Forum Topic

Apple Mac Book Pro antivirus software - advice

My Norton subscription, which I've been with for yonks, is due to expire. I've been told by a friend that virus protection for Apple Mac is not really necessary. Is this true? If not, should I get software and, if so, who would you recommend? Many thanks!

Jill Merrett ● 1541d5 Comments

I've used Macs for decades and whenever I have been talked into installing any anti-virus software it has turned into a debacle. I have gone "unprotected" for at least 20 years and have never had an issue. Of course I may have just got lucky but most Mac owners would tell you not to bother, especially with virus protection from the major players in the field - like Norton. There are other alternatives like Malwarebytes for Mac a free version of which I have on my Macbook and which you can run now and again just to see if it finds anything that shouldn't be there. Again, I have never found anything to worry about.

Bruce Hammal ● 1541d

We've had our Macs undefended for a long time, but got talked into it by our IT Support company.We rolled out Bitdefender last year and haven't had any issues - or any viruses for that matter :-)https://www.bitdefender.co.uk/solutions/

Ed Saper ● 1541d

The Mac itself isn’t very vulnerable but anti virus software for the Mac should stop it passing on viruses to others by forwarding attachments in emails or shared folders.

Michael Robinson ● 1541d

Thank you for your advice - much appreciated!

Jill Merrett ● 1541d

I absolutely agree about BitDefender. We rolled it out across the company, and have had no issues since.While there are very few Mac viruses out there - smaller pool of machines that could be infected, far better defended code - BitDefender stopped us from transferring attachments between clients who used Windows, that did contain viruses.Keeps our clients safe from viruses, and us safe from repetitional damage.Result!

Xander Dalgleish ● 1541d