Jan 1, 2019 - Mac viruses might be rare, but they do exist. This means that you need specific Mac antivirus software - whether that be the very strongest. Learn more about why you need to protect your Mac computer from malware. Criminals create viruses to make money off the cyberattack — it makes.
Metadata viewer for mac. The trap that many Mac users fall into is believing that because there are currently no known viruses targeting the Mac, it's safe from attack. In reality, the Mac OS, its included applications, and third-party applications have and will continue to have security issues that can allow some form of attack; it's just that the attack isn't likely to be from a virus.
But if something erases your data, gains access to your personal information, blocks the use of your Mac holding it ransom, or manipulates web pages to generate ad revenue, you're not likely to care whether it was a virus, an attack launched through a web site, or a Trojan horse you allowed to be installed; however it happened, your Mac is still infected with a nasty bit of malware or adware.
Friday, March 3rd, 2017 Author: One reason that many people move from the world of Windows to macOS is because they’re tired of the hassles of having their PCs infected with viruses and other malware. The other reason? The miseries of the tools that allegedly fix those problems but cause even new PCs to run slowly and crash more often. When new owners first set up their new machines, one question they may have is whether or not they’re taking a risk by not installing that same genre of application on their Macs. The answer to the question “Do Macs need antivirus or anti-malware software?” is “No, but” As a Mac user since late 1984, I have never had a virus, and I’ve rarely seen malware that caused an issue for more than just a few minutes. That includes the early days of Mac when the operating system wasn’t Unix-based with all of its built-in security features.
Related article: So, as a longtime Mac owner and user, a former Mac consultant, and a writer specializing in the world of Apple devices, I’ve usually used my Macs with absolutely no anti-virus or anti-malware software. Am I just lucky? Not really, because even without a specific antivirus or anti-malware package installed, I take a lot of precautions and Apple has built in a number of “safety nets”. They’re the functions that are constantly monitoring what’s going on behind the scenes on your Mac to keep you safe.
First, I’ll talk about Apple’s safety nets, then other precautions that can help keep your Mac safe with minimal fuss. Apple’s Built-In Safety Nets The first safety net keeps you protected from most malware. XProtect runs constantly in the background on OS X and macOS machines. It’s installed by default, runs without user intervention, and is even updated automatically.
Since it is part of the operating system, it’s also very fast and doesn’t cause the usual slowdowns associated with dedicated antivirus/malware apps. As Apple is made aware of vulnerabilities and malware, both from “white hat hackers” and security firms, it invisibly patches XProtect to keep your Mac protected. XProtect matches files and applications that have been downloaded to your Mac against a list of known “bad guys”. If it catches a malicious file, you’ll be notified immediately, usually with a message stating that “the file may damage your computer”, the type of malware or virus it caught, and a warning to move the file to Trash immediately (see image below). Gatekeeper is another handy tool that’s watching out for you.