Archinect
anchor

antivirus software for mac OSX

grcoad

Hi,

Which anti-virus program would you suggest for Mac's?

Thanks

 
Jul 18, 05 12:52 pm

I have Norton Antivirus running on 10.4 and have been very happy.
Its not that I've gotten any viruses, but I have tested it with windows viruses before just to make sure its working and it snagged them right off the bat.

Jul 18, 05 2:03 pm  · 
 · 
5

pixel--I've never heard of any mac virii or spyware--is this really a risk?

also, norton gives you like a 95% discount if you're a student

Jul 18, 05 4:12 pm  · 
 · 
sunburntkamel

five - it's not a risk.

you don't need virus software unless you're running a mail server. and that's only to pick up windows viruses so you don't pass them on.

Jul 18, 05 4:19 pm  · 
 · 
grcoad

thanks, pixel....
i will look into the norton antivirus software.....

Jul 18, 05 4:35 pm  · 
 · 

no, virus and/or spyware isn't really a risk on a mac, although there are virus on the mac. I do a large amount of 'downloading' and have Norton running just to play it safe so I don't pass something along. Also, its good to have a virus program running if you're planning on running VirtualPC.

Jul 18, 05 5:52 pm  · 
 · 
Israel Kandarian

disk warrior is a superior product. norton is fine, but not as well developed for the mac.

Jul 19, 05 9:55 am  · 
 · 

Comparing a disk utility to an antivirus software is like comparing apples to oranges. As far as disk utilities goes, yes, disk warrior is by far the best, but it serves a completely different purpose than an antivirus.

Jul 19, 05 9:59 am  · 
 · 
sunburntkamel

if you think there are viruses for mac, you've been drinking symantec's kool-aid.
they release warnings every time someone writes a proof-of-concept virus for OS X. there have been no OS X viruses in the wild, and all of the exploits they make such a big deal of require physical access to the machine.
if a bad guy has physical access to your machine, the game's already over.

Oct 17, 05 3:45 pm  · 
 · 
sahar

Norton killed my Powerbook. I was required to download onto my computer when I started graduate school, and my Mac kept on crashing which had never happened once before I installed Norton. According to the Apple Store, Norton has a very damaging program, and I ended up having to reinstall my OS.

I am just putting it out there. I never had a virus or a problem until I installed Norton.

Oct 17, 05 7:18 pm  · 
 · 
thedrizzle

been using macs for 10 years+ and never had a virus. most of the protection seems to be a waste of time. my past problems came from within the OS - the Disk Utility will be far more useful and its already there.

Oct 17, 05 8:54 pm  · 
 · 
johndevlin

I've been having problems with Mail since installing Tiger in August. Apple help line tell me something "corrupted' my Mail application. Is that a euphemism for virus? I never had any problem with Mail before installing Tiger. Unfortunately Disk Utility has found nothing. I go back and forth from Apple to my ISP and each tells me to go to the other. Since I have .Mac I have decided to change my email address to that and do all my mail through .Mac. Which doesn't explain why my POP messages do not appear on the screen. I have to go to the Library to open new POP messages. Frustrating. I'm not convinced it is a virus. I hope that, like a bad head cold, it will just go away one day.

Oct 17, 05 9:15 pm  · 
 · 
s4

sahar.. i wonder if that is what happened to my ibook- i recently installed norton and now it won't boot- goes to the gray apple startup screen and then.. nothing. is that similar to your situation? i thought it was the hard drive, but haven't gotten a chance to call apple yet- my apple care ran out in august.

Oct 17, 05 9:32 pm  · 
 · 
Stides

I have been a network engineer/IT helpdesk etc. for the last 10 years. I don't have a single positive thing to say about Norton anything. It's all bad, and they secretly release most of the viruses that exist. Ok, maybe that last part isn't true, but who knows.

Virex for the Mac is all I have ever run, it's a native app from a company that has supported Apple for years. They are owned by McAfee now, which isn't that much better than Symantec, which owns Norton, but it's still fundamentally the same product it was before the buyout. http://www.networkassociates.com/us/products/mcafee/antivirus/desktop/virex.htm

Oct 17, 05 9:33 pm  · 
 · 
kazbot

ive heard so many bad things about norton. i got virus barrier, from the apple site (being in a school environment made me a little wary) and so far so good.
but, i have had problems with my keychain, due to an airport security update that had some glitch in it. it messed up my mail, airport connections, and anything internet related, and in trying to fix it, messed up several other password senitive apps as well. but leaving it alone till the next update came out seemed to work. (osx3.9) maybe thats the culprit for some of the little glitches mentioned above?

Oct 17, 05 10:49 pm  · 
 · 

Block this user


Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?

Archinect


This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.

  • ×Search in: