Virus Protection For Mac
As we talked about in last week’s Working Mac, you may have been led to believe that you don’t have to worry about computer viruses on your Mac. And, to some extent, there’s truth to that. While your Mac can definitely be infected with malware, Apple’s built-in malware detection and file quarantine capabilities are meant to make it less likely that you’ll download and run malicious software.
There is a common misconception that Mac computers are so secure that they don’t need antivirus protection, this however is not correct! Although Macs are deemed more secure due to their sandboxed OS they are not infallible and need that extra level of protection that Mac antivirus provides.
Apple introduced malware detection to the Mac OS with Snow Leopard (Mac OS 10.6). This system consists of the quarantine of any app downloaded from the Internet, the use of Code Signing certificates to verify that an app is coming from a legit source, and regular security updates that include databases of known malware targeting the Mac OS.
- Contrary to popular belief, MacOS is still susceptible to malware. Luckily, finding the best free antivirus for Mac isn't all that difficult, and there are a number of great solutions to pick from.
- There is a common misconception that Mac computers are so secure that they don’t need antivirus protection, this however is not correct! Although Macs are deemed more secure due to their sandboxed OS they are not infallible and need that extra level of protection that Mac antivirus provides.
Because of this system, called File Quarantine and occasionally referred to as XProtect:
Apps in quarantine display a dialog window reminding you where the app came from and asking whether or not you’re sure you want to open it.
Apps with no code signing certificate, depending on your Gatekeeper settings, may display a message saying the app can’t be opened because of your settings. (For software you know is good you can bypass this by control-clicking the app and selecting Open from the resulting contextual menu.)
Apps that are known malware cannot be opened at all. You’ll be met with a message offering the option to toss the app in the trash. Free rom download for emulator.
And this is why Macs remain mostly virus and malware free.
To make sure your Mac malware database is always up to date you’ll want to verify that your Mac always automatically installs security updates and related system data files.
To do this:
- Open System Preferences
- Open the App Store preference
- Make sure that Automatically check for updates and Install system data files and security updates are checked.
This should keep your Mac free from most malicious software, although it’s important to note that it does not make it impossible for malicious software to be installed on your Mac. There is no software that’s able to catch everything. If new malware is released today and you download and run it today you will have done so before Apple’s databases could have been updated. So it’s always best to be wise when downloading software from unknown sources.
While it’s unlikely that your Mac will run any malware, there is possibly a more pernicious issue: You Mac could become the Typhoid Mary Windows viruses, which is to say, you could be harboring viruses on your Mac that won’t effect you, but can be problems for Windows users.
Think I’m joking? Have a look at this screenshot, taken from my Mac during the course of writing this column:
That, my friends, is a list of 30 potentially bad things that..you guessed it, were found on my Mac while I was running a test virus scan, one of which is a Windows virus. And, nope, I did not plan this, even though I did plan to write about this problem.
So, how do you keep your Mac from relaying Windows viruses to Windows users?
ClamXav.
Virus Protection For Mac Computers
Why ClamXav? Because it has one job and it does it very well. It’s not too intrusive. It doesn’t try to do too much. If you’re using Apple’s Server app to host your email, it’s what Apple uses to scan incoming mail for viruses.
ClamXav is, like AdWare Medic, donationware and it is fantastic. You’ll find it at the Mac App Store or you can download it directly from the ClamXav Website, where you can also make a donation.
The manual is written in an informal style,but covers all of the details including register arithmetic andscratchpad programming.ContexInstructions for use -(1965)24 pages plus covers, spot colour, 7' x 5' (landscape), stapled booklet.This little manual provides much more detail about the operation ofthe Contex 10 than is found on the brief instruction label under themachine. Although labelled for the Model 320 (basic) and 322(programmable) machines, it can also be used with the 324 (dual program)and G-suffix (Grad) models. The calculating functions are the samefor all of these models. Contents include basic operations, semi-automatic division,decimal points, continuous and short-cut multiplication, left-to-rightmultiplication, percentage calculations, and subtraction below zero.Instructions for use -(1963)24 pages plus covers, spot colour, 7' x 5' (landscape), stapled booklet.This manual describes the operation of the motor-driven Contex 20calculator. Burroughs adding machine manual el 1750p. The typewrittenbooklet has been reproduced via OCR with the original formatting.CompucorpHow to use theModel 320/322 (1973)28 pages plus covers, 7' x 5', stapled booklet.This is the basic instruction manual for the Compucorp 'MicroScientist' series of portable electronic scientific calculators fromthe early 1970s.
Once you’ve downloaded and opened the app you’ll want to set the app’s preferences, as the default behavior is to scan for viruses but not delete or quarantine them. ClamXav offers five configuration options:
- General: For setting up alerts and whether or not to scan for malware and phishing in your email messages (which is where the app found infected files on my Mac)
- Quarantine: For defining where you want to quarantine malicious files
- Exclude Files: To specify file types you don’t want scanned
- Log Files: For setting whether or not you want log files stored and for viewing them
- Schedule: For defining when you want the latest virus definitions downloaded and when you want scheduled scans to take place
Once you’ve finished your setup, click the Start Scan button and go grab some milk and cookies. Scanning may take awhile, but when it’s done you’ll know for sure your Mac is clean.