Macworld Forums

Hi Guys,

I have just bought brand new MacBook and this is my first Mac computer ever, so please forgive me lame question. Do you recommend to buy and install some antivirus/firewall software and if so, which one? I have heard that Mac users do not have to worry about that kind of stuff, but someone is still making software for that. What do you think about that?

Cheers,
Marek

lenarcik,
you do have to bear these things in mind. apple offer some protection through a .mac account or you can buy protection from various sources.
personally, i've never used any protection or ever backed a mac up. you just have to be sensible, don't open dodgy files, especially if they were sent by email.
i think firewall protection is built into the networking preferences, other folks will offer better advice on this.

lenarcik,
Hi and welcome to the Mac. There is a firewall built into OSX. To activate it go to System Preferences > Internet & Network > Sharing > Firewall and configure from there. As for antivirus, many would argue that OSX is a very good antivirus package in itself but if you are concerned about such things then ClamXav freeware is mentioned quite highly in Mac circles. It's always worth visiting www.versiontracker.com for all the latest Mac software.

lenarcik,

Welcome Ask away - although I will point out Help in the Menu bar at the top, which is really good, usually clearing up any minor questions you might have more easily than posting on here.

I'll just add a few things;

Backing up is a very good idea. Failures are few & far between, but by backing up the important stuff it softens the blow if one does happen.

As far as viruses etc. are concerned, they are a few annoying Word macro viruses that can affect Macs running Word, but if you don't use Word or do with the macros turned off, then no worries. IMO, the biggest need for AV software is to prevent you either passing on or being accused of passing on a virus to a Windows using friend/colleague.

One thing that I think is very important for a switcher to know is that, should you get any problems with your Mac, please don't deal with them in the same way you would Windows. OS X is very different & doing a reinstall is usually the last option, this goes particularly for Archive & Installs. I have been using OS X now for several years & have only installed it once - everything else has been updates. Even the move from Jaguar (10.2) to Panther (10.3) was painless. OS X defrags the disk on the fly, so there's no need for running maint jobs very often, if at all.

lenarcik,

I would add to the advice given above by pointing out that thousands of Macs have been affected by flaws in anti-viral software, but no Macs have been affected by being infected with an actual virus.

It would appear that on Macs, the risks associated with protecting against viruses are currently greater than the risks posed by the threat of an OS X virus, but be aware that there is no certainty that Macs will continue to remain free from viruses, so keep an eye out for any stories about Mac malware. If you hear of anything, check on this forum to discover if it's just another hyped-up scare story, or something that needs to be taken seriously.

Thank you for your advices guys. As I told you before, I have heard that Macs run in almost virus-free-environment, but it was hard to believe in for former PC-user. It seems like investing in AV software and additional firewalls is waste of money for now. You were really helpful, thank you.

lenarcik,

as was briefly touched upon earlier, forget about buying any disk utilities too. They're not needed for routine operation and if you do ever need one, you'll then be sufficiently knowledgeable about Macs to know what you want.

If I can elaborate somewhat on what Cynic added. There is always a temptation for a newcomer to Macs to try and make it work like a PC does. Please try to resist that. If you simply let the Mac do things it's own way, you'll find that things just work. One of the lesser known benefits of Macs is that there is a tremendous attention to detail and a great deal has been done to make things simpler. People who are used to more complicated arrangements tend to imagine that they must work harder to get the desired result. Just because Windows resembles the way that Macs work, it doesn't mean that they work in the same way.

I know that you're new to computers and the comparisons with Windows don't specifically apply to you, but the chances are that you will occasionally be advised by people who know about PCs. If they don't know about Macs, their good-intentioned advice may be inappropriate. Just use your Mac to do whatever you want it for and don't get hung up about looking after it, Macs are designed to mostly look after themselves. If you run into problems, you know where to ask. Nobody here minds answering trivial questions, we know that those questions are important to the person asking.

lenarcik,

You might not have seen this news item Macworld - Sophos security experts say 'get a Mac'

AlanAudio said; Nobody here minds answering trivial questions...

I have been known to get a bit grumpy at times (RTFM comes to mind) but if I do, just tell me

Thanks a lot again. You probably do understand me that after 10 years of using PCs, some of the things you write here sounds to me like Science-Fiction .

lenarcik,
Donlt worry, you're not alone. I've persuaded 3 people so far to switch and they were pleasantly surprised how simple life with a Mac was and that all of the advantages I informed them of were true. None of them now would consider going back to a PC.

After my few days with MacBook and after my conversation with you here, I started to ask myself a question, why I have not done this earlier?

lenarcik,

Nothing to add except welcome aboard

Ade

lenarcik,

So glad you raised the subject, as the current answers have calmed me down a lot.

I've been a Mac-User for 22 years and have never had a problem, but having provided a PC for my stepson, which was then deluged with all the paranoia influencing shite you get with them online, was becoming a little unsettled.

By a curious inversion, being world-weary and wiser, I would have this to say.

Anything you have to pay for, in this global capitalist climate, will lead you into more paranoia and an unbreakable addiction to buying more products and services!

I responded by using Firefox as an alternate browser, because it's free and therefore more likely to be of some use, because they have no interest in selling me more product!

Try googling 'free internet security', you will find a site that deals in genuinely free stuff and related topics.

Be wary of the word 'free' itself though, on the 'net, it is much misused.

The simple tip is, the minute you are asked to sign up or pay for anything, drop it, switch off, go for a cuppa annd never return to that site again!

Ric

Although I've had my MAC for a few years now, I'm not very 'tech savvy'. I've never had a problem with my MAC in all the years I've been hammering it with music production sequencers like Logic 7.

I've only just recently had it connected to the Internet and sometimes it is difficult sorting the facts from the paranoia, hype and scare tactics posed by some manufacturers of AV software.

With regards to the Firewall settings, as posted by another member, I followed the instructions stated for activating the Firewall (although it seems to already on; (System Preferences > Internet & Network > Sharing > Firewall) but was a little confused from there.

It states that it is on, but has an allow list, one being 'FTP access' and 'Remote Apple Events'. What does this mean? I do access an FTP server a friend set up, using the "Classic FTP" GUI (http://www.nchsoftware.com) but the ‘allow’ tick box for 'FTP access' in the list is NOT checked, yet I can still up and download files form the FTP server.

What is this list for (in layman’s terms please!)? Do I need to do anything else to protect myself? Seems like any applications I need to buy are a waste of money.

Also under the 'internet tab, I have 'internet sharing off', so don't know if this should be on or not?!?

Er....ok then...

Iscariot13,

Internet sharing is exactly that - sharing your computer's connection with another computer. An example is signing up to a wireless service in a hotel, then sharing that connection via an ethernet or Firewire cable between your mac and your partner's.

Normally you'd have it switched off.