Spyware and Virus protection for Mac

[Shayne]

Hi Folks,
As a relative newbie to Mac (ps I think it's great)!, Is it necessary to have an anti virus and or spyware program on my Macbook pro? If so, what are some of the beter ones please?
Many thanks!

[Turboladdade]

No, it's pretty much a complete waste of system resources at this time, unless you want to catch Windows viruses that might be hiding in files that you download or people send you. Maybe this will change in the future, but people have been saying that for ten years now and it doesn't seem to be.

[mark_42]

I have friends that use Windows and I occasionally run Windows on my Mac. The minimal system resources that get utilized during a scan are a small price to pay in order to keep my friends' and my system safe. Better safe than sorry.

Besides, the most malignant piece of Malware I found on my Mac was Application Enhancer, aka Ape by Unsanity, a set of unapproved APIs that Logitech snuck onto my system when I installed a Logitech mouse onto my system and used their installer disk.

Malware doesn't have to be free to cause problems.

[Aude]

What do you think of the latest news about malware?

[Turboladdade]

What do you think of the latest news about malware?

It's unfortunate, but I think it's being overblown by the media as usual. In order for it to work, a user has to actively download and install it. Once it has infected a computer, it's super easy to remove (reboot in safe mode, drag to trash, presto).

It doesn't qualify as a virus or trojan in the traditional sense.

[COMMANDER]

I wouldn't trust any software from a company called "Unsanity".
That's like naming a restaurant "Stinky Feet's"

[Aude]

Thanks for reassurance, Turboladdade!