The past year has seen the shattering of the myth that Macs are impervious to malware. Despite this, I don’t run resident anti-malware software on either of my Macs, opting instead for a program that scans for viruses on demand. Am I tempting fate?
Another question might be whether I’m being inconsiderate to Windows users, by not using an antivirus solution that catches Windows viruses that pass through my system. Even if Mac viruses are pretty rare, a Mac user can still pass a Windows virus along to a Windows user, such as via email. Still, given the relative scarcity of Mac viruses, I prefer not to slow my system down with an always-on program. This is especially true with my Macbook Air, which is starting to show its age.
How about you? Are you running anti-malware software on your system? If no, why not? If so, what operating system do you use, and what are your anti-malware programs of choice? Let us know in the comments.
Doug says:
I’m running Intego’s Internet Security Barrier x4 (a couple versions old). I guess it’s doing what it’s supposed to do — haven’t had any problems so far. (Knock on wood.)
July 11, 2012 — 9:30 am
Evan Kline says:
I’m not familiar with that one, Doug. Usually, it doesn’t matter to much if the version of the app is outdated, so long as the virus definitions are kept up to date.
July 11, 2012 — 12:52 pm
Doug says:
I’m not endorsing them, though like I said, it works for me. But if you want more information, check them out at:
http://www.intego.com/
July 11, 2012 — 1:10 pm
Terry says:
I don’t run anti-virus software at all, ever, on any computer in my home, Macs or Windows. Anti-virus software is a cure worse than the disease.
This has been true since my first computer, a Radio Shack TRS-80.
July 11, 2012 — 6:42 pm
Evan Kline says:
I do hate how it can bog a system down, but at the same time, I feel that no matter how safe I think I am, there’s no way to know if you’re clean if you don’t check. That’s why I run a virus scanner on my Mac that only runs when I ask it to. It doesn’t stay on in the background.
July 14, 2012 — 10:27 am
Terry says:
Unfortunately, it is impossible for a virus scanner to detect all malware. I’m not willing to pay for, install, and run multiple programs and then still not know for sure whether the computer has malware or not. Instead, I keep my OS and application software up-to-date, don’t run risky stuff like peer-to-peer and torrent software, and stay away from sketchy websites.. So far, this has worked for me.
July 14, 2012 — 3:13 pm
saha says:
I’m ruing anti malware software on my computer. It detects malware but not completely.
July 18, 2012 — 3:47 am
Sneha says:
It can manage my computer very nicely but some of the malware is detecting properly. So it is getting some what difficult.
September 18, 2012 — 2:53 am