Does a Mac need third party antivirus or spy-ware software for protection or is the Mac OS X good enough to do this?

Similar questions: Mac party antivirus spy ware software protection OS.

Not presently. Running antivirus or anti-spyware software on a Mac serves only one purpose: to use up resources that you could be using to run Photoshop. Seriously, though, there is presently no reason to run antivirus or spyware software on a Mac.

There are no such things to worry about, despite a few proofs-of-concepts that (a) haven't made it outside a lab and (b) would require significant user intervention anyway. There are two reasons this is the case: 1, Apple OS X is inherently more secure than Windows XP was at the outset (I won't comment on Vista, as I haven't used it); 2, Apple's market share is not high enough to attract the notice of malware writers. That's not to say it's not possible for a Mac virus to exist, or that there will never be a Mac virus.

OS X is built on a Unix-like system, and some of the worst malware in history were based on Unix exploits: the Morris worm exploited a sendmail bug; Cliff Stoll's adventure tracking Russian spy hackers started with a bug in emacs. Applications will always have vulnerabilities. Yes, Apple software has bugs, too, and vulnerabilities.

These get patched on a regular basis. Macs are not perfect. But there is at present no exploits for these vulnerabilities "in the wild."

So rest easy.

You don't need any antivirus software, at all. None is needed, and here is why. A virus is a program.

And in order for the program to affect you, it has to be installed in your computer. Now, in a pc, anything and anyone can install a program on the computer and you will never know. Hence, the big virus problems.

On a mac, in order to install a program on the computer you need to have the administrator password. That means if you get a virus, you were the one that allowed the program to be installed. I have had a mac for 10 years and have no antivirus softwar, and I do a lot of downloading on the internet, and I have a total of 0 virus problems.So....thats why.

Sources: my experience .

There are no known viruses that affect mac os x .

No you don't need anything else right now. Like any computer system there are always threats out there. Luckily Mac OS X by itself does not really need any third party anti virus at this time.

Knows threats of this nature are more or less in labs and not in the wild. There may come a time where anti virus will be needed but as it stands right now you can get by without it.

I have never had a virus, worm or anything else try to invade my Macs This is personal, but I have had Mac computers for years. I currently have OS X and I have no third party anti-virus protection. I've had this operating system for a year and a half with no problems ever.

I wouldn't buy antivirus of spyware software for the Mac as I don't believe it is necessary. Now I also have the unfortunate experience of owning a Gateway, and I wouldn't go without antivirus software! This Gateway and windows is crap compared to Apple products from my 21 years experience with them.My brother is a computer consultant and bought my niece an iBook.

He doesn't think she needs antivirus software either and he's in the computer field for his occupation. Sources: personal .

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