There has been a raging debate as to whether there is any need for Mac users to have antivirus installed on their computers or not. While some people might think that having a virus protection program is utterly useless, others think that it is necessary. The debate on the role that a security software plays in the system has led to the perpetration of the myths surrounding Mac antivirus. The following are some of the popular myths.
Viruses can’t target Macs
Some people assume that Macs are virus-proof. While statistics show that attacks on Macs are far much lower compared to those on PCs, this does not mean that they are immune to Trojan, malware and other online attacks. Various cases of viruses have been reported and thus it is possible to have your data and the performance of your computer affected by viruses.
The security measures put in place by developers of OS X makes it hard to exploit loopholes to generate malicious code, but this does not mean it cannot be done. Macs are still vulnerable to attacks and so that’s one of the reasons why getting a proper antivirus is usually recommended.
Mac’s market share is the reason why their viruses are few
There are people who believe that the fact that Mac is not the dominant player in the computer industry is the reason why there aren’t many viruses developed for them. They argue that the fact that Windows powered PCs are almost in every household makes it easier for malicious developers to develop viruses for PCs while the scarce availability of Apple computers makes less sense to develop viruses for.
While the market share of Macs in the computer industry is a contributing factor to the lower numbers of viruses developed, this cannot be the main reason. This is especially true in light of the fact that despite the gains made by Apple systems in increasing their market shares, there has been no significant increase in the number of viruses developed, since there are other factors that play a more significant role in this subject.
For example, the security upgrades made by Apple are far much more superior compared to those made by Microsoft and thus making it harder to exploit weaknesses in the OS X. There are also reduced chances of self-installed malware affecting OS X mainly because of the security checks put in place before such software gets installed. These increased security measures make it hard for hackers to find any loopholes to exploit.
Mac antivirus software is useless
Most systems made by Apple can safely run for a long time without experiencing any attacks. This therefore reduces the urgency for one to get an antivirus. This however does not mean that the antiviruses are totally useless for OS X. While it is true that the security measures put in place in OS X are impressive, there are cases where Macs have been affected by viruses and thus not only having their performance hampered but also the data was destroyed as well. This means that an antivirus for Mac OS X can still play a significant role in ensuring that your device is safe and secure from attacks by trojans, malware and viruses.
There is also the fact that currently, the spread of malware is not just limited to spread through software. There are viruses which are spread through social networks, emails and other online sources that are security threats. Information theft and identity theft threats available online can be reduced and altogether eliminated through use of security software, and thus making it necessary. Such an application can help you avoid sites that are considered risky and thus helping you avoid attacks on your system.
When running Windows on your Mac, it’s still necessary to install antivirus to ensure that your data is protected. There is also the fact that installation of virus protection programs on Macs which are on a network will help prevent the spread of viruses, and so the computers will not be used as virus hosts. This will help avoid the transfer of viruses to other PCs on the network through file sharing and emails. So this way you could be sure that your network is safe.
About the author: Brian writes about spyware, malware and <a href= “http://www.antivirusformac.org/” >virus protection tools for Mac</a> and other Apple security issues. You could find other related stuff on his blog.
