Quick Scan
NO, you don't need anti-virus software for your Mac.
Macs are not IMMUNE to viruses, there just aren't any real active ones yet.
Windows viruses will not effect your Mac, but you can spread them to others.
You should still be suspicious of downloading dodgy programs from the internet.
The situation might change as Macs become more popular.
Do I Need Virus Protection for My New Mac?
Short answer: No.
If you are switching over from the Windows world, this idea might seem uncomfortable. But as you get used to your new Mac, viruses will start seeming like Bad Things That Happen to Other People. Namely, Windows people.
(Disclaimer: I'm not a computer security professional, but I do try to keep abreast of these issues as best I can.)
But I've heard about new Mac viruses in the news
What's the deal with these, you must be thinking. Here's the thing to know as of Summer 2008: The Mac can be vulnerable just like other OS's. It's just that people are not writing and spreading Mac viruses and Mac users aren't being infected by any. Does this mean it's impossible? No. It just means that viruses are not a reality that we Mac users have to face right now.
There have been demonstrations of possible Mac viruses by security professionals. They exist, but they are usually just a proof of concept. These often catch on with over-hyped importance in the media so it often appears as if there is a threat. Also, Mac anti-virus companies will often seize on this news to try to make the threat credible, when what they are really trying to do is sell their software.
What about Windows Viruses?
Windows viruses can only bring down your Mac if you are running Windows on your Mac. And it will likely be contained in the Windows environment. Another thing to keep in mind is that a Mac can spread Windows viruses in files and emails like a Windows computer, but it won't be effected by them. So be aware of suspicious files and forwarding emails with random attachments to Windows users.
Does this mean I am safe using my Mac?
No, your Mac is not safe if you are connected to the internet. You are safe from viruses, but not from Trojan Horses and Phishing schemes. A Trojan horse is "a computer program that appears benign, but is actually designed to harm or compromise the system it is installed on." -Wikipedia.
These programs need your help to download and run on your computer. You download them through some sort of action on your part. Usually this is by tricking you by mislabeling a program from an unreliable site.
In the same way, Phishing is getting you to enter information on a malicious website by tricking you into thinking it's a legitimate website. The easiest way to defeat this attack is to NEVER click on a link from an email you received asking for a response from you. If you bank at Bank of America, never click on a Bank of America link in an email. ALWAYS type bankofamerica.com in your browser.
What should I do to minimize my risk?
There's a nice list of things to do to protect your Mac on MacGeekery.com called Basic Mac OS X Security. The page is a couple years old, but the advice holds true today. Personally, I only do Rule #3: Turn off Services You Do Not Use. Basically, this involves going to your Sharing prefs and only checking the boxes you need. Here's mine:
In particular, stay away from the "Remote…" items.
If you are concerned about Phishing schemes, you may want to use Firefox 3 as it has warnings when you are at a known Phishing site. Apple should hustle and add this feature to Safari.
So why no Mac viruses, anyway?
Many people have put forth various reasons why there aren't any real Mac viruses. Some say Apple does a great job of limiting the Mac's exposure. Some say the UNIX that Macs are built on has been time tested. The reason I think is the main factor is that Macs are just not worth Bad Guy's hassle when Windows provides a larger, easier target. It's a matter of market share. As long as Windows dominates and still has vulnerabilities, it will be more attractive to Bad Guys.
What concerns me about this theory is that Macs are really on the upswing, gaining market share quarter by quarter. I'm not saying the Mac will displace Windows anytime soon, but it might get big enough to be attractive. But I've been following this subject for years and I've heard year after year from Windows defenders, "Just you wait. You Mac guys will get yours." Well, I've had Macs for 18 years now and I'm still waiting.
What about you? Share your opinions and experiences in the Comments section below.
DIG DEEPER
Is There a Virus Threat for Macs? - Mossberg's Mailbox
Basic Mac OS X Security - Mac Geekery
Mac security not so much about the Mac - Cnet News
Anti-Virus On A Mac? Washington Post.com
Mac OS X Viruses: Put Up or Shut Up (part 1) - Wil Shipley
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Your Comments:
I would contend the age and experience developers have had with the source of Mac OS X (UNIX) is what makes Mac OS X difficult to crack, not the "security through obscurity" argument you present.
