Best Anti Virus software for Mac

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Hi

What's the best anti virus software for mac please?

I would need it to go on 2 macs so one that's able to go on more than one device without a large cost would be most helpful

Thank you

Chris
 
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We do not recommend anti-virus here. 99% of the viruses are written for Windows thus do not affect macs.

If you want to scan your system you can download and run Malwarebytes for Mac. It will install a full working version trial but eventually it will revert to a standalone scanner.

Or you can used VirusBarrier Scanner - find it in the app store - and which I really like. It will just scan your system on a schedule or you can do a manual scan.

Both are free (as long as you choose not to purchase the full version of malwarebytes)

Or if you are determined to install anti-virus take a look at Sophos Home. It is free for the basic and the premium version is $60/year for up to 10 devices. You can also set parental controls on individual machines.

Lisa
 

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I second what Lisa wrote.

Just stop and think before you install new software - the Mac will warn you a few times and then require authorization to do an install.
So don't install anything unless you specifically looked for that software and then download and install it from the developer site directly if you can.

Don't know about Sophos Home, but years and years ago, before I knew better, I installed Norton Antivirus for the Mac.
I ended up with really strange problems which nobody could troubleshoot until someone suggested I uninstall Norton and then all the problems just disappeared.

ClamXav used to be the preferred antivirus for the Mac if you really insist of installing that type of program - not sure why that is no longer mentioned.
But I think the best option is to not install any anti-virus and just run malwarebytes every once in a while
 
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krs is right - ClamXav use to be preferred but they changed how it ran and it fell from favor. You will find those who do not like Sophos but it also has changed and I use it at work where we have a mixed environment and anti-virus is required. I beta tested their premium edition for a year and ended up purchasing two years when my beta ran out. I liked that it is light on the resources and highly customizable. But I don't find any anti-virus necessary for macs that is continuously running.

My preferred at home protection is VirusBarrier ever since Malwarebytes insisted on installing a trial of their full coverage.

Lisa
 
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ClamXav used to be the preferred antivirus for the Mac if you really insist of installing that type of program - not sure why that is no longer mentioned.
But I think the best option is to not install any anti-virus and just run malwarebytes every once in a while

My introduction to ClamXav was when I had an old IBM laptop and put on a Linux distro (Ubunto) just to learn about the OS - downloaded ClamXav - when I went from PCs to Macs in 2013, I put ClamXav on my wife's iMac (she got a LOT of email from Windows friends so I did run it periodically - did not want her sending potentially 'infected' emails to her other Windows friends, although nothing would harm her computer) - but stopped even doing that and may have deleted it?

Recently, I've been getting emails from the ClamXav developers about upgrading to their current version - the problems: 1) Now an annual subscription and not cheap (see pic for upgraders); and 2) Poorly reviewed - see Neil Rubenking's Review, for those interested. Currently, I am just using Malwarebytes and extensions in my browsers. Dave :)
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My preferred at home protection is VirusBarrier ever since Malwarebytes insisted on installing a trial of their full coverage.

Hi Lisa - thanks for bringing VirusBarrier to my attention - did the free DL and ran the app on my MBPro - assume that you've noticed the following: 1) Computer temps increase drastically (to over 160ºF on my laptop); 2) CPU usage nearly hits the ceiling; and 3) Fans eventually kick in and run at about twice their speed (see my screenshots below) - after scanning over 700,000 files on my machine, all returns to normal w/i a few minutes. No harm done, but those trying out this app should be aware of these effects (unless my aging laptop is misbehaving - ;)) - and no malware found! - Dave :)
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Best Anti Virus software for Mac

With no irony or offence intended the "Best" protection is "You".

Practice Safe computing. Never opening Mail from an unidentified source. Don't open attachments except from someone you trust. Alway check the email address from supposed sites like Apple, Amazon, your ISP and anyone warning you that Mac is infected. Do this by clicking on the senders' name - eg - apple.info.xmedia.outlook.com is clearly not from Apple. Look at how you are addressed (Dear customer instead of the proper salutation), look at the grammar and spelling. Ignore dire threats of PayPal account closure or iCloud blocked etc.

