Antivirus

Hi,

I currently have a Macbook Pro Retina 13in. running the latest OSX El Capitan. Been having some issues with freezing lately and not sure if it was a result of virus or malware. I currently run Malwarebytes and CCleaner every so often to clear out junk files. I was wondering if an antivirus software is needed for Mac OSX and if so, what are some free suggestions?

- b1gal

 

I have a MacBook Air, and haven't updated to OS El Capitan yet because of having the fear like what you have. Since my knowledge with computer is limited, and I don't want frustrations, I will just stay with the OS Yosemite for now.

I hope someone will answer your questions, and I will check back for the suggestions too just in case something happens to my laptop

 

Have you also used CCleaner to clean out the registry as well as junk files? If so, it's possible that CCleaner may have deleted necessary registry entries after misidentifying them as invalid files. You can back up the registry first using CCleaner before cleaning the files so that it can be restored if you encounter any problems. Aside from that it might just be a compatibility issue with the software you're using.

 

Sophos is probably the best antivirus suite out there for the Mac if you need it.

 

I remembered when I first started looking into my fist computer a long time ago someone told me that Apple products were incapable of getting viruses and so you did not need any antivirus, software. When I was shopping the guy kind of agreed with me or at least did not make it seem like I was foolish. Sure enough years down the line I was shopping around again still thinking that Apple products could not get viruses and the salesman laughed out loud at me. I am not sure what the best one is, but I guess all computers can get them FYI.

 

So many people seem to go by this rule which has always seemed pretty ridiculous to me. Any computer can be programmed and that means that any computer can be infected with malicious software, no matter how good it's security or stability is. A virus is simply just a computer program and computers are designed to run those programs. It is completely and utterly impossible for any computer to not be capable of becoming infected with malicious software. It's possible to manipulate any system if you know how that system works and additionally, one part of a system cannot be affected without affecting the rest of the system in some way.

 

For years I used free anti virus such as panda cloud, avira etc. I never have had any concern. later I moved to paid version and my computer has never crashed because of antivirus or malware. You need antivirus program for your computer so that the software works properly.

 

This topic was regarding the use of antivirus for OS X on a Mac. You are clearly speaking of your experience using Windows on a PC. While using a real time antivirus is an absolute necessity for a Windows installation, it can be avoided on OS X. It doesn't hurt to have one on OS X, but for most an on demand scanner will suffice.

 

For my MacBook Pro I use Sophos Anti-Virus. I used to always get viruses on my laptop in the form of ads and pop-ups, so I took it to the tech support team at a local campus. They recommended Sophos and I haven't had a single problem since I downloaded it. It's free online.

 

That is what I was told to! However I was told that it is less likely for them to get viruses then windows because they were more secure. Didn't they use to have mac vs window computer commercials that would be like windows is always sick but mac isn't type things, I wonder it is was just all a marketing thing. Anyways I always have had luck with the free antivirus programs with mac.

 

I've only used NortonAntiVirus but it usually doesn't find anything. The one time I got a virus on my computer, the genius at the Apple just wiped my computer. The freezing might be a virus but it might be a problem with the hardware. Shut down your computer and then restart it by holding down the Option and D key, though I have an older laptop so it might be different for you. If nothing comes up, it's definitely a virus or malware.