firewalls etc.....

[wiiiiilllll]

hello, i just got an iBook and ive never really used a mac before...i was just wondering if i should be using any antivirus or firewall software. if so, does anyone recommend any good programs...preferably free downloadable ones ;-)

-wiiiiiilllll

 

[Lazyhound]

hello, i just got an iBook and ive never really used a mac before...i was just wondering if i should be using any antivirus or firewall software. if so, does anyone recommend any good programs...preferably free downloadable ones ;-)

-wiiiiiilllll

You should probably activate the built-in firewall (Apple Menu>System Preferences>Sharing>Firewall>Start). You may also want something that offers outbound protection, in which case I recommend Little Snitch. There is no Tiger-compatible AV software that I'm aware of, and it isn't currently necessary anyway.

 

[untamedhysteria]

there is av software available for tiger...like norton 10. currently there isn't viruses for the mac...the thing that you now would be concerned about is rootkits and trojans. but the basic mac firewall should prevent most of these, just as long as you don't download software from untrusted sources (p2p, hacker sites, ect). I've found out there are some vulnerabilites in mac osx where some trojans could be installed, so having an av or an anti-trojan software can be beneficial in the long run.

i also recommend using a nat router as a firewall, and a different software firewall that blocks outbound traffic...but then again, i'm paranoid

 

[untamedhysteria]

also, an av is internet friendly, meaning for all your pc buddies, you can potentially send viruses to them, even though they don't affect you, they of course affect them....so having an anti-virus is a good way of trying to help out your friends with their computers too...also, most universities now check for anti-virus software and won't let you connect to their internet unless you have one.