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gbf

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 13, 2019
901
560
Just opened my new MacBook Air and I am a big fan of antivirus and anti malware software.
Please give me recommendations.
Thank you!
 

gbf

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 13, 2019
901
560
The apple store sells Norton for a reason.
Look. I have sensitive info on my machine and I want to protect myself and my investment.
So getting back to the topic. Can anyone recommend a brand?
 

Fishrrman

macrumors Penryn
Feb 20, 2009
29,177
13,225
"Because Macs are vulnerable to viruses and malware."

There has never been a "Mac virus" discovered "in the wild".
Not. A. Single. One. Ever.

There is malware/adware/crapware.
Use MalwareBytes to handle that.
 

nutmac

macrumors 603
Mar 30, 2004
6,169
7,727
This thread is getting silly. Whether Windows-like virus for Mac exists or not is besides the point.

If you are careless and click "OK" and enter admin user password to allow some random app to be installed (e.g., fake app updater), your Mac can be infected with adware, trojan horse, or ransomware. And some MS Office files can be infected, which cause smaller damage, but damage nevertheless.

If you fall into these risks, then it's certainly advisable to have some protection.

Aforementioned Malwarebytes is probably the least intrusive, although it is also known to be protect less (but certainly good enough for most).

Sophos is more robust solution, but it tends to be more resource hungry than Malwarebytes.

P.S. I personally recommend updating security updates frequently, not lower default security settings, and avoid letting some random app to ask for admin password. And keep Malwarebytes in free mode for routine system scanning or cleanup prior to installing an app you downloaded from the website.
 

Dahoffman85

macrumors newbie
Feb 24, 2020
20
9
What is believed to be the first ever “in the wild” computer virus, Elk Cloner, was written on, for, and infected the Apple DOS OS on the Apple II. I know, I know, that’s technically not a “Mac” but just an interesting tidbit of info!
 

dickie001x

macrumors regular
Feb 13, 2008
147
98
 

Fredok

macrumors newbie
Apr 30, 2020
4
0
Hi, Im looking exactly for the same. In W10 I have Kaspersky Security, and I had the option to install it on my Macbook Pro 2015 retina. So when I bought the mac, I did it. In windows I don't have any complain with KAV, but on Macos Mojave, it makes my navigation so slow, even stop loading pages, so its frustrating, so now that my license is ending I'm looking for a better option for Macos. Is a known case with KAV with no solution and no response by them, so not recommended in Macos, in my experience.
 
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throAU

macrumors G3
Feb 13, 2012
9,137
7,294
Perth, Western Australia
Just opened my new MacBook Air and I am a big fan of antivirus and anti malware software.
Please give me recommendations.
Thank you!

Recommendations: run apps from the App Store (they're sandboxed), leave SIP/gatekeeper turned on, and keep up to date.

AV software is always a step behind, digital signature checking is more reliable and if you only run signed code from trusted locations such as the App Store, you'll be fairly safe. Just like iOS.

Safari does not have access to your documents folder at the OS level by default unless you permit it.


If you really want some AV software, clam-av is open source and I'd consider trustworthy (have run it in the past), but on the Mac, if you practice safe computing it is in my opinion a waste of time, battery life and CPU cycles.


ALSO: be aware that any AV software will by nature need full access/control of every location on your Mac. This means the AV software itself is a vector for exploitation; and it is not unheard of for AV software to in fact be infected with malware that exploits a bug in the AV software.
 
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Macsonic

macrumors 68000
Sep 6, 2009
1,709
100
I’m using Norton Security Anti-Virus. Generally running fine and does not slow down my Mac’s processing. The user interface is simple and easy to use. The AV app is not only for my Mac’s protection but also to Protect the other Macs and Windows of the team, clients, suppliers’ docs and files being exchanged daily. On my other HD I have TrendMicro Anti-Virus installed. I have a contract with a client and he required that I have TrendMicro in my Mac. TrendMicro also works fine.

One time I tried BitDefender trial app and removed it. It slowed down my Mac and I noticed the CPUs running hot when this app is scanning.
 

throAU

macrumors G3
Feb 13, 2012
9,137
7,294
Perth, Western Australia
The big problem I have with AV on the Mac is that apple already do a pretty good job of sandboxing and restricting non-trusted code execution (assuming you leave the protections turned on) in modern macOS to protect your data/system from random stuff on the internet.

Any AV software requires you to give that AV software full access to the machine, and to be honest I do not trust most of the AV vendors to write properly bug-free and non-exploitable software in windows, let alone on the Mac which I feel is minimum effort for them due to the smaller market, less prevalent viruses, etc.

So on balance I actually feel virus scanners on the Mac are more likely to be trouble (and a potential security hole that would not exist on the machine without it) than not. I mean Norton? Mcafee? don't make me laugh - that stuff has been virtually malware itself for almost 2 decades at this point.
 

09872738

Cancelled
Feb 12, 2005
1,270
2,125
The apple store sells Norton for a reason.
Look. I have sensitive info on my machine and I want to protect myself and my investment.
So getting back to the topic. Can anyone recommend a brand?
Technically, even IF - and that is debatable - AV software were able to detect theats, there is still a catch: AV software is notorious for opening security holes itself. By and large I‘d recommend using no AV software on desktop/laptops.
If you are in a position where security is key, add a dedicated solution (think: deep packet inspection firewall, etc) to your lineup
Desktop AVs do nothing really to elevate your level of protection
 
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