Recommended Anti-Virus apps ?

[Randy B. Singer]

Hello Randy B. Singer et al,

I installed "Avast Mac Security" ... The app is free and I find it reassuring.

This is one of those instances where "free" is not a good deal, and where you have put yourself in *more* danger as a result of trying to escape the possibility of danger.

Avast installs adware...
http://www.thesafemac.com/avast-installs-adware/

and does some other malware-type things:
http://www.thesafemac.com/avasts-man-in-the-middle/

The bottom line is that Avast can't be trusted because it comes from a company that can't be trusted. I highly recommend uninstalling it:

Uninstalling Avast Mac Security:
https://www.avast.com/en-za/faq/AVKB67

Occasionally, 'avast' will instantly and block an infected website...No other 'anti virus software for Mac (e.g. Avira, OnyX, or ClamAv which is no longer free) came close to Avast's apparent constant activity in safeguarding the Mac in use.

Well that brings two thoughts to mind (ignoring for now the fact that Onyx, which you've cited as anti-virus software, isn't in any way an anti-virus product).

The first is whether Avast is reporting that it is saving you from anything that you needed saving from. Most anti-virus programs give self-serving reports that make it look like they are doing something worthwhile. The thing is, unless they tell you precisely what they "saved you" from, and you Google it and it turns out to be something legitimate that Mac users (not Windows users) have to be concerned about (all highly unlikely), then you've simply been conned into believing the hype from that software.

My second thought is...why do you need a third party program to do this? All of the major Web browsers (Safari, Firefox and Chrome, including all the other browsers that are based on the codebase for one of these three) already include, and have enabled by default, Google's Safe Browsing technology.

Google's "Safe Browsing" technology:
http://www.macworld.com/article/137094/2008/11/safari_safe_browsing.html
https://safebrowsing.google.com/safebrowsing/report_phish/?hl=en
http://www.macworld.com/article/317...rogue-ad-injections-and-settings-changes.html

So, you don't need anti-virus software to protect you from malicious Web sites.

And what is it that you expect to show up in an e-mail that's going to harm your Macintosh? There are no Macintosh viruses that propagate that way. Any Windows virus that shows up attached to an e-mail won't run on your Mac and is entirely harmless.

You might want to go back through this thread (and several like it here on Mac-Forums) and review what knowledgeable folks are trying to tell you. In most cases you don't want anti-virus software on your Macintosh, it tends to be far more trouble than it's worth.*** And, if for some reason you decide that you want to have anti-virus software anyways (I do for my business) despite the lack of need, going with a free product is likely a really bad idea. If you want anti-virus software, you should go with a commercial product that is known to work really well (based on legitimate reviews) and which won't cause nasty problems of its own. (I use Intego's Virus Barrier. It's a wonderful product that has won a lot of shootout tests and reviewers' accolades, but in the past dozen years it has never saved me from anything that I actually needed saving from.)


***NOTE: I have two popular Web sites to help Macintosh users who are suffering from nasty problems.
One for slowdowns:
http://www.macattorney.com/sd.html
and one for persistent rotating beachballs:
http://www.macattorney.com/rbb.html
Do you know what the most common cause of both is? Having anti-virus software installed!

 

[Sawday]

No other 'anti virus software for Mac (e.g. Avira, OnyX, or ClamAv which is no longer free) .

OnyX is not and never has been 'anti-virus' software.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

I just had a look back through this thread...and it is dated. That's the problem with re-opening an old discussion thread.

There is a discussion of "scareware" in this thread, and that may be part of what "PaulRanger1" is responding to. Scareware hasn't been a problem for Macintosh users for a while now. At least it isn't if you update your copy of Safari, or if you are using a recent version of the MacOS.

