Why Do I Need Antivirus For Mac

Ever since I personally made the transition to the Apple platform late last year, we have (obviously) had a lot more coverage of Apple here on PCMech. This has helped raise the awareness of Apple products on what used to be a very PC-centric tech site. As a result, I often get asked questions about Apple and OS X by PCMech visitors. Very often these questions come when we are doing our show. One of the questions we get most has to do with antivirus for the Mac. Does it need it?

Do Macs need antivirus software? The answer isn't as simple as it may seem. In this article, we look at the dangers faced by Mac users and the pros and cons of using Mac antivirus software.

What do I recommend? Security Confusions for Mac Owners One thing all Mac owners need to keep in mind is that OS X is not immune to viruses. The overwhelming reason Windows has so much more virus activity is because Windows is so much more popular than OS X. If OS X were as highly used as the Windows platform, OS X would have a much larger virus problem. In fact, I would expect that as the Apple platform gains in popularity, we will see more viruses come into the wild specifically targeting OS X. That said, much of the talk about virus activity for the Mac is propagated by companies who market antivirus programs for the Mac.

These companies will issue press releases laced with scare tactics talking about huge increases in Mac viruses in the wild. In reality, though, there are only around 200 known Mac viruses in the wild, most of which have caused very little in the way of damage. Further, many of those 200 target versions prior to OS X. It is common knowledge that Windows is barraged with virus attack after virus attack. Windows users, even the newbies, know they need some security on their systems. Mac owners, though, are left in a bit of a conundrum.

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We care about security, but we don’t really know what we need. Speaking for myself, I don’t have any special security on any of my Macs and have had no problems at all. Rich Mogull says the following over at: Even if Mac OS X is no more secure, we Mac users are currently at a lower level of risk than our Windows counterparts. It’s reasonable to assume that this dynamic could change, but considering the current level of risk, and the resource intensity of most antivirus software, it’s hard to recommend antivirus except under limited circumstances.

And he leads me into the heart of the matter Do Mac Owners Need Anti-Virus Or Not? I will never sit here and tell a Mac owner not to install anti-virus. If you do install something, chances are it is going to impact the performance of your Mac in a negative way. But, you will be safer than if you run nothing. Personally, though, I choose not to. I don’t want the performance impact.

When I weigh out the risks, it isn’t worth it for me. Let’s see, a tiny risk of infection from the small batch of Mac viruses that actually exist, or the 100% chance that my system performance will suffer at the hands of an intrusive anti-virus program.