I totally agree with Malwarebytes - it detects malware which most, if not all AV apps miss. Sophos has major problems.

If you absolutely insist on an AV product - Intego (from https://www.intego.com) has the advantage that it is designed exclusively for Macs and is harmless - might even be helpful.

Avoid any AV originally designed for PCs and "adjusted" for Macs.

There is already lots and lots of protection built into modern macOS systems.

But how you run your Mac is your Best defence,

Ian
 
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I used clamxAV until they took the free version away. I'm not paying for AV protection.
 
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What's the best anti virus software for mac please?

The Macintosh OS has anti-malware software built-in that works mostly automatically and which is regularly updated automatically. It is reasonably effective:

XProtect/File Quarantine/Gatekeeper
Gatekeeper (macOS) - Wikipedia
Safely open apps on your Mac
Mountain Lion: Hands on with Gatekeeper
http://www.thesafemac.com/mmg-builtin/
Just what do XProtect and MRT protect your Mac from?
LockRattler 4.1 for El Capitan, Sierra, and High Sierra is now finally released

So the overwhelming majority of Mac users do entirely without any third party anti-virus software, and yet, you almost never hear of a Macintosh user legitimately complaining that his/her data was damaged by a virus. This is both because there is very little malware for the Mac (about 60 or 70 examples, most of which the Mac OS is now patched against or which is now extinct in the wild; compare this to well over a MILLION for Windows!) and because the Macintosh mostly protects itself.

However, the Mac's built-in malware software looks for very little adware, which is a recent scourge. Adware isn't malicious, it is just really annoying. (It causes your Mac, or just your browser, to show you ads.) This is why folks tend to recommend MalwareBytes, to get rid of adware.

However, I think that folks are mistaken in their recommendation of MalwareBytes. I'm extremely leary of MalwareBytes since they came out with the nagware/commercial version. Download EasyFind and do a search for "MalwareBytes" on your Mac if you have MalwareBytes installed. You will find as many as 24 files (the number, oddly, varies for each user) for MalwareBytes installed all over your system. What do you think that they are all doing? (Hint, MalwareBytes is making money off of you even if you only have the free version.)

I now recommend this instead of MalwareBytes for dealing with adware:

DetectX (free/$10 requested)
https://sqwarq.com/detectx/

Also, while Malwarebytes is a very effective product for dealing with adware (having subsumed the excellent anti-adware product Adware Medic), contrary to what it says on their Web site, it looks for very little actual malware at all and is inadequate for that task.

Don't believe me? Run MalwareBytes. How long does it take to do a scan? About 10 to 15 seconds? Compare that to any decent (or even most worthless) legitimate anti-virus programs, which can take an hour or even much more to do a scan. Malwarebytes can only be doing the most cursory of scans..and it is. MalwareBytes doesn't look inside any files at all. It can only look for specific file names in specific places on your hard drive. It's very easy for malware to hide from MalwareBytes. (It's the same for DetectX, by the way.)

Folks' recommendation of VirusBarrier is a good one.

VirusBarrier Free Edition (free)
Intego Launches VirusBarrier Scanner — Free Mac Antivirus - The Mac Security Blog
‎Intego VirusBarrier Scanner
This is a full version of Intego's excellent commercial anti-virus program VirusBarrier [usually $40/year] minus some [but not all] of the automated scanning features in the commercial version. This isn't just a nice free product, in the past VirusBarrier has won all the believable third party anti-virus comparison tests.

What ISN'T a good recommendation is Sophos anti-virus. I hear from one or two users EVERY WEEK whose Macs are running like molasses. It's gotten so that I automatically ask first thing if they have Sophos installed, and they almost always do. Once Sophos is removed, things go right back to normal. I'd assiduously avoid Sophos.

So, DetectX and VirusBarrier Free Edition are worth having, and as a bonus they are both free. You really only need to run them if you think that you might have a problem. And chances are excellent that you will never really have a problem that legitimately involves malware. If, like most Mac users, you do absolutely nothing to ward off malware, you should be perfectly fine. That's one of the big reasons we all use Macs!
 

