My first Mac

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I just bought my first Mac today, it's an imac. Can someone please tell me what I need to do about anti-virus protection and security for the computer all together. I really don't know what I need. I know it has nothing on it right now.
Thanks
Lisa
 
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2019 iMac 27"; 2020 M1 MacBook Air; macOS up-to-date... always.
*sigh* Not ANOTHER one...

See the sticky thread that says "Official antivirus, malware, and firewall FAQ"? At the top of the "Switcher Hangout" forum? Read that. This question gets asked half a dozen times every day.
 

RavingMac

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I just bought my first Mac today, it's an imac. Can someone please tell me what I need to do about anti-virus protection and security for the computer all together. I really don't know what I need. I know it has nothing on it right now.
Thanks
Lisa
Welcome to the forums and congratulations on joining the Mac family. :)
 
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you don't need to install an anti-virus program because MACs are virus free. They say when you install anti-virus programs this is where virus would most likely to penetrate your system.
 
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Welcome to Mac. My first priority wouldn't be virus software (not necessary yet, but someday I'm sure it will be), it would be Time Machine. Make sure you keep your Mac backed up. Your HDD will fail long before a virus attacks.
 
C

chas_m

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Short summary: no anti-virus is needed, as there are no Mac viruses. If you are running a Windows partition, THAT partition will need the same anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-malware arsenal as a normal Windows machine.

As for other "security" measures, common sense handles 99% of it. If you're not sure what you are installing or what is asking for your password, don't give it. DO NOT USE <BLANK> FOR A PASSWORD. Come up with a good non-obvious password. It's important.

Don't pirate software (almost all rogue malware comes from pirated software). Don't be dumb and give Nigerian princes your bank account info. Don't fall for come-ons that promise free porn or free software if you'll just install "this special thing" you've never heard of.

If in doubt, stop and post a question here. :)
 
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17 inch 2 GHz C2D imac (5,1) with 3GB DDR2 RAM, X1600 (128MB memory) GPU - OSX 10.6.3
For cleaning my Mac I just use the Maintenance App.
And you can get it here.
Titanium's Software • Home

This app is a similar thing to Onyx on the same site. But it's much more streamlined and easier to understand. Just click the boxes you want to and it'll complete the tasks. And you're mac will feel like new again. Well almost :). I do this every month or two and it helps.

Also you should look into Apple's built in Time Machine back up function.
Apple - Mac OS X - What is Mac OS X - Time Machine
Simply cause having a good backup is very important.

Apart from that there's not much you need to do. You do not need to worry at all about Anti-virus or de-fragmentation applications. And in away you can actually do a little harm to your Mac if you do decide to use them.
 

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