Do I need antivirus for iMac

Johnny11

Hi there
Just want to know do you use antivirus for Mac as on apple website it said it is not needed
Thanks

Zcott

Nope.

bliger

Johnny11 wrote: »

Hi there
Just want to know do you use antivirus for Mac as on apple website it said it is not needed
Thanks

As above. Welcome to haven!

ZENER

I don't use an AV per say but I do have MBAM (Was Adware Medic) which I run from time to time.

Ken

JonMac

I run ClamXav occasionally. It sometimes picks up a phishing event.

Zcott

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Stop spreading this misinformation please for the love of all that is holy.

Alright - can you tell me which viruses have infected your Mac and why they haven't affected mine?

FourFourRED

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Stop spreading this misinformation please for the love of all that is holy.

He's right. There is no need to install AV software on a Mac.

Keep your Mac up to date and change your settings to only allow App Store and trusted developer built apps to be installed.

AV Software will most likely do more harm than good - (slow down your machine).

MrVestek

No... no... Lightning... they don't need AV software.

Apple will totally look after them after their machines get infected with something akin to Thunderstrike right? RIGHT?!

FourFourRED

Also, when crossing the road make sure to wear a helmet and a full coat of armour, because someone might run you down.

Zcott

That may be your experience in IT looking for malware to throw at a Mac, but my experience as a day to day Mac user hasn't yielded any viruses, malware or attacks. The same is also true for my family, who have been using Macs since the mid-80s.

I still maintain: AV is not necessary for a Mac. With the right settings on Gatekeeper and only using software from the Mac App Store, you will not need AV.

FourFourRED

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Its still wrong and its not the right think to be telling people either. Just because you haven't had a crash do you still have car insurance or surgery do you have medical insurance?

My point is your blowing these threats out of proportion.

Day to day users who aren't stupid, won't be affected.

As my comparison to crossing the road checking right and left and not just closing your eyes, you'll be fine.

But you keep pushing the agenda, making people waste money on AV they don't need & as a result slowing down their Mac with a resource hogger.

Tony EH

Johnny11 wrote: »

Hi there
Just want to know do you use antivirus for Mac as on apple website it said it is not needed
Thanks

One of the great myths about macs is that they can't be infected. This, like all the other mac myths is pure bunkum.

If you're smart enough, you'll avoid infection. Just like if you're a smart PC user you'll avoid infection too.

I've owned a computer (of some description) for over 20 years and I have never had a virus infect any of them. For the last 10 of those years, I've used a free AV software program called Avast, which I have been more than satisfied with. They make one for the mac too.

Download that and see how you go. But above all, just be careful where YOU go.

OU812

Didn't use one for over 10 years & then a friends Mac was infected with ransoms are through a torrent so decided at that point to get one.

Better to have it & not need it than vice versa.

Zcott

Zcott wrote: »

That may be your experience in IT looking for malware to throw at a Mac, but my experience as a day to day Mac user hasn't yielded any viruses, malware or attacks. The same is also true for my family, who have been using Macs since the mid-80s.

I still maintain: AV is not necessary for a Mac. With the right settings on Gatekeeper and only using software from the Mac App Store, you will not need AV.

LOL my experience driving a car day to day is I do not have accidents therefore I do not need car insurance.

And no we do not "Look for malware to throw at a Mac" we work in Incident response so we get called AFTER the endpoint is infected.

MrVestek

Deleted User wrote: »

LOL my experience driving a car day to day is I do not have accidents therefore I do not need car insurance.

And no we do not "Look for malware to throw at a Mac" we work in Incident response so we get called AFTER the endpoint is infected.

No Niall... don't be silly.

Fruity computers don't get viruses... said some bloke on a forum. FACT.

IamMetaldave

This mentality is madness. I am a Mac User and have had AV on Air since I got it. I too work in IT Security and study computer security and there are plenty of reasons for you to have AV protection and there are a number that have a very low impact. The other side of things is how would you ever know you had an infection unless you have something to tell you? A key logger for instance?

