Do You Need An Antivirus For Mac

Basically no and yes and that order! There are many forms of ‘Malware’ that can affect a computer system, of which ‘a virus’ is but one type, ‘trojans’ another.

Using the strict definition of a computer virus, no viruses that can attack OS X have so far been detected 'in the wild', i.e. In anything other than laboratory conditions. The same is not true of other forms of malware, such as Trojans. Whilst it is a fairly safe bet that your Mac will NOT be infected by a virus, it may have other security-related problem, but more likely a technical problem unrelated to any malware threat. You may find this User Tip on Viruses, Trojan Detection and Removal, as well as general Internet Security and Privacy, useful: The User Tip seeks to offer guidance on the main security threats and how to avoid them. More useful information can also be found here: www.thesafemac.com/mmg.

This is a comment on what you should and should not do to protect yourself from malicious software ('malware') that circulates on the Internet. It does not apply to software, such as keystroke loggers, that may be installed deliberately by an intruder who has hands-on access to your computer, or who has been able to log in to it remotely. That threat is in a different category, and there's no easy way to defend against it. If you have reason to suspect that you're the target of such an attack, you need expert help. If you find this comment too long or too technical, read only sections 5, 6, and 10. Students get avast antivirus pro for mac free.

OS X now implements three layers of built-in protection specifically against malware, not counting runtime protections such as,, system library randomization, and that may also guard against other kinds of exploits. All versions of OS X since 10.6.7 have been able to detect known Mac malware in downloaded files, and to block insecure web plugins. This feature is transparent to the user, but internally Apple calls it 'XProtect.'

The malware recognition database is automatically checked for updates once a day; however, you shouldn't rely on it, because the attackers are always at least a day ahead of the defenders. The following caveats apply to XProtect. As new versions of OS X are released, it's not clear whether Apple will indefinitely continue to maintain the XProtect database of older versions such as 10.6. The security of obsolete system versions may eventually be degraded.

Security updates to the code of obsolete systems will stop being released at some point, and that may leave them open to other kinds of attack besides malware. Starting with OS X 10.7.5, there has been a second layer of built-in malware protection, designated ' ' by Apple. By default, applications and Installer packages downloaded from the network will only run if they're digitally signed by a developer with a certificate issued by Apple.

Software certified in this way hasn't necessarily been tested by Apple, but you can be reasonably sure that it hasn't been modified by anyone other than the developer. His identity is known to Apple, so he could be held legally responsible if he distributed malware.

That may not mean much if the developer lives in a country with a weak legal system (see below.) Gatekeeper doesn't depend on a database of known malware. It has, however, the same limitations as XProtect, and in addition the following. • It can easily be disabled or overridden by the user. • A malware attacker could get control of a code-signing certificate under false pretenses, or could simply ignore the consequences of distributing. • An App Store developer could find a way to, or the due to human error.

For the reasons given above, App Store products, and other applications recognized by Gatekeeper as signed, are safer than others, but they can't be considered absolutely safe. 'Sandboxed' applications may prompt for access to private data, such as your contacts, or for access to the network. Think before granting that access. Sandboxing security is based on user input. Never click through any request for authorization without thinking. Starting with OS X 10.8.3, a third layer of protection has been added: a 'Malware Removal Tool' (MRT).