My son sent me a recent article recommending the use of antivirus protection on my iMac and MacBooks. The article indicates more threats to Macs today than PCs. What are the current thoughts on antivirus/malware use?
Thank you in advance!
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Mike F
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Current Thoughts On Antivirus Protection?
Comments: 4 Responses to “Current Thoughts On Antivirus Protection?”
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You don't need to install any anti-virus software on your Mac. It already has that built in.
While there are more "threats" technically, most of those are from people installing software that they shouldn't trust, and then they get adware or annoying ad-ons with that software. Simply don't install any software on your Mac unless it is from the Mac app store or from a site you absolutely trust. If you aren't sure if you should trust a site, then don't download anything from it until you find out more and are sure.
See https://macmost.com/the-best-mac-anti-virus-software.html and http://macmost.com/do-macs-need-antivirus.html
I use Sophos Home Free. It is more than A/V protection, it is also malware protection. The paid version offers so much more, but if you are a careful person when browsing or viewing email, it probably isn’t something you really need.
Thank you for your responses!
After watching (hearing) your comments about anti malware and mac cleaning programs, I uninstalled Clean My Mac, Alvira, and Malwarebytes. My mid-2011 iMac, which had been running very slowly, grunting to open some programs, sprang to life. It's like a miracle. I am about to upgrade to a 2019 iMac because the operating system is not likely to be supported much longer, but I will not install any malware again. Thanks for the good info!