Anti Virus & Spyware for Mac

[cjs]

I am brand new to Apple and Mac, I have just bought a new Macbook and am learning as I go. I am being told by my colleagues that I don't need to bother with AV or AS on a Mac, is this the case?? I am also running third party software, Firefox, Mac office, Adobe etc, I have not set up Boot camp yet but will need to do so to run some applications.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

Chris.

[Bacardi]

As things stand, you don't need virus protection etc. on a mac, Just keep the firewall on. Things like Norton seem to cause more trouble than they are worth and are pointless as they have nothing to protect you from (again, as things stand). If you run Windoze under boot camp then do as you would do in the PC world... install everything!

[PJR]

Yes, if and when you put windows on it, then you need to install the works and then some. Just as you would with any other PC, because essentially, it is a pc.

But OS X is a whole different story.. It needs next to nothing by way of extra security. I know some folks who don't even have a FireWall yet still have absolutely zero problems.

I've had Macs and been on the net for 12 years or so now. Never had a single virus or trojan. And I myself often didn't have a FireWall either during that time.

AV software for macs does exist mind. But my brief experience with it was that it is quite intrusive. And ultimately protects the mac from sod all anyway. What it does do however, is find and detect any PC nasties that may have found their way onto your Mac, and stop you unintentionally spreading them to your PC using comrades by email or whatever..

P,

[HiRich]

I'm not aware of any active spyware, and only one virus for OSX that made it into the wild. However there are security risks, and rumours of OSX being in malicious hackers' sights. So while not really a problem, it's worth keeping abreast of developments. I would recommend:
- Your router and computer firewalls will stop a lot of risks.
- Check Software Update regularly (tip: always wait a week after release, just in case Apple make a huge screw up - it has happened)
- Don't waste money on Norton Security or whatever, at least for the moment.
- ClamXAV open source anti-virus freeware is available (though its benefit is more to stop you passing a virus on to your PC mates). It's slow compared to commercial packages and a bit clunky, but does have definitions update over the net and works quite well (though mine has just freaked out and needs re-installing).
- As a virus is big news in the Mac world, an RSS feed to one of the major sited (Mac World UK, MacMinute, MacSlash) would be a smart move. Any rumour of malware gets reported (along with analysis of the risk and progress on patching it), plus you will get the head-up on Apple updates and other news. Just check it every other day and follow up any interesting stories.

[cjs]

Thanks for all the helpful replies, this backs up the info I am getting from other Mac users at work, does OSX have a built in firewall?? If so where do I find it? Is there a 3rd party firewall I should consider? I log on at work via the network which has a firewall however if I am using Airport I need to make sure I'm protected.

Chris

[PJR]

Yes, OS X has a built in firewall, so you are unlikely to need a 3rd party one. I have my OS X firewalls turned off however, as my wireless router already has one built in.
You can find the firewall at System Prefs > Internet & Network > Sharing, then hit the 'firewall' button/tab.

P,

[jimothy]

I believe it was the symantec anti virus tool that flagged system files as virus and trashed macs a while ago. More trouble than they're worth!