The Official Mac AntiVirus and Firewall FAQ

My PC is loaded to the eyeballs with security. Firstly I have got a wireless Linksys Router which I assume has a firewall, then I run Kaspersky AntiVirus 6.0 which updates daily running a full system scan weekly, then I have Zone Alarm Pro as my software firewall, then for Spyware I have Ad-Aware and Spybot Search and Destroy both of which I update weekly and run a full system scan while I am at university or overnight. Then I run Advanced System Optimizer fortnightly to clean up the registry and make sure Windows is running smoothly. Then I run Windows Defrag about once a month. I also regularly run Microsoft updates say once every two weeks and make sure all of my programs are up-to-date. My PC (which I built myself) has been around nearly 3 years now and is still running great. My girlfriend doesn't take it as seriously and her computer is already showing signs of weakness after only a year.

With my Mac I have the firewall turned on that is built in. I have also downloaded ClamXav antivirus just to be on the safe side. To be honest I rarely use ClamXav, mainly because I don't like the fact that it can't do a full system scan.

Is Mac OS X firewall adequate enough to protect my Mac? Am I being too complacent, and is there a way to do a full system scan on the Mac? Also, what about defrags and registry cleaning and cache cleaning and all that stuff? Surely a Mac over time would start becoming slow because a lot of temporary files cluttering the disk?

I have downloaded a freeware app called AppleJack which apparently good at getting your system back up and running if your Mac was to go **** up. However, I really want to try and prevent that from happening in the first place. Any tips to keeping a Mac running like silk? :headphone

The firewall on your router & Zone Alarm could be seen as overkill, as would your routers firewall & the Mac Firewall. If your PC appears silent on the web, nobody will attack you. By silent I mean that it does not respond to anything.

https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

Run that, and if you pass your fine.

EDIT: Choose 'All Service Ports' on that test.

Gav said:

The firewall on your router & Zone Alarm could be seen as overkill, as would your routers firewall & the Mac Firewall. If your PC appears silent on the web, nobody will attack you. By silent I mean that it does not respond to anything.

https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

Run that, and if you pass your fine.

EDIT: Choose 'All Service Ports' on that test.

Click to expand...

I ran that test at home on my MacBook and PC and both passed with flying colours. However, when I tried the test on the university network in the library it failed the test. Would that suggest that I can happily do online shopping and banking from home, but it would be not advisable when connected to the uni network (not that I would want to do that anyway!)?

What about routine maintainence and virus checkers? I have downloaded OnyX and checked that out to try and keep Mac OS X running smoothly, what are other peoples opinions on this program? As you can see I am quite paranoid about this kind of thing!

Does the built in Firewall on OSX notify you when something is trying to access the net? If not, anyone know a firewall for OSX that does this? I always like to know what software wants to access the net.

slashjunior said:

My PC is loaded to the eyeballs with security. Firstly I have got a wireless Linksys Router which I assume has a firewall, then I run Kaspersky AntiVirus 6.0 which updates daily running a full system scan weekly, then I have Zone Alarm Pro as my software firewall, then for Spyware I have Ad-Aware and Spybot Search and Destroy both of which I update weekly and run a full system scan while I am at university or overnight. Then I run Advanced System Optimizer fortnightly to clean up the registry and make sure Windows is running smoothly. Then I run Windows Defrag about once a month. I also regularly run Microsoft updates say once every two weeks and make sure all of my programs are up-to-date. My PC (which I built myself) has been around nearly 3 years now and is still running great. My girlfriend doesn't take it as seriously and her computer is already showing signs of weakness after only a year.

With my Mac I have the firewall turned on that is built in. I have also downloaded ClamXav antivirus just to be on the safe side. To be honest I rarely use ClamXav, mainly because I don't like the fact that it can't do a full system scan.

Is Mac OS X firewall adequate enough to protect my Mac? Am I being too complacent, and is there a way to do a full system scan on the Mac? Also, what about defrags and registry cleaning and cache cleaning and all that stuff? Surely a Mac over time would start becoming slow because a lot of temporary files cluttering the disk?

I have downloaded a freeware app called AppleJack which apparently good at getting your system back up and running if your Mac was to go **** up. However, I really want to try and prevent that from happening in the first place. Any tips to keeping a Mac running like silk? :headphone

Click to expand...

I am also in this situation having just bought an iMac a month ago but still also using my Sony Vaio PC laptop. On the latter I have Norton IS 2007 and also regularly run Spybot, Adaware and CCleaner. I feel very vulnerable on my iMac but, having researched threads on this forum, am satisfied that the risk of attack is low/negligable. But what about clearing all the rubbish and temp files from the registry/cache - is there a program to do this, and is it necessary?

techmonkey said:

Does the built in Firewall on OSX notify you when something is trying to access the net?

Click to expand...

No. You need http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/17642Little Snitch, the Mac counterpart to Zone Alarm. But it isn't free ($24.95 U.S.).

