RSSDon’t Let Anyone Take a Bite Out of Your Apple—Anti-Virus Options for Mac Users
May 20
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I’ve been a Mac user for years, relying on Macs for both work and play. Although the experts and pundits today are quick to warn that hackers are about to start infiltrating our systems, I have yet to hear about an active virus or malware attacking the Mac OS specifically that wasn’t designed, distributed, and contained by the IT Security research community.
Still, any day now I’m sure there will be some nasty thing worming its way through Apples, and when the time comes I’d like to be prepared. It’s going to hit some mac users pretty hard if they’re not expecting it (in the ego, maybe).
I’ve been poking around the Internet to find a list of some free Mac A/V and anti-malware programs. Today there’s a new one on the list, since F-Secure has just released a Mac A/V program—in beta. They promise prizes and a subscription to anyone willing to provide “active feedback” to improve the software.
About.com also has a decent list of Mac security programs with brief reviews detailing how well each protects against various threats. It’s not as research-intense as the PC A/V reviews I posted last week, but simply describes the scope of how the software blocks—or ignores—different types of threats.
Here’s a list of some of the free Mac-based products out there:
- Clam X AV – Free virus checker based on the ClamAV engine
- McAfee VirusScan for Mac – available for Mac 8.6 and above
- PC Tools iAntivirus –guards only against Mac-only malware, and here’s a review with screenshots
- House Call from Trend Micro, a virus scanner available online that checks for threats on the system.
- F-Secure Mac Protection Beta — the Newest on the block
The problem with some of the free programs is they focus solely on Mac issues and won’t clean the PC-viruses that some files harbor. If those infected files are sent to a PC, they could still pose a threat.If you use a dual boot or are working closely with other Windows machines, it may be more helpful to get a program for Mac users bundled with the Windows version, such as Norton AntiVirus.
Or if you want the best protection for the Mac, the product that looks the most comprehensive is Intego’s Virus Barrier. The company focuses only on Mac issues, which has disadvantages for those who switch systems, but may be ideal for people working in a Mac-only environment. And a huge plus is that the system uses heuristic scanning, checking for behaviors that resemble threats before they are identified. At $70, it’s a bit pricey, but if you’re the type who wants to be fortified and absolutely prepared, that might be your best solution.
