Read this about Apple pushes anti-virus for Macs

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Permalink Reply by Ron Knights on December 2, 2008 at 4:56am

I'm pretty confused over this whole issue.

The article really didn't explain things to my satisfaction.

I thought I'd heard that Macs are well=protected against such problems... Maybe there is something in the OSX operating system that protects us? Then I heard it's just because we're a smaller target than the PC world.

I avoid McAfee like the plague. I've experienced many problems with McAfee when using a PC. For the same reason I avoid Symantec's antivirus program. (It used to be good, but has become worse over recent years.)

I've heard good things about ClamAX (spelling?)

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Permalink Reply by OneSide on December 4, 2008 at 1:52pm

Macs are well protected since they are based on a BSD kernel which is constructed with fairly good security. While Macs are not immune to viruses, they are certainly less susceptible to them by design. The Windows NT Kernel that Windows (NT/2000/XP/Vista) is based on actually has similar provisions but most people make their daily use user account with administrative privileges. If they created a daily use user account with limited privileges, things wouldn't be able to access critical core components. I'm not sure why this is never addressed with people that use Windows. Basically most Windows users are running as "root" on a daily basis, which as every *nix variant person knows is a big no-no. There are actually viruses for Mac and Linux, certainly in lesser number than Windows, but if someone is running with properly configured user privilege settings (as Mac and *Nix variants are by default), viruses wouldn't be able to damage critical system files.

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Permalink Reply by Glenn Dusting on December 2, 2008 at 4:56am

I have VirusBarrier installed. I got it for two reasons:

1. Prevention is better than cure - there will be a major Mac virus it's just a matter of time
2. Don't want to be a carrier - it ensures that I don't pass on any windows viruses to my friends.

If you're a Mac user you should really think about getting a virus checker. Those who think that Macs are immune to viruses well... pride comes before the fall.

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Permalink Reply by Darren on December 4, 2008 at 1:44pm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/technology/2008/12/mac_malware_were_we_w...

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Permalink Reply by Ron Knights on December 4, 2008 at 2:55pm

There are some very big problems if you use Vista as a limited user. It has something to do with the way Vista handles Poser installation and files.

That problem alone is a deal breaker for me... There are other such issues that I'd remember, given some time... But I have a tendency to make my judgment on experience, then move on.

Now, OSX has a nice feature. It often asks for your password when you install or run some programs.

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Permalink Reply by JavaWizKid on December 4, 2008 at 3:00pm

They were mistaking Macs for Windows with an OSX theme :P I'm never going pay for an antivirus package for my Mac and certainly not my PC. I find that the free ones generally find MORE viruses than the ones you pay for!!! My friend had McAfee antivirus and it found 2 viruses on his PC. I then asked him to try AVG, guess what, it found 6 viruses! That is 4 which McAfee didn't find! I'm not going to install any antivirus software on my Mac yet as I'm not foolish enough to allow some unknown package to gain access to my password. Since any virus needs your master password to do any real damage, I think I'm safe without antivirus on my Mac for the moment.

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