A Proud New MacBook Owner! Antivirus Needed?

I just got a new MacBook last Friday and this is my first time ever using an Apple computer and I have to say..... I LOVE IT! I have been a PC user for 15 years and I am now kicking myself. I do have one question regarding virus protection. The salesperson at the Apple Store told me that I do not need it but is this really true? I know that people who write viruses gear them toward PC's but as the Mac gains popularity I think it's just a matter of time before someone takes advantage of all these unprotected machines. What should I do?

Long answer: The Official Mac AntiVirus and Firewall FAQ

Short answer: You don't need one

With the recent interest in writing viruses for macs and passing them through torrents I would suggest looking into getting one. If you are responsible enough to make sure you don't let just any programs install themselves you should be ok. Just keep an eye out for anything that looks suspicious when you are running 3rd party software or downloading something.

I've been running my Mac without any Anti-Virus software since I first switched almost a year ago. It's un-necessary assuming you aren't pirating software.

There are viruses, but they don't seem to cause issues. You can get sophos free if you really want something.

jimd144 said:

There are viruses, but they don't seem to cause issues. You can get sophos free if you really want something.

Click to expand...

Correction... there are trojans (there is a big difference), but no viruses in the wild. Trojans will exist as long as people are gullible and careless. With even a modicum of sense, one can easily avoid all malware on OS X as it stands today.