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What I have noticed quite often about third party Mac software that the quality of the "free" one is excellent and then, as soon as it get commercialized - the quality goes down the tube.
I can now add clamXav to the list.
Anyone remember 'Visual Hub'?
 
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Anyone remember 'Visual Hub'?


Not meaning to go very far OT, but wasn't Visual Hub a video conversion application for working with videos???

I guess I missed some connection to the thread topic. :Smirk:





- Patrick
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You're right. Visual Hub was a video connversion app that broke under Lion. I assume that the reference is to quality of an app declining once it goes commercial. Personally I don't think that's whhat happened with Viisual Hub but to each his own.
 
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You're right. Visual Hub was a video connversion app that broke under Lion. I assume that the reference is to quality of an app declining once it oes commercial. Personally I don't think that's whhat happened with Viisual Hub but to each his own.

Yes - that was the reference, somewhat off topic.
I was pretty sure that Visual Hub disappeared for a short while and then came back commercial but with problems - and I never found a replacement that had all the VH capabilities rolled into one.
Just for kicks I just tried to launch my old copy of VH from 2007 un El Capitan, not really expecting anything to actually work, but lo and behold - it did an mp4 to avi conversion perfectly.
I'll start a new thread.....
 

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I deleted VH from my system long ago. IIRC I never could get the Lion fix to work right for me or something like that. Nice to know it still works for some.

I just tried MPEG Streamclip on Mojave. It hasn't worked for me in some time either. The files wouldn't even load. I have the current public release on a 2008 MacBook Pro and that works with MPEG Streamclip though I haven't tried finishing an actual conversion yet. On my 2015 iMac running the current Mojave beta it doesn't work.
 
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HI everyone - thanks so much for the detailed and helpful feedback.

Firstly, while I've used Mac's for about 10 years solid now (with no AV installed), I'm a professional filmmaker/editor and so use the macs for this reason.

I've had cause for two reasons to look into virus/malware protection more:

1) My QNAP Nas was playing up, I discovered if had Malware on it. I don't know how it got on there (i'm a very careful user, good at not falling for bad emails and I don't need to download dodgy apps and so therefore I don't) but it was there and causing issues. It's not gone thanks to QNAPS own Malware remover for their NAS drives.
That had me worried and made me look into this.

2) Over the lasts year or so I keep hearing conversations about how 'because Mac's don't need to worry about Viruses, it's become the virus makers mission to affect/infect Macs more'. Now this might be a load of rubbish, it actually makes sense to me, but as I'm not technical at all I have no idea if that's possible. So, I guess, thats why I'm here. It seems that Macs are still ignored by virus makers, and those that exist can be sorted though the usual 'be careful what you open' approach. Which is great.

I think I'll just get DetectX for now

Thanks everyone

Chris
 
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If, like most Mac users, you do absolutely nothing to ward off malware, you should be perfectly fine. That's one of the big reasons we all use Macs!

I should be more clear. I was referring to the need for anti-virus software here. I wasn't saying that you need do absolutely nothing. Ian was very much correct in his post above that you need to be careful by following some simple rules:

- Don't open any e-mail attachments unless you are 100% sure who they are from and what they are. If you didn't expect an e-mail attachment, don't open it and don't forward it to anyone.

- If there is a link in an e-mail you have received, don't click on it unless you are sure who the e-mail is from and what the link is to. You can hover your cursor over an e-mail address in some e-mail programs (such as Mail) and the true address that you are going to be sent to will pop up. If that address is different than the address you hovered over DON'T click on it.

- Don't accept any offered downloads from any Web site that you didn't ask for. ESPECIALLY don't accept "video drivers" or Flash updates.

- DO keep Flash meticulously updated. However, you should ONLY ever update Flash via the System Preferences Flash preference pane, or directly from Adobe:
http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/

- Never be fooled by a Web site or pop-up that asks you to call for help (including Apple) or which asks you to pay a ransom. These are scams. Ignore them.

- If you have Microsoft Office installed, make sure that Macro Virus Protection is enabled.
What is Microsoft Word's macro virus protection tool, and how do I activate it?

- Don't download pirated (illegal) versions of commercial applications from file sharing networks. This is a favorite way for sociopaths to distribute malware.

