Anti-Spyware and Anti-Virus for Mac?

Question

Do I need them? Running OX 10.4.11 on a PowerBook G4 and want to know is it safe without them? Working with Mac for a couple of years now and always felt they were less susceptible to disease.

I get messages every so often from websites that my computer is at risk. What can you recommend for me as a download or an in-store purchase if necessary, for either Anti-Spy/Virus protection?

Anything free and safe would benefit most!

Thank you in advance for your honest help!

~VJ

Answer 1

ClamAV is a free anti-virus program for macs. I dont think you really have to worry about spywear on macs as much if at all.  

Answer 2

I don't think you need anti-virus for Mac, as long as you update the components of your OS regularly.  

Answer 3

It's pretty simple to understand why there are more viruses on Windows than on OS X: more people use Windows than OS X. Hackers generally target the biggest nail in order to reach a much larger audience.

There is no such thing as a "perfect" operating system. As more people move to mac computers, so do more hackeres exposing the security flaws. Every piece of software is going to have some kind of exploit, but there are several things you can do in order to keep yourself safe no matter what PC or operating system you use.



1. Be careful what type of sites you visit. There are many unscrupulous websites out there that will readily infect your machine with a virus or adware.

2. Instead of downloading music, go to the store and buy the CD or buy the MP3’s from legit sites. Not only will you avoid any financially difficult legal situation, you'll also avoid any website that promises free MP3 downloads but only delivers viruses and adware.

3. Instead of looking for software cracks or serials online, look for coupons. The "crackz" scene is filled to the brim with malicious websites. You're not safe when you're visiting these "seedier" websites.

4. Do not run in Administrator mode. You should only run in Administrator mode when you're installing hardware or software, but running in a lower security mode you'll avoid a lot of the more invasive attacks.

http://www.microsoft.com/protect/compute...