certain Mac Virus Protection
 

Hello, I was wondering what a good mac virus protection is, I want one that will not automatically remove viruses, I want one that will show the files that should be removed at the end of the scan, but ask me to remove them and not automatically do it. I want one that is free, I do not want to pay money, and one that will scan my entire hard-drive.

Anybody know of some good software?

Also, I want one that will detect most viruses.

Thanks!:)

When you make a request like this, please tell us what research you have done already and what specifically is causing you difficulty in deciding between the apps you have read about.

Start here: http://www.google.com/search?q=anti-virus+%22os+x%22

I have not done any research, there are too many virus protections that I do not trust, which one do u suggest?:confused:

I personally really wouldn't even bother with virus protection for OS X (at least right now). there is virtually no viruses for the max. and if you are even remotely computer savvy you wont get any of those.

just my opinion... you probably should not trust me anyway i don't bother with virus protection on windows either.

Considering that there aren't any Mac viruses, does it really matter which program you use? Having said that, stay far away from Norton!

Most users seem to like ClamX AV -
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/24449

but, the question remains - why do you think you need Antivirus software on your Mac?

There is presently no reported and proven virus activity that will affect your Mac, running OS X.

Some users need anti-virus because the network that they use (work, school) requires some form of virus protection if you want to use that network.
Others like to have AV, so they don't pass on viruses to their Windows-using friends and neighbors. :)

If you have not done any research - how do you get your opinions?
I would be confused, too!
An opinion without any knowledge is just a guess, in my view...

the person who doesnt have virus and spyware protection for windows is a fool:D

seriously though, unless a virus becomes known in the mac community you dont need anti virus, when i say become known i mean like The moderators on the forum have warned us all about it sort of thing

I'm a fool! Seriously, I don't need protection from Windows malware, so why should I bother? The only reason third-party Windows security products exist at all is because of systemic flaws in the Windows OS. Since we don't have those flaws, there isn't any need for it.

I actually managed to get somehow get a botnet trojan on my PC, and I'm smart enough not to download random files and games and whatnot.

What makes you think you need one at all, or that there are Mac viruses to be detected?

o.k., thanks guys!!

Virus Protection on a Mac does protect your Windows using associates from inheriting a virus/trojan from you through a forwarded email or exchanged file. It won't do anything for your Mac except slow it down to about Windows speed.

That is one of the reasons I bought a MAC, so I don't have to worry about Virus protection. I always noticed that my PC would run screwy around the same time virus protection renewal was up, coincidence I think not.

why is it that virus's dont attack macs in the same way as they do with pc?

...because viruses attack flaws in the operating system itself, and the Mac has fewer flaws.

The Mac was designed thoughtfully and is built on a solid foundation.

Windows, on the other hand, was built on a house of cards--without the same thoughtful design. Microsoft's business model was to capture the market by throwing in as many features as possible, as quickly as possible. Some design decisions were made not because of good coding practices, but out of competitive concerns (i.e., the incorporation of Internet Explorer into every nook and cranny of the OS was done to kill Netscape, but at the same time allowed Microsoft to claim in court that the OS wouldn't work without it.)

DO I need VP on my Mac if I a running Parallels with XP home?

Not on the Mac side, but definitely for XP.

Hmmm, I must be a fool then. No AV software on my windows rig and have been virus free since 2001. Then again I use it for specific things.

Putting AV software on your Mac is like carrying around a condom or a gun. You would rather have it and not use it, then need it and not have it. I don't see any harm, and yes there are some things out there in the wild that can mess with your mac. Nothing that critical or as bad as other OSes. So, having it won't hurt anything.

Your are a fool :D but i would recommend avg anti virus just in case something does go wrong. Its free and updates daily and doesnt leave a load of hidden files behind like norton

IMO viruses wont be a problem for osx for at least another 5 or so years :cool:

I'll run AV software on my Mac if/when there is a credible virus threat out there that can infect a fully up to date Mac OS system. PC users face many thousands of credible threats, so they should be running AV software.

I know AVG. I run a NAT/SPI firewall router which is pretty secure. I also don't download or install anything I don't want to use. I also don't use IE, and I don't use software that needs codecs or any other third party download.

I am safe, therefore I pretty much dont ever get viruses. Haven't had one in 7 years, and the last one I had was because my roomate at the time was using bearshare and got me infected on my computer, it wasn't even me.

There is already credible proof of concept of a codec virus for QT for OS X. So, there is already proof that it can be done. It just is not a huge threat at this point in time. I'd say 5 years is way too long. Apple is gaining market share every month and there would be a lot of bragging rights to any hacker who developed the first wide spread virus for OS X. It is bound to happen sooner or later. Most likely through a codec install or some other type of social engineering scheme, so it won't self propagate but it could be distributed all over the place on the world wide web.

A very, very heavy condom or gun they slows you down to a crawl, even though you don't need it.

My experience with Clam AV is that it is not too resource hungry. I think it only used like a 5MB memory fingerprint which isn't that bad. I could be confusing it with another product though.

I mean its not like Unix memory management can't handle it. you make it sound like you load AV software on your Mac and it will run like a 386.

Well, I do run AV software on my Mac (despite the naysayers, Norton, which has not troubled me at all). But that's mainly because I regularly transfer files to and from my school computers and don't want to take the tiniest chance of propagating something there.

As for native Mac infections, the last free-breathing virus I remember was Scores, and something in Hypercard, both around 1988 and both fairly mild. After that, I've come across the usual piggyback Word Macro viruses occasionally...but not in a long time. Not that there haven't been loopholes in Mac security – just that not enough hackers have shown the interest, skill, and alacrity to exploit them.

On the other hand, I remember Melissa virtually shutting down my then Windows-based software company.