At this point, if you update to a version of Safari later than 9.1, "scareware" (which is based on JavaScript) can no longer freeze your browser. So, if you are running OS X 10.9 or later you can update to a version of Safari that renders your Macintosh immune to scareware.

http://talk.tidbits.com/TidBITS-Safari-10-0-td4676060.html

http://tidbits.com/article/16360
"...prevents JavaScript dialogs from blocking access to other Web pages"

 

[harryb2448]

You know Randy it is quite scary how so many folk will not update from Snow Leopard OS X.6 as they believe it to be the 'last' solid operating system. Safari 5, no Security or Operating System updates, more and more no access to secure web sites. The list just goes on and on, let alone Mavericks!

 

[Randy B. Singer]

You know Randy it is quite scary how so many folk will not update from Snow Leopard OS X.6 as they believe it to be the 'last' solid operating system. Safari 5, no Security or Operating System updates, more and more no access to secure web sites. The list just goes on and on, let alone Mavericks!

I don't find it scary. I know of entire user groups that still exist for people who still use Apple II computers! (Apparently they think that the Apple II was the last solid computer that Apple made.) ;D

I don't know where I saw a breakdown just recently, but given that Snow Leopard was the last version of OS X that contained Rosetta, I was surprised by *how few* Macintosh users are still sticking with it.

I still have one Macintosh that I keep for running legacy applications under Snow Leopard. While Safari isn't upgradeable for Snow Leopard (and it is becoming less and less functional), you can upgrade to a fairly recent version of Firefox (but not the most recent version) that is quite modern.

Firefox version 48.0.2 works perfectly under Snow Leopard:
https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/48.0.2/

By the way...as long as you upgrade to Sierra via a clean install, I've found it to be a fantastic OS! It's faster than any past Mac OS, and it is really stable. If anyone wants instructions on how to do a clean install of Sierra the easy way, I'd be happy to post the write-up that I did for my user group.

 

[harryb2448]

We old timers ALWAYS do clean installs only lol!

 

[Slydude]

I don't think I've done a clean install in ages. In fact, when I got the iMac I'm pretty sure I replaced the stock install of El Capitan with either something migrated from a Time Machine backup or a clone of my El Capitan on the Mac Book Pro. If it was that install that was based on using the upgrade install method for the last several OS releases.

I'm not experiencing any problems but I'm thinking I will do a clean install this week and then migrate apps and data using the Migration Assistant.

There are times when I think a clean install is basically mandatory:
1. You have purchased a used Mac. Even if you are purchasing /trading from someone like a family member.
2. Never do an upgrade installation if you are currently experiencing system issues. That's the digital equivalent of using makeup in hopes of hiding a wart.

 

[PaulRanger1]

Hello Randy B. Singer et al,

Thank you for your very detailed response. I will endeavour to read from all the links you posted to improve my understanding of the Mac operating environment. Several points occur to me.

I have never had 'ads' appear spontaneously (via adware?) on my iMac except while browsing in Safari or spam emails. If no adware generated 'ads' are appearing outside those 2 applications, the creation/insertion of adware seems pointless.

I think Avast does detail exactly what Avast has "saved me" from, which I captured in a screenshot at every instance. In my previous reply, I attempted to somehow attach the 'screenshot' png explanatory file but could not find a means to do so. The Avast warning window seems very specific in its details. Being unable to attach the explanatory screenshot, I simulate the headings and details below:

A typical warning window is titled "Infection Blocked! Avast Web shield has blocked a threat."
Infection: URL:Mal
URL: http://unsub.360shifu.com/unsub
Process: /System/Library/StagedFrameworks/Safari/WebKit.framework/Versions/A/XPCServices/com.apple.Networking.xpc/Contents/MacOS/com.apple.WebKit.Networking

Another typical warning window is titled "Infection Blocked! Avast Mail shield has blocked a threat." ( This type of warning only appears when i open Safari, perhaps notifying of earlier blocking of Mail targeted infection/s (?)
Infection: JS:Locky-G[Trj]
Subject: FW: Order F-185042
From: Cleveland Sharpe <[email protected]>
To: ranger1 <ranger1@ (my email address)
File: payment_details_185042.zip/scanned_doc_2c69347.js
Process: /Applications/Mail.app/Contents/MacOS/Mail

