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1. #Do i need antivirus for mac os x for mac os x#
2. #Do i need antivirus for mac os x software#
3. #Do i need antivirus for mac os x code#
4. #Do i need antivirus for mac os x mac#

#Do i need antivirus for mac os x code#

Microsoft senior security architect Rocky Heckman said AV became necessary when Apple in 2001 decided to underpin OS X Tiger with the BSD operating system because it made Macs an easier platform to write malicious code for.

#Do i need antivirus for mac os x mac#

Network security executive for IBM's security division ISS, John Pirc, told that he used AV on his Mac because it is "better to be safe than sorry".Īnother executive from encryption vendor RSA Greg Singh said the operating system doesn't matter - users should get used to the performance degradation that comes with AV because every platform is vulnerable.

#Do i need antivirus for mac os x for mac os x#

Given the appearance of malware for Macs, albeit small in number compared to Windows machines, there's growing consensus amongst security professionals that antivirus is a "must have" for Mac OS X systems. But over the past two years, attackers have started experimenting, typically by social engineering or luring a Mac user into downloading fake antivirus or codecs in order to bypass the application signing process that usually keeps a Mac safe. Many Mac users still avoid antivirus (AV) because of the belief that no one has made malware for Apple's platform. Whatever your thoughts, let us know in the comments as always.Video Do Mac OS X users really need antivirus and if so, why? recently posed the question to security professionals at the AusCERT 2009 IT security conference on the Gold Coast.

#Do i need antivirus for mac os x software#

What are your thoughts on anti virus protection in OS X? Do you use anti virus software on your Mac? With many choices out there, such as Intego VirusBarrier X6, AVG Link Scanner and Sophos’ free offering, there’s no shortage of options if you wish to.

The chances of a Mac being infected are negligible when compared to a Windows PC, but with the market share of Mac OS X continuing to rise, it may be necessary sooner than you might think. So what is the answer then? Do Mac OS X users need anti-virus software? At present I would say it isn’t a necessity.

It’s the same reason why there are very few Linux viruses out in the wild. In many ways, OS X could possibly be more secure than Windows, but the fact of the matter is that people in lots of countries all over the world still use Windows in favour of other operating systems every day.Ī lot of computer users in the world don’t even know that anything exists outside of Windows! Simply put, it’s a numbers game, and if you’re creating a virus, you want it to be present on as many machines as possible. I personally don’t believe that the reason for low amounts of malware on the Mac is due to Mac OS being a more secure operating system. It seems that around 10% US market share is the sweet spot for Apple: lots of developers, but not enough worldwide users to interest many malware developers.

There is a very active community of Mac developers, one which will only grow with the abundance of iOS devices in the market, as these developers make the move over to Mac OS X. Despite this, it still stands at single figures worldwide, unable to challenge Microsoft’s binding monopoly in the market.įor Apple though, this could be considered a very large blessing in disguise. Market share of the Mac has been steadily on the rise since the introduction of Mac OS X, the mini revamp the operating system saw with the introduction of Leopard, and especially since the iPhone came to market in 2007. Is this because OS X is more secure due to its UNIX back-end though, or is Windows simply a more tempting target for virus creators due to its mammoth market share? After all, there are very few viruses written for the Mac compared to the plethora of threats created for Windows systems. Many people argue that Macs are less likely to become infected because they’re more secure by nature. The most prominent virus infected just 4.62% of machines, and isn’t even capable of running on Mac OS X. Only 2 of these viruses were capable of executing on OS X, and the rest were designed for Windows.

Just the other day, we brought Sophos’ latest malware figures to you which showed that a small percentage of Macs were infected with various pieces of malicious software. The necessity of anti virus applications on Mac OS X has long been debated.