do we need anti virus, spy bots removers?
- Thread starter Thaifood
- Start date
Deleted member 651465
D
Deleted member 651465
No
Soldato
+1
Soldato
I've been using nothing since 2006, and never had a problem.
My mate uses Sophos on his Mac which is apparently free. He claims it only ever detects Windows trojans.
My mate uses Sophos on his Mac which is apparently free. He claims it only ever detects Windows trojans.
If your on a network with windows pc's i think it could be a good idea to have a/v to stop the risk of infections on those computers.
Soldato
Never used one when I was using Macs for a good few years, never had any issues whatsoever
Commissario
No.
Deleted member 651465
D
Deleted member 651465
There is no protection against user stupidity.
TBH that's the case for a properly updated windows machine as well.
It's very rare that a worm will strike a newer version of Windows. Malware almost always occurs because someone has downloaded and installed a dodgy bit of software...
There are still dodgy jpgs and java code injection? Apple dictatorially disable old versions of flash and java remotely, making your browser pointless until you are forced to upgrade.
Soldato
I wonder how many of the half a million+ Mac botnet victims were told "no" when they asked whether their Macs were vulnerable?
OP, you're not the first asker of this question to get a poor response from this forum, and unfortunately you won't be the last. Those who nonchalantly dismiss the idea out of hand aren't doing you any favours. A better answer is very much "it depends".
If you only boot your Mac up on a Sunday to download your photos and send a couple of emails then no, it's likely not necessary. On the other hand if your Mac has any sort of business-critical function, connects to any and all kinds of external media and/or public/unknown networks, and is used to open lots of unsolicited mail, then you're very much in the "maybe" camp in my opinion.
Is it a minimum requirement for Macs to be running some kind of third party antivirus? No, I wouldn't say so. Your best defence is a well-rounded approach - good online practises, keeping your software up-to-date, configuring your OS properly, backups etc.
You need to decide for yourself whether it's worth the additional overhead (whatever that may be) in your situation. I would avoid taking Apple-centric forum advice as canon because it's often entrenched in old ideas and based on little or no contextual detail and massive assumptions. Case in point: this thread. Nobody has even asked you what version of OSX you're running.
Similarly a lot of "Mac malware" information you can find on the web is too polarized to be useful (it's generally either a complete whitewash, or a security company inflating the threat to sell software)
Do your research, but with a critical eye.
OP, you're not the first asker of this question to get a poor response from this forum, and unfortunately you won't be the last. Those who nonchalantly dismiss the idea out of hand aren't doing you any favours. A better answer is very much "it depends".
If you only boot your Mac up on a Sunday to download your photos and send a couple of emails then no, it's likely not necessary. On the other hand if your Mac has any sort of business-critical function, connects to any and all kinds of external media and/or public/unknown networks, and is used to open lots of unsolicited mail, then you're very much in the "maybe" camp in my opinion.
Is it a minimum requirement for Macs to be running some kind of third party antivirus? No, I wouldn't say so. Your best defence is a well-rounded approach - good online practises, keeping your software up-to-date, configuring your OS properly, backups etc.
You need to decide for yourself whether it's worth the additional overhead (whatever that may be) in your situation. I would avoid taking Apple-centric forum advice as canon because it's often entrenched in old ideas and based on little or no contextual detail and massive assumptions. Case in point: this thread. Nobody has even asked you what version of OSX you're running.
Similarly a lot of "Mac malware" information you can find on the web is too polarized to be useful (it's generally either a complete whitewash, or a security company inflating the threat to sell software)
Do your research, but with a critical eye.
Soldato
- Joined
- 29 Dec 2009
- Posts
- 7,232
^ +1000
Soldato
We didn't need to.
Exhibit A : http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=26628279&postcount=1995
One brand new rMBP 13", therefore it's running OS X 10.9.
Soldato
I'd say so. Then again what do I know? My advice is tainted by being "entrenched in old ideas and based on little or no contextual detail and massive assumptions".
No, it's a false sense of security.
See http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2014/03/21/apple-users-try-these-five-tips-for-better-mac-security/
Ignore step 5 as it's self-promotion nonsense.
The sophos software is also often the cause of some silly faults / kernel panics / random CPU hogging from what I've seen before.
@theheyes : tinfoil hat much?
Generally, don't be silly and install silly things, keep it up to date and you're fine from out of the box
@theheyes : tinfoil hat much?
Generally, don't be silly and install silly things, keep it up to date and you're fine from out of the box