Another warning window is also titled "Avast Mail shield has blocked a threat."
Infection: JS:LockyDownloader[Trj]
Subject: {Spam}Hi
From: "TanyaBarker" <[email protected]>
To: ranger1@ (my email address)
File: db4a56d930.zip/export_pdf_9f4d4ba4~.js
Process: /Applications/Mail.app/Contents/MacOS/Mail

In all three instances, Avast seems to have been pretty specific about each 'infection' on several levels. If no 'ads' appear surreptitiously and no money is demanded by ALWIL Software or its founders for the use of their software, the whole exercise seems non sensical from their perspective.

If I am not being subjected to additional advertising and I pay no money to anyone, I don't see "what's in it" for them.

I am not particularly high tech literate with Mac and OS X so I may well have missed something glaringly obvious to others. 'Mea culpa' in advance.

Sincerely, PaulRanger1.

P.S. Since I left work in the "Windows" blighted Australian Public Service back in the 1990s, I have only ever used Mac (my first Mac was a now primitive Performa 5200/5250) but was impressive at the time.

 

[harryb2448]

But still don't get it!

 

[Randy B. Singer]

I think Avast does detail exactly what Avast has "saved me" from...

Yes, and as I predicted, it didn't save you from anything that you needed saving from. It wasn't protecting you from any sort of Mac malware. It was "protecting" you from stuff that is entirely harmless to the Macintosh. And that isn't at all surprising, because there is really nothing out there that you need anti-virus software to protect you from.

Once again, Avast isn't doing anything for you, but it is known to act like malware on its own. I'd uninstall it. I really don't know how to make it any clearer.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

I will endeavour to read from all the links you posted to improve my understanding of the Mac operating environment.

Since you are amenable to reading and learning, I have some resources for you to check out:

Gary Rosenzweig has some wonderful free resources on the topic of Macintosh malware.

Check out his video here:

Do Macs Need Anti-Virus Software?
http://macmost.com/do-macs-need-antivirus.html

also:

How To Protect Your Mac From Malware
http://macmost.com/how-to-protect-your-mac-from-malware.html

He also has both a comprehensive FREE e-book on Macintosh security and a FREE video tutorial on the subject!

The Practical Guide To Mac Security (free e-book)
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-practical-guide-to-mac-security/id1193415597?mt=11

The Practical Guide to Mac Security (free, and highly rated by viewers, online course)
http://macmost.com/online-course-the-practical-guide-to-mac-security.html
https://www.udemy.com/mac-security/?couponCode=MACMOST1

 

[chscag]

Certainly can't beat free. Thanks for the links Randy.

 

[RoseyDreamy]

You don't really need an AV solution if you think carefully before clicking.

Don't download pirated/cracked software, read installers for free software carefully (and be generally wary of downloading software/files you're not sure about from the Internet), and don't install anything that claims to 'make your Mac faster/better', since they don't work. Also, install AdBlock on Safari or whatever browser you're using, in case you do get fooled into nasty popups/etc.

 

[Dogbreath]

Another way to look at this is that IF a new virus that would affect a Mac is released, it's new...therefore no AV software would have the virus definition for one to have previously downloaded to block and/or quarantine. Apple et al. would jump on the virus quickly and deeply to completely contain it. A Mac virus would cause quite a media stir and would have this forum buzzing. Word of the virus would go viral;D...so stay tuned.
IMO the thing to do is to use smart surfing practices and run frequent back ups to both Time Machine AND a 3rd party cloning software on separate external drives. Doing this, catching and removing a Mac virus would still be an annoyance, but not a catastrophe or total disaster. All would not be lost and one could be computing again in a matter of hours.
...just my 2¢ worth.

Brent

 

[harryb2448]

And Dogbreath it would be world headline news with the media and AV companies trumpeting long and loud about an Apple Macs failure.