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Switcher Hangout (Windows to Mac)
Should i use an Anti-Virus
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<blockquote data-quote="chas_m" data-source="post: 1396193"><p>I continue to maintain that an "anti-virus" for the Mac is unnecessary. Yes, some third-party essentials that are included (or in the case of Java, not included as of Lion) in OS X can be vulnerable to malware. And yes, the so-called "anti-virus" programs may catch these faster than Apple.</p><p></p><p>I still don't think the trade-off is ultimately worth it, however. There has yet to be a malware threat to the Mac that wasn't comically easy to avoid, and for all the hype this latest malware got -- the servers it was supposed to report it got shut down early on, meaning even those who were "infected" didn't actually have anything happen to them other than that. I would call that "overblown."</p><p></p><p>Java is rarely used on the Mac anymore (at least via the web browser), so for most people I'd say simply turn it off and see if you don't need it (the final "fix" from Apple essentially does that already). Most of the infected machines, from what I've read, were running outdated software. For them, you need to disable Java period full stop until you update to a more modern system.</p><p></p><p>I think good computing practices will go a lot further towards keeping you out of trouble than an "anti-virus." While Flash and Java have been compromised, I notice that neither of those things are parts of OS X, so I still have great confindence in it.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="chas_m, post: 1396193"] I continue to maintain that an "anti-virus" for the Mac is unnecessary. Yes, some third-party essentials that are included (or in the case of Java, not included as of Lion) in OS X can be vulnerable to malware. And yes, the so-called "anti-virus" programs may catch these faster than Apple. I still don't think the trade-off is ultimately worth it, however. There has yet to be a malware threat to the Mac that wasn't comically easy to avoid, and for all the hype this latest malware got -- the servers it was supposed to report it got shut down early on, meaning even those who were "infected" didn't actually have anything happen to them other than that. I would call that "overblown." Java is rarely used on the Mac anymore (at least via the web browser), so for most people I'd say simply turn it off and see if you don't need it (the final "fix" from Apple essentially does that already). Most of the infected machines, from what I've read, were running outdated software. For them, you need to disable Java period full stop until you update to a more modern system. I think good computing practices will go a lot further towards keeping you out of trouble than an "anti-virus." While Flash and Java have been compromised, I notice that neither of those things are parts of OS X, so I still have great confindence in it. [/QUOTE]
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Switcher Hangout (Windows to Mac)
Should i use an Anti-Virus
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