skybirdfin.blogg.se - Do i need an antivirus program for my mac

#DO I NEED AN ANTIVIRUS PROGRAM FOR MY MAC FOR MAC#
#DO I NEED AN ANTIVIRUS PROGRAM FOR MY MAC MAC OS X#

But it is not a magic bullet, and it is no replacement for a well-rounded approach to security. Depending on the type of threat, it can be very helpful, even if you consider yourself an expert PC user.

Antivirus software is one layer among several.

Visiting porn sites and downloading pirated software puts you at a much higher risk of infection, but even legitimate web sites can be compromised, and seemingly innocent results in a search engine can lead to hostile sites.

Good behavior alone is not enough to protect you from attacks.

If you use OS X on a Mac, I don't think you need to install security software, but that recommendation could change someday if Apple's platform continues to grow in popularity and attracts enough attention from bad guys.

#DO I NEED AN ANTIVIRUS PROGRAM FOR MY MAC FOR MAC#

Fortunately for Mac (and Linux) users, their worldwide market share is small enough that malware writers simply haven't bothered with them. These are exactly the same types of vulnerabilities that Windows malware writers take advantage of.

#DO I NEED AN ANTIVIRUS PROGRAM FOR MY MAC MAC OS X#

This month's Mac OS X v10.6.5 and Security Update 2010-007 included well over 100 fixes to critical security vulnerabilities, many of which could lead to arbitrary code execution. Every platform can be exploited by an attacker. Just how dangerous is it out there? Here's what you need to know: Even when those "threats" are trivial or nonexistent. They also have a vested interest in proving that you haven't wasted your subscription dollars on their product, so they need to occasionally (or continually) pop up messages and alerts and reminders to show you exactly which threats they've blocked. The companies that sell you that software have an interest in keeping you afraid, and so they publish countless studies proving how dangerous the online world is. I have deeply mixed feelings about antivirus software, especially when it's part of a big security suite that tries to protect you from every imaginable form of online threat. In one of my very first posts here, nearly four years ago, I called it a "protection racket" and said, "I can already see the beginnings of an 'arms war' among security software companies, with ads and whisper campaigns based on fear." Back in 2005, I wrote a post arguing, "The security software industry wants you to be afraid." It's no secret that I dislike the security software industry.

If you're visiting the family over the holidays, you might want to take my list along with you.īut first, let me rant a bit. I'll outline my recommendations in this post. The longer answer is that security software is only one piece of what should be a simple, straightforward, and systematic approach to your PC's health. If you're not sure of the answer to that question, then the short answer is yes. Do you need antivirus software on your PC?