for_Apple_Mac_OSX.htm
Antivirus software is not really necessary on a Mac, however if you receive many emails and forward them to PC users it may help them. I don't use any AV SW on my Macs. If you want to use one to detect a virus on emails, get the freeware antivirus application for Macs - ClamXav @ http://www.clamxav.com/ .
SecureMac has a lot of info about Mac security. SecureMac has provided several freeware Trojan removal tools. Download them here:
iServices Trojan Removal Tool (OS 10.4 or later) Download at http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/30265/iservices-trojan-removal-tool
DNSChanger Removal Tool (OS 10.3 or later) Download at http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/26652/dnschanger-removal-tool
 Cheers, Tom

Similar Messages

Which free anti virus program to install on os x lion?

Hi;
which anti virus program do you advise to install on mac os x lion?

Mac 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 Mac malware takes the form of trojans that can only operate 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 software, such as a “codec” or “plug-in,” that comes from that same site, or an unknown 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” versions of commercial software downloaded from a bittorrent are likely to be infected.
Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash, must be downloaded directly from the developer’s website. No intermediary is acceptable.
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're all counter-productive. If you need to be able to detect Windows malware in your files, use ClamXav -- nothing else.

Which anti-virus app?

In order to get into the network at my university I must posses a anti-virus package. They're offering for free F-Secure or Virex.There is also ClamXav that I've heard of. If I have to do this, which of all the anti-virus apps would you recommend? Also, Is it possible to just set up a standard user account with the anti-av on it and not have it affect any of my other accounts?
Thanks Andrew

See my "Detecting and avoiding malware and spyware" FAQ for my recommendations as well as a list of some recent Mac OS X security threats that have emerged, including Trojans, rootkits, and spyware. The FAQ also addresses some of the usual arguments against installing an anti-virus solution on a Mac that often arise in discussions of this topic.
While some believe that anti-virus solutions are not required on a Mac, I feel that's ignoring the fact that threats are emerging and that security exposures continue to be found, albeit eventually closed, in Mac OS X, as in any other operating system. Even Apple now recommends that one should "check for viruses."
Good luck!
Dr. Smoke
Author: Troubleshooting Mac® OS X
Note: The information provided in the link(s) above is freely available. However, because I own The X Lab™, a commercial Web site to which some of these links point, the Apple Discussions Terms of Use require I include the following disclosure statement with this post:
I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from my recommendation or link.

Question: Do I need to run and anti virus program with MAC OSX Lion? Have heard different opinions! If so what would you recommend? Was looking at Sophos. Does anyone have any experience with this? Thanks

Question: Do I need to run and anti virus program with MAC OSX Lion? Have heard different opinions! If so what would you recommend? Was looking at Sophos. Does anyone have any experience with this? Thanks

Do I need to run and anti virus program with MAC OSX Lion? Have heard different opinions!
You will continue to hear different opinions here, where thoughts range everywhere between "anti-virus software is the evil spawn of Satan" to "anyone not running anti-virus software is a fool."
Truth is, this is still a very personal decision on a Mac. Depending on circumstances, it is still very easily possible to stay safe without using anti-virus software, but circumstances and personal preferences vary widely. Besides which, anti-virus software cannot even remotely provide you a guarantee of protection!
To learn how to stay safe (with or without anti-virus software), and how to decide whether to use anti-virus software, see my Mac Malware Guide.

Does Mac recommend an anti virus program?

Hi,
My MacBook has been acting up lately... shutting down when its fully charged and then saying that it resets the date to Jan 2000. If anyone has see this and knows if its a virus or maybe my kids hit the wrong keys. If it is a virus what is an apple recommended anti virus program? let me know. Thanks so much
Shari<3Mac

Infact! There are viruses for macs. Anyone who says differently doesn't know anything they are talking about. WINDOWS viruses don't have any impact on macs but windows viruses can still be transfered through macs. I have antivirus software Norton Antivirus 12. It helps protect against any viruses wheather its windows or mac. There are far less viruses for macs and Apple is usually pretty good and patching the security fixes in their OS. I recomend atleast turning on your firewall with can be found in the system preferences inside security. Firewalls allow access to trusted programs that you approve of. The first time you turn it on, everytime your open up a program that connects to the internet, you will be prompted with a message asking you to allow or block the program from accessing the internet. Simply click allow this action everytime and it'll be saved within the settings. I actually run Norton firewall and Apples firewall. Neither of them interfer with each other but the norton firewall is not needed really.
Mac viruses probably, and this is an estimate, <1% of all computer viruses out there. They are not known for getting viruses because of how little there are.

