


It’s not a question of whether you should install antivirus on your Mac-the question is which one. Social engineering attacks subvert you, the user, rather than your device, but many antivirus products include protection against phishing and similar attacks. Without antivirus protection, you could find your Mac running hot due to a crypto-mining bot, or you might lose your best pics and videos to ransomware. There’s also no question that coding malware to run on Windows or Android is easier because macOS is more tightly locked down. There’s no question, Macs can suffer malware attacks, especially if you dabble in pirated software. Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions.

How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac.How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files.How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill.How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages.Malware authors have frequently found and exploited weaknesses, such as using obscure file formats or large file sizes that the sandbox can’t process, leaving Mac users at risk of infection. While sandboxing adds another layer of security for Macs, not even the App Store nor sandboxed apps are 100% safe, as highlighted by the attack on the Chinese version of the App Store by the XCodeGhost Virus. XProtect defends Macs against various types of malware, by scanning downloaded files for signs of infection, but it needs to be regularly updated to recognize new or emerging threats - and it won’t help you if you unwittingly land on an infected or unsafe website.Ī digital certificate is always seen as proof of a file’s security and a surefire sign that the file contains no malicious code, but cybercriminals can still plant malicious code at the file completion stage, exploit security gaps to sign their malicious files with valid digital certificates, and more. The macOS, or Mac OS X system, has existed for 40 years in various forms - it’s robust, and because of its regular updates, malware developers find it hard to keep up with the changes and write viruses that will successfully infect the Mac operating system.Īpple's basic malware detection is built directly into its Mac OS X operating system.