There may be others that I have missed. Hopefully others will add to this list as necessary.
 
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Great thank you - I can confirm I'm living by all of them already so that's good

I still think I'll get Detect X just for good practice :)
 
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HI everyone - thanks so much for the detailed and helpful feedback.

Firstly, while I've used Mac's for about 10 years solid now (with no AV installed), I'm a professional filmmaker/editor and so use the macs for this reason.

I've had cause for two reasons to look into virus/malware protection more:

1) My QNAP Nas was playing up, I discovered if had Malware on it. I don't know how it got on there (i'm a very careful user, good at not falling for bad emails and I don't need to download dodgy apps and so therefore I don't) but it was there and causing issues. It's not gone thanks to QNAPS own Malware remover for their NAS drives.
That had me worried and made me look into this.

A NAS isn't just a dumb hard drive connected to your Macintosh and controlled by your Macintosh. A NAS is sort of a computer itself, that is connected to your Macintosh via a network connection. A NAS has its own processor (brain) and its ***own operating system*** that isn't the macOS.

The point is that if your NAS was infected with malware that was causing it to run poorly, it wasn't Macintosh malware. Your NAS can't run Macintosh malware, or Macintosh software of any kind. In addition, Macintosh anti-virus software won't be looking for malware that might be specific to your NAS, and so...having Macintosh anti-virus software won't protect your NAS from malware AT ALL.

Frankly, the problem you had with your NAS isn't a Macintosh problem. It's a problem with that brand of NAS.

What you need to do is contact the developer of your NAS and ask them what the vector was for the malware that infected your NAS, and how to prevent it from becoming infected in the future.

2) Over the lasts year or so I keep hearing conversations about how 'because Mac's don't need to worry about Viruses, it's become the virus makers mission to affect/infect Macs more'. Now this might be a load of rubbish, it actually makes sense to me, but as I'm not technical at all I have no idea if that's possible.

Since the release of Mac OS X (now macOS), folks (mostly non-Mac users) have been saying all sorts of stupid things about viruses and the Mac. Mostly they've been saying that there will be a flood of viruses for the Macintosh "real soon now." They've been saying that for 18 YEARS now. (An eternity in the field of personal computer evolution.) Daring Fireball even once wrote an article making fun of the folks saying that year after year (and that article is a full 15 years old now!):

Broken Windows
Daring Fireball: Broken Windows

So Witty (followup to Broken Windows)
Daring Fireball: So Witty

Check out:
Is Windows inherently more vulnerable to malware attacks than OS X?
weblog.infoworld.com/enterprisemac/archives/2006/08/is_windows_inhe.html (dead link removed)

The Macintosh OS looks a lot like Windows, so lay people think that the two are the same under the skin and that the Mac is as susceptible to malware as Windows is. It's not. The Mac OS was written with an entirely different underlying security philosophy than Windows was. The Mac isn't invulnerable, but it's much harder (and more expensive) to write malware for. The reason that there is drastically less malware for the Mac than for Windows has nothing to do with how much the sociopaths who write malware WANT to write malware for the Mac, nor does it have anything to do with how many Macs are in use (the now outdated rationalization that there will be lots of malware for the Mac when the Mac is a bigger target.) It has everything to do with how hard it is to write malware for the Mac and whether it is worth the bad guy's time and monetary investment to do it.

There ARE malware threats that have been written for the Mac. A handful every year. The pace has been fairly consistent since the introduction of OS X. Apple has been pretty good about patching the Mac to new threats (that's why you get pushed constant security updates), so sociopaths who write malware usually don't get much gratification from their creations. Some pundits have, over the years, predicted an upswing in the amount of malware for the Mac, but the flow has rarely increased by much, and it usually settles down quickly even when the pace does increase.

As Douglas Adams said in The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy..."Don't Panic!"

I think that everything will be fine, and that we don't all need to run out and purchase anti-virus software. I've been giving the same advice for close to 18 years.
 
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Hi Randy, that's a really interesting and helpful post. Thank you - it doesn't just help me now but I've actually learnt something rather interesting!

Thank you so much
 
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