My mac is infected with viruses, Safari can not normally search for constantly appear commercials and some unknown site. What to do? antivirus free program that you recommend?

my mac is infected with viruses, Safari can not normally search for constantly appear commercials and some unknown site. What to do? antivirus free program that you recommend?

You may have installed the "VSearch" trojan, perhaps under a different name. Remove it as follows.
Malware is constantly changing to get around the defenses against it. The instructions in this comment are valid as of now, as far as I know. They won't necessarily be valid in the future. Anyone finding this comment a few days or more after it was posted should look for more recent discussions or start a new one.
Back up all data before proceeding.
Step 1
From the Safari menu bar, select
          Safari ▹ Preferences... ▹ Extensions
Uninstall any extensions you don't know you need, including any that have the word "Spigot," "Trovi," or "Conduit" in the description. If in doubt, uninstall all extensions. Do the equivalent for the Firefox and Chrome browsers, if you use either of those.
Reset the home page and default search engine in all the browsers, if it was changed.
Step 2
Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:
/Library/LaunchAgents/com.vsearch.agent.plist
Right-click or control-click the line and select
          Services ▹ Reveal in Finder (or just Reveal)
from the contextual menu.* A folder should open with an item named "com.vsearch.agent.plist" selected. Drag the selected item to the Trash. You may be prompted for your administrator login password.
Repeat with each of these lines:
/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.vsearch.daemon.plist
/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.vsearch.helper.plist
/Library/LaunchDaemons/Jack.plist
Restart the computer and empty the Trash. Then delete the following items in the same way:
/Library/Application Support/VSearch
/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/Jack
/System/Library/Frameworks/VSearch.framework
~/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/ConduitNPAPIPlugin.plugin
Some of these items may be absent, in which case you'll get a message that the file can't be found. Skip that item and go on to the next one.
This trojan is distributed on illegal websites that traffic in pirated content. If you, or anyone else who uses the computer, visit such sites and follow prompts to install software, you can expect much worse to happen in the future.
You may be wondering why you didn't get a warning from Gatekeeper about installing software from an unknown developer, as you should have. The reason is that this Internet criminal has a codesigning certificate issued by Apple, which causes Gatekeeper to give the installer a pass. Apple could revoke the certificate, but as of this writing, has not done so, even though it's aware of the problem. This failure of oversight has compromised both Gatekeeper and the Developer ID program. You can't rely on Gatekeeper alone to protect you from harmful software.
*If you don't see the contextual menu item, copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. 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.

With the recent amount of publicity of macs being targeted with viruses, it recommended to install an anti-virus program such as kaspersky

Is the mac mini safe against virus attacks or do I need to install a anti-virus program such as kaspersky. I normally check for updates and all my equipment religiously, can some please advise.
Thanks
rachealfromva

"Viruses" have not been the real issue on Macs. The real issues
have been malware and trojans. In these cases, the user is most
likely lured into believing that they must download certain software
and the user actively accepts it. The other case is users that try to
beat the system by downloading software from "warez" sites trying
to get out of paying for software. Torrent sites are also a favorite target
for trojans and malware as well.
The best defense against these sort of attacks is:
-If you didn't request it, don't accept it.
-If a site claims that you must download an upgrade
for a polpular plugin, Adobe Flash for example, go to
the plugin/software vendors site and verify that you
are not up to date and get it there.
-Only download and install software directly from vendor
sites and only from reputable vendors.
The one reason for AV software would be to check mail
that you may forward to Windows machines so as not
to affect them. And again, as far as mail, if it is unsolicited,
trash and delete and don't open any attachments or links.

VIRUS in my Mac BOOK .. When I bought my mac book 6 months ago, everything was perfect.. but then when I open some webpage..it comes a lot of ads or pages unsafe .. that before it didn't appear.. I don't know if have to download a anti virus program.HELP

VIRUS in my Mac BOOK .. When I bought my mac book 6 months ago, everything was perfect.. but then when I open some webpage..it comes a lot of ads or pages unsafe .. that before it didn't appear.. I don't know if have to download a anti virus program.HELP

