In fact, it boasts the second largest market share among all antiviruses worldwide, blocking 66 million threats every day.The technically sophisticated runtime protections in macOS work at the very core of your Mac to keep your system safe from malware. The company itself is a known player in the security software, machine learning, and AI space. If you’re looking for the best free antivirus for Mac, Avast presents a really tempting option. Even in 2010 most security experts knew it wasnt that Macs were automatically secure.Best free Mac antivirus: Avast. Get AVG today to remove Mac spyware, prevent ransomware and other kinds of malware, and block unsafe links and malicious downloads.Software & Apps Do Macs need antivirus software?As early as 2012, Apple dropped the We dont get PC viruses schtick. AVG offers one of the best free antivirus apps for Mac thanks to customizable tools, powerful layers of security, and our database of virus definitions that’s updated in real time to catch even zero-day threats.According to the latest security report from AV-TEST, an independent malware research institute, “the number of malware programs for Apple‘s operating system macOS has almost tripled. Mac malware is continually increasingMalware specifically targeting the Mac has been increasing significantly in recent years. However, malware—which is the broad category for any malicious software designed to do things such as damage or steal files, spy on a user by recording photos, videos, or keystrokes, or usurp a user’s identity—is rampant on both Windows and Mac. While the industry still talks about “anti-virus” software, there hasn’t been a virus that affects the Mac in a very long time (unless you count Microsoft Office macro viruses). Let’s explore such topics as what built-in protection macOS offers, what types of threats it can and cannot stop, and several common myths about antivirus software.First, let’s get some terminology out of the way. Naturally, it’s fair for you to assume that our opinion may be a bit biased—not just because Intego offers antivirus software as well as a full security suite to protect Macs, but also because our malware researchers are at the front line, and regularly discover new malware that targets the Mac.But if you want to make your own informed decision about whether Macs need antivirus software, you’ll need to examine the facts.Cryptojacking software uses a computer’s processor or graphics card to “mine” for Bitcoin, Monero, or other cryptocurrency, without the knowledge or explicit consent of the user. Whether through stealing your credentials for a website or service, infecting your computer with ransomware, or installing cryptocurrency miner software, one of the main motivators for most malware makers is to make money.Cryptocurrency miners are an interesting example of a legitimate technology that has been turned into something that’s either malicious or undesirable (the latter is often abbreviated PUP or PUA, for potentially unwanted program or app). Early viruses generally just deleted files or displayed strange screens or windows, but today’s malware is designed by cybercriminals who are in it for the money. But while the Mac is perceived to be relatively safe from some perspectives, it certainly has its flaws no platform can be 100% secure.Today’s malware differs from what we worried about in the early days of computing. Mac users tend to be much more complacent, since the platform has a very good reputation for security.
Antivirus Recommended By Apple Code Embedded WithinAnd while Apple’s Mac App Store is generally considered to be safe, there have been incidents where App Store apps were also laden with malware or PUPs (e.g. Transmission— twice, HandBrake, and Elmedia Player), and other cases where software distribution sites have been tricked into distributing malware, or may have distributed PUPs unknowingly. There have been cases where developers’ websites have been hacked and their software has been infected with malware (e.g. And in some cases cryptojacking is done via JavaScript code embedded within a web page, so merely visiting a compromised site could lead to a drive-by attack.While it is helpful to advise people to only download software from reliable websites, avoiding malware is not as simple as abiding by that rule.![]() Apple does not use this name on their website, but rather talks about File Quarantine and Known Malware Detection, and has in the past called it the Safe Downloads List (an ironic misnomer, since the XProtect data file could more accurately be described as a list of unsafe files). XProtect: Apple’s malware detection engineAnother technology in macOS is known in the industry as XProtect (nicknamed after the XProtect.plist data file in macOS). Apple patched the most recent Gatekeeper bypass about two months after it was discovered, but it’s just a matter of time before someone finds another way around it. Once you have done this, you won’t be asked again when you re-launch the app.Security researchers occasionally discover vulnerabilities that allow software to bypass Gatekeeper. If an app is blocked, you can Control-click it and choose Open, and you’ll be shown a dialog asking you to confirm your action. The Mac’s Security & Privacy settings allow you to limit the installation of apps to just those apps downloaded from the App Store, or to the App Store and developers who have added an Apple-approved code signature to their apps.It’s possible to override these settings. However, Apple’s quarantine system only tags files downloaded with those specific apps. This tells macOS to check the file using the XProtect signatures at the time the file is opened. Apple has also used MRT to disable non-malicious but vulnerable software, in the case of the recent Zoom vulnerability, which we discussed on episode 92 of the Intego Mac Podcast.When you download a file with Apple’s Safari, Messages, or Mail apps (or certain other apps that are properly configured, like many third-party web browsers), a quarantine bit is set. Apple also has a background utility called the Malware Removal Tool (MRT) to delete malicious software that may already be on your Mac. Wireless trackpad for macAlthough it’s true that malware is often distributed through such sites, there are many other ways for malware to get onto your Mac.Perhaps the most surprising example is that malware distributors often buy expired domains, or hack into vulnerable sites, and set up pages that rank near the top of Google search results for particular search keywords—and then when unsuspecting victims click on such a link, it will redirect to a site designed to deceive people into thinking they have outdated software (typically Adobe Flash Player) or that their computer is infected with malware, and these sites can download malware or PUPs onto the victim’s Mac, often in the form of a Trojan horse cleverly disguised as a legitimate app or updater. Ah, if only it were that simple!Unfortunately, this is not the reality. Myth #1: Malware only comes from “shady” sitesMany computer users—perhaps especially Mac users—believe the myth that if you simply avoid less-reputable places on the Internet—such as torrent sites, porn sites, illegal gambling sites, or sites distributing copyright-violating content, illegal copies of software, or “cracks”—you’ll be able to completely avoid any malware infections. (You can learn all about macOS software updates in this article.) Moreover, Apple often takes a long time before they add signatures to XProtect, and they only include signatures for a handful of strains of malware, whereas Intego updates its malware signatures as soon as new threats are discovered and detects all known Mac malware (as confirmed by multiple independent tests).Now that we’ve looked at the built-in malware defenses in macOS and some of their limitations, let’s examine some common myths about Mac malware and third-party antivirus software. Also, while updates to XProtect are automatically installed by default on Macs, some people may turn off the automatic update feature and not get the updates in a timely manner.
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