Problem or Question:

Are macs succeptible to conventional virus attacks and how do I protect myself?

Environment:

Mac OS X 10.4 / 10.5 / 10.6 / 10.7

Solution or Answer:

Why Macs Are So Safe:

One of the most amazing benefits of being a Mac user is that you simply aren’t as prone to malicious virtual attackers. The primary reason for this is that the core architecture of OS X is designed to be secure right out of the box. So why is this architecture so secure? One of many answers is that OS X heavily restricts global actions that can be performed by third party applications and utilities. What this means on a practical level is that if you hypothetically downloaded something that was tainted, it shouldn’t be able to get at your important system files. This technique, known as “Sandboxing,” essentially blocks those silly people who sit around and create viruses from doing too much damage.

Downstreaming:

Keep in mind that just because most infected files won’t hurt your machine doesn’t mean you can’t act as a carrier and pass them along to your less fortunate PC brethren. If you’re of the type that loves to forward every random spam email you get (and you shouldn’t be), then you could in fact be spreading malware. Be Internet Smart Aside from this, just remember to use your brain when using the Internet.

Don’t download anything from sources you know nothing about.

Don’t open attachments from people you don’t know or even acknowledge stupid chain letter email forwards from people you do know.

If your Mac tells you that a site is bad and that you shouldn’t enter it, take the advice.

Keep in mind that OS X will always warn you before opening anything you download from the web. This is almost a pointless warning though as it pops up for good and bad files alike and should therefore only serve to remind you to consider the source of the download before proceeding.

Stay Up To Date:

Most fixes can be as simple as doing software updates from Apple.

Apple Menu>Software Update

Apple releases system updates as well as security patches for your OS. You can also check the apple recent downloads page: http://support.apple.com/downloads/

Virus protection options:

Intego Virus http://www.intego.com/virusbarrier

ESET Cybersecurity for Mac http://www.eset.com/us/home/products/antivirus-for-mac/

Norton AntiVirus http://us.norton.com/

F-Secure http://www.f-secure.com/en/web/home_us/protection/anti-virus-for-mac/overview