Not a virus, but it is malware: The Safe Mac » Search Results » adware removal.
Helpful Links Regarding Malware Protection
An excellent link to read is Tom Reed's Mac Malware Guide.
Also, visit The XLab FAQs and read Detecting and avoiding malware and spyware.
See these Apple articles:
          Mac OS X Snow Leopard and malware detection
          OS X Lion- Protect your Mac from malware
          OS X Mountain Lion- Protect your Mac from malware
          About file quarantine in OS X
If you require anti-virus protection Thomas Reed recommends using Dr.Web Light from the App Store. It's free, and since it's from the App Store, it won't destabilize the system. If you prefer one of the better known commercial products, then Thomas recommends using Sophos.(Thank you to Thomas Reed for these recommendations.) If you already use Sophos, then be aware of this if you are using Mavericks: OS X Mavericks- Sophos Anti-Virus on-access scanner versions 8.0 - 9.1 may cause unexpected restarts
From user Joe Bailey comes this equally useful advice:
The facts are:
1. There is no anti-malware software that can detect 100% of the malware out there.
2. There is no anti-malware that can detect anything targeting the Mac because there
     is no Mac malware in the wild, and therefore, no "signatures" to detect.
3. The very best way to prevent the most attacks is for you as the user to be aware that
     the most successful malware attacks rely on very sophisticated social engineering
     techniques preying on human avarice, ****, and fear.
4. Internet popups saying the FBI, NSA, Microsoft, your ISP has detected malware on
    your computer is intended to entice you to install their malware thinking it is a
    protection against malware.
5. Some of the anti-malware products on the market are worse than the malware
    from which they purport to protect you.
6. Be cautious where you go on the internet.
7. Only download anything from sites you know are safe.
8. Avoid links you receive in email, always be suspicious even if you get something
    you think is from a friend, but you were not expecting.
9. If there is any question in your mind, then assume it is malware.

Do I need an anti-virus program on a MacBook?

I'm a brand new MacBook user. Just bought the 13-inch aluminum body version from Club Mac and it was delivered yesterday. The notebook is actually for my wife to be able to use while she's recovering from knee surgery in a couple of weeks and I thought it was time to branch our family out from PC's and Windows. So I'm setting up the MacBook for her to be able to use it...and for our family to get more literate on a Mac and it looks great! My question is do I need an anti-virus program and if so, which is a good one recommended by Mac users? NOTE: because my wife is familiar with Windows, I had XP service pack 3 installed and have VM Ware Fusion onboard to be able to run both Windows and Leopard for her convenience and to assist us. So there MAY be some Windows use on this MacBook, at least at first. All responses, replies, suggestions, welcome. THANK YOU.

Do You Need Anti-Virus Protection for Your Mac?
According to Rich Mogull's article, Should Mac Users Run Antivirus Software?,
"The reality is that today the Mac platform is relatively safe. There are hundreds of thousands of viruses and other malicious software programs floating around for Windows, but less than 200 are known to target the Mac, and many of those are aimed at versions of the Mac OS prior to Mac OS X (and thus have no effect on a modern Mac).
It's not that Mac OS X is inherently more secure against viruses than current versions of Windows (although it was clearly more secure than Windows prior to XP SP2); the numerous vulnerabilities reported and patched in recent years are just as exploitable as their Windows equivalents. But most security experts agree that malicious software these days is driven by financial incentives, and it's far more profitable to target the most dominant platform."
Mr. Mogull is a computer security expert. I recommend reading the entire article as it is quite informative.
For additional information on viruses, trojans, and spyware visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQs on viruses and spyware.

Anti Virus program for Windows Conversion

I am planning to put VMware Fusion onto my ProMac in order to transfer many of my former PC programs. Hearing that AVG was a very good Anti virus program, I e-mailed them about which of their products I could use. They informed me that they are not compatible to Mac, even though I'd be using it for my Windows conversion program. Does anyone have any recommendations as to what anti virus program works best in protecting my Windows conversion program on a Pro Mac?
Thannks,
3D Dad

I am not clear on what you mean by your "windows conversion program". If you are using Fusion... you will be running Windows. You should use whatever antivirus program you would feel comfortable with running on any Windows machine. While AVG is not the "best" antivirus program out there, it is considered an excellent free option. I have seen many test results that show acceptable performance. Without knowing the details of the internal tests conducted by David's company, I can't say if his results would reflect those of real world use (David... I'm not questioning your results... I'm just saying that without knowing more about the test... I can't take that as being anything more than someone just saying they tested it and it didn't work).
I am very against running any Symantec products on any of my systems (and I expect many here would agree). They tend to be resource hogs and very often cause more problems than they can fix. Kaspersky is considered on of the best "pay" antivirus programs out there and it's much more friendly on your system than Symantec's Norton Antivirus:
http://www.kaspersky.com/

How can i tell if I have malware and what anti virus program is best?

please suggest the best anti virus program and how I can determine if I have a virus

The fact that your bank account was hacked doesn't mean that you have a "virus," despite what the bank may have told you. It means either that the bank had a breach of its internal security, which it prefers to blame on you, or that you chose a weak password or weak security questions that someone was able to guess. The password should a be a random string of at least 10 random upper- and lower-case letters and digits. You don't need to, and should not be able to, remember it.