Incidentally, make sure Block UDP Traffic, and Enable Stealth Mode are turned on in the firewall options.

Colin Key said:

But what about clearing all the rubbish and temp files from the registry/cache - is there a program to do this, and is it necessary?

Click to expand...

Applejack probably does as good a job as any if you tell it to clean your user account, as well. I run Applejack manually and skip Number 2, the permissions check, and click "y" to get into my own account after numbers 3 and 4 run for the main system.

I suppose Onyx is the standard by which others are measured, but there are lots of choices, including Applejack and MainMenu. The daily, weekly and monthly crons are probably the most important to run to keep the cruft from accumulating.

If you turn the computer off at night or set it to sleep, these crons (chronologicals) won't run (they're set to go automatically at 2:30 a.m. or something). You can change the auto cron time (I think) with Macaroni ($8.95 U.S.), yet another cleanup app.

Edit: Gotta add — the junk that accumulates in the registry would have to find one first.

What about Mac and windows running machines?

Does anybody knows what happens with the new mac that also runs windows if you get a virus on windows? Does it affect ior mac OS? Is it possible to connect to the internet with OS and maintain the windows system offline at the same time?

tks

Eduardo said:

Does anybody knows what happens with the new mac that also runs windows if you get a virus on windows? Does it affect ior mac OS? Is it possible to connect to the internet with OS and maintain the windows system offline at the same time?

tks

Click to expand...

Depends on how you are running Windows. If you are using Bootcamp, it shouldnt be able to effect your OSX partition, since WinXP cannot read a OSX partition. I've never heard/read about a virus that can do this, but anything is possible. The same thing goes when running Windows from a Virtual Machine (like Parallels). What could happen though with a VM is if you have networking setup between your Windows VM and OSX, you could, in theory, effect files on both systems.

If you use a virutal machine like Parallels and you cant get rid of the virus (or spyware), simply delete the windows VM and start over. Its a good idea to make a backup of your VM when you first install windows and all the apps you normally use. This gives you a clean point in time to go back.

If you use Bootcamp, you can do the same, but you would have to use a partition backup utility.

Eduardo said:

Does anybody knows what happens with the new mac that also runs windows if you get a virus on windows?

Click to expand...

It makes absolutely no difference how you "run Windows". Windows will always be vulnerable to Windows viruses.
Mac OS X will never be vulnerable to Windows viruses, because those viruses (by the very name) are targeted to Windows, not OS X.

The only way a virus could affect OS X is if and when one is finally created for it.... which (knock on wood...) hasn't happened yet in the almost 7 years it has been around.

Thanks for all the great info on this. I've only had my MacBook for a few days. where can I get ClamXav?

MacGirl said:

Thanks for all the great info on this. I've only had my MacBook for a few days. where can I get ClamXav?

Click to expand...

www.versiontracker.com or www.macupdate.com

Post Replies - Where are they listed?

Thanks for replying to my post. If it is not too much to ask, I have another question.

Other than returning to the spot where I posted a message, how can I find out it someone responded to my post? Thanks for taking the time to reply to a new Mac lover!

Under user Profile your subscribed threads that have responses posted show up in bold type.

Very helpful.

The whole idea of mac firewalls and spam/mal/spy/crimeware is so obscure, thanks for the updated post!

-ThunkDifferent.

I would recommend both firewall and anti virus software for any computer user. Computers are expensive, (especially macs), and your data is invaluable, so why risk it? Just because there few or no virus/hacking threats at the moment, doesn't mean there never will be. "Well, we've never had a break in or any crime in this neighborhood, so leave all your doors unlocked, you'll be fine." There is some hacker out there somewhere that will relish the challenge of breaking an "impenetrable" UNIX based OS, that constantly advertises its virus/hacker free status. And when, not if that happens, there will unfortunately be too many mac users affected because they didn't take simple precautions, like locking the front door. I use OS X, Windows, and Linux and have never had a virus/hacking problem on any OS because I stick to these simple rules.

KingArthur, you're wasting your money. You could load your Mac with a zillion anti-virus apps, but all of them would be useless because there is no code for them to look for and none in any database to check against. Mac anti-virus apps are no more useful than maps to the hidden valley of the unicorns.

I ran a search for relatively recent threads on the subject that include this and this (posts four, six, 13 and 15, specifically), and this (posts six to nine).

i think it's really a matter of preference as oppose to a requirement... some people feel comfortable without having any virus or malware or any kind of software for their mac because they feel mac's don't have viruses... There are in fact less then a handful however anyone is more likely to win the lottery then getting a virus for mac... IMO I have tried different AV apps not because i needed to but because it was more for reassurance and i have un-installed them all because i felt they were taking up too much resources...

what about the issue of spyware/malware on a mac?

For spyware/malware, i have never heard of anything like that affecting a mac... Mind you i have had my mac for about 4 months now, i've never heard of malware/spyware for mac, and that's even before i bought my mac