1) Malware writers are trained in Windows, not UNIX. They don't know how to crack the Mac OS, and don't try.
2) The Mac OS has easily exploited holes closed out of the box. Windows does not. Windows is easier to exploit--malware developers know how.
3) If someone were to create a virus that attacked millions of unprotected Macs, he would immediately achieve fame among malware writers, one of the things malware writers love. They don't know how.
While Mac users need not be concerned AT THIS TIME, caution and good computing practices, as you described, should always be followed. I would suggest Mac users on the internet should always check sites that would warn about any real attack on Macs and be prepared to purchase AV software and use it when it becomes necessary.
don
07/25/2008 at 09:07 AM
on related note, there's a new DNS flaw exposed, so-called cache poisoning.
this is not so much a virus or trojan horse issue but a phishing issue.
check this cnet article for more.
I have openDNS running which should be good enough for now.
Pirco
07/25/2008 at 09:44 AM
As for why no Mac viruses? It's simple... there's no equivalent to the the inherently insecure and unfixable "security zones" model... whereby the HTML control on Windows has to guess as to whether an applet has the rights to infect your computer based on where it's running from.
There are other security problems in Windows (and on the Mac), but that is such a "low hanging fruit" that until Microsoft backs out of the bad design they started shipping as "Active Desktop" in the late '90s it's going to remain the "soft target".
Resuna
07/25/2008 at 10:43 AM
I have never had any form of computer infection during this time.
As to the rumours that frequently spread around the web about the "vulnerabilities" that are available to hackers and others in the current Mac OS, so far all of these that are supposedly exploitable, rely on either cooperation or absolute stupidity by the end user to have any effect.
Richard Dalziel-Sharpe
07/26/2008 at 01:39 AM
I tell people who dont want viruses to get a MAC!!!! and they do even thought the cost is more im able to compare it to a windows computer and then people see that the price is about the same when you add security and other programs similiar to iLife..!!!!!!!!!!
Dave
07/31/2008 at 01:47 PM
A lot of the things that people think are reasons for the lack of viruses, like the multiuser security, are really no such thing. Once the application you're using is compromised, the virus writer doesn't actually NEED privileged access beyond what you already have.
So, for example, if Microsoft brought back IE for the Mac I would suggest treating it like it was a dose of pure Windows. And if you run Windows inside Parallels Desktop or VMWare Fusion, don't think you're safe from infection from those virtual machines unless you lock them down tightly and turn off things like "Unity".
Resuna
08/01/2008 at 07:14 AM
Not so. It may very well hurt your Mac. It's much more invasive than (for example) Haxies and people are leary of *them*. And I've definitely seen antivirus software trash Windows boxes.
Resuna
08/01/2008 at 07:16 AM
Anyways that's not the purpose of my post. My post is what about the malware? There needs to be protection around that? So a Mac may not be public enemy #1 for a virus but they are just a prone to malware as another computer. Both Safari and Firefox are the browsers of choice on the Mac platform. Suggestions?
Phildown
08/15/2008 at 08:07 PM
I write security software for a living. Part of that is using tripwire tools to verify the integrity of system files. Unless the viruses are targeting as-yet-unreleased versions of my tools and duplicating my hash functions they ain't there.
And, no, Macs are NOT as prone to malware as any computer where Internet Explorer is in use. The security model of IE (and any other application that uses the MS HTML control) is so broken that it's not possible to secure it. Microsoft more or less admits this: if you have ever used Windows Server 2003 or later, it comes with software to lock IE down to what they consider a secure level. This software prevents you from running ANY scripts, downloading ANY files, except on websites you EXPLICITLY mark as trusted. You can't even get files via FTP.
I suggest using Safari and making sure that 'Open "Safe" files after downloading' is disabled in preferences.
Resuna
08/16/2008 at 09:54 AM
1) Mac users have been rather vocal about their lack of vulnerability and this alone would give a mac hating bad guy the incentive to create a mac just to wipe the smile off our faces. This hasn't happened and macs have been cooing about being virus free for years now.
2) Banks and the Defense department have been using unix for donkeys years and they are a rather large target but, again, no virus has been written.
Bottom line - its too hard. Unix is too secure (not invincible mid you) for bad guys to be bothered with.
Renny Willins
08/30/2008 at 09:43 PM