What's Best Anti-Virus Program for a Mac?

I know that most people think that Macs don't get viruses, but I'm a computer teacher in a public school and we recently got the W97M virus. It's in the Microsoft Word program, and although it may not hurt specifically our iMacs, it has caused other problems. We get frequent error messages and also the spinning ball, the latter of which could be caused by a number of reasons. Another teacher used her flash drive from school on her home computer, and the computer died. It was a PC, but she's not sure if it's from the virus or not.
Anyway, I depend on flash drives a lot to transfer documents I create at school to my home computer and vise-versa. Ever since I heard about this virus, and we've gotten other viruses too, I haven't used my flash drives on my home computer. I have a G5 with the 10.3.9 operating system that eventually I'd like to upgrade. The only two anti-virus programs I've seen the names of are iAntiVirus and ClamXAV. I thought that I had read a while ago that ClamXAV detects the virus but doesn't remove it. (or it may have been another anti-virus program) I would like one that not only detects it but also removes it, whether the program is a free one or one you have to buy. Also, I need one that is okay with my present operating system (OSX 10.3.9) and also will work with whatever the newest OSX system exists when I upgrade.
Thank you for your help.

The developer of ClamXav created a front-end (the GUI interface) for an open source back-end that actually does the real work. There are apparently ClamAV applications for other platforms.
So it seems like the developer is saying that the 1.1.1 version of ClamXav for Panther is the current front-end version, but the back-end "engine" is a slightly older version. The back-end for the Tiger and later version no longer works with Panther. But that should be OK, because the program downloads updated definition files as new malware is identified. Since the developer can no longer support creating a version for Panther, this version is the last one.
Also, ClamXav is a scanning program. It does not take any action to remove malware (as far as I know). It just tells you about what if finds, and it's up to you to remove or replace the compromised file. I my case, the only things it finds are malware embedded in spam/junk emails, so I just need to find and delete those emails.
Note: I had not used ClamXav in a long time, and the 1.1.1 version does not work in Snow Leopard. But there is a beta 2.0 version that does work with Snow Leopard.

When i download a file from the web i get "Anti-Virus Program not found " message. This has been happening since I change anti-virus programs for CA etrust to Sophos. How do I get Firefox to recognise my new Anti-virus program?

every time i download a file from the web (ie. a PDF file) i get "Anti-Virus Program not found " message. This has been happening since I changed anti-virus programs for CA etrust to Sophos. How do I get Firefox to recognise my new Anti-virus program?

That is a very good warning provided by the Download Statusbar extension. Something like that should been built into Firefox. I filed this Bug report a couple of years ago, about the lack of a warning like that. <br />
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=480855 <br />
I have looked everywhere that I can think of to find a list of '''IOfficeAntiVirus providers''' ''(as mentioned in the Bug report)'' that will work with Firefox, so I can't answer that for you.
You might want to ask the developer of the Download Statusbar extension about it. He might know which AV programs are compatible with the Windows API that Firefox uses for the download scan. <br />
http://dlstatusbar.proboards.com/index.cgi? <br />

When I opened up a new tab, I used to get the Speed Dial page. I like that. However, since I updated my AVG anti-virus program, now when I open a new tab, I get the AVG search page. Can I change it back so that I get the Speed Dial?

In the past, when I opened up a new tab, I used to get the Speed Dial page. I like that. However, since I updated my AVG anti-virus program, now when I open a new tab, I get the AVG search page. Can I change it back so that I get the Speed Dial?

I had that too. On the bottom right of the AVG search page is a link which leads you to where you can switch it off. This restores normal Speed Dial operation.
This hijacking has really cheesed me off. I've just downloaded Avast and am going to put it on in place of AVG.

Which anti virus software should I install and will it slow my MacBook Pro

Hello, in light of the Macs being infected by the Flash Virus, which anti virus is recommended and will it slow my computer down a whole lot?

Mac 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 that affects a fully-updated installation of Mac 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” versions 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 Mac 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. Migrate to a newer version of the Mac OS 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 ClamXav — nothing else.

Which anti-virus program do you recommend?

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