MrVestek

IamMetaldave wrote: »

This mentality is madness. I am a Mac User and have had AV on Air since I got it. I too work in IT Security and study computer security and there are plenty of reasons for you to have AV protection and there are a number that have a very low impact. The other side of things is how would you ever know you had an infection unless you have something to tell you? A key logger for instance?

Don't be silly Dave. Macs don't need AV because Viruses don't exist for Macs. Period. Fact.

People on an Internet forum told me so... so it must be true!

IamMetaldave

Sorry MrVestek... I must be losing my mind..

biko

MrVestek wrote: »

No Niall... don't be silly.
Fruity computers don't get viruses... said some bloke on a forum. FACT.

MrVestek wrote: »

Don't be silly Dave. Macs don't need AV because Viruses don't exist for Macs. Period. Fact.
People on an Internet forum told me so... so it must be true!

Posted twice for extra silliness.

As to OP, you may or may not need it but you're better off having some protection than none at all. Particularly if you use computer to torrent, or visit dodgy sites.

RoyalMarine

Do virus / malware exist for Mac's: YES.

Can your home / work Mac get infected: YES

Do Apple recommend protection: NO

Why? Apple have designed their OS to limit/restrict application access through GateKeeper and SIP.

Does it always work: depends on what your doing.

Safe browsing, downloading and being aware of what you click on, what websites you go to and what you install will help protect you. This is does NOT mean your 100% safe.

Encrypt ware and browser exploits are real threats.

Virus and malware developers do develop them for Mac's. It's silly to think they don't. But the risk is slightly lower than a Windows user as there are more machines running Windows than Mac.

You are not safe unless you have adequate and updated OS, programs, anti virus and anti malware software, regardless of who you are and what you do. But the risk is lower by having some cop on and being aware.

If your going to visit torrent websites, protect your self using malware bytes.
If your turning off gatekeeper and SIP, get an anti virus.

I've worked in Apple support and spent countless hours fixing malware ridden Mac's.

Sad Professor

Johnny11 wrote: »

Hi there
Just want to know do you use antivirus for Mac as on apple website it said it is not needed
Thanks

Hi Johnny,

I've been using Macs for two decades and my advice on this question has remained mostly unchanged over the years. As other have mentioned, yes, viruses and malware exist for the Mac, but they aren't a widespread problem and not something most Mac users need to worry about at the moment. If/when that changes you'll know about it. In the meantime as long you keep your OS up-to-date, AV software isn't really necessary. This is even more true if you stick to apps downloaded from the Mac App Store which are all approved by Apple.

I don't run any AV software on either of my two Macs. One of which is running 24/7. However, I've been constantly told by PC users on this forum over the years that the Mac Virus Apocalypse is imminent, so once a year I install a free virus scanner and do a scan. It's never found any threats on either of my two Macs.

There are exceptions, of course. If you are connected to a public or work network and/or share a lot of files with Windows machines, AV software is probably a good idea if not already required to stop you spreading Windows viruses to Windows machines. Also if you browse a lot of dodgy websites, caution is definitely recommended. But tbh even AV software isn't going to protect you from yourself. Trojans that trick the user into thinking they are legitimate apps are probably a bigger threat to Mac users than other types of malware. Ironically many of these pass themselves off as anti-virus apps, e.g. MacKeeper.

Anyway this is a controversial topic. Mac users who have spent years living in a virus free bubble can across as very smug any time this issue comes up. Windows users find this extremely annoying and they are not wrong to argue that Mac users are foolish to be complacent, but they also tend to exaggerate the threat. I recommend you do your own research and decide for yourself.

FourFourRED

Summed up perfectly above.

People who have been arguing the "Yes" side working in the IT security area of things are presented with clients/customers on the extreme end with infected machines (most likely from very careless use) and therefore warn every user they need AV, when in the reality, 99.9% of Mac users won't.

I don't think it's being smug saying we haven't got viruses as Mac users, just trying to be honest with those asking.

The one thing I would recommend, which has been mentioned before, is Malwarebytes. A free app that doesn't hog resources. Run every so often to make sure you're clean of Malware.