I would only recommend antivirus software to the Mac user who is extremely un-savvy with tech. By practicing general prevention methods (like I’ve described below) you can probably use a Mac for a long time without fear of malware. Apple, Safari, Google, and others have done a great job of keeping you safe. I’ve written for a lot of tech security sectors (not just consumer electronics) and to be honest, it’s not that hard to avoid malware these days. Users unwittingly mess up their Macs all the time with poor internet habits and a lack of prevention methods employed. However, you can still get a pretty severe malware infection on your Mac if you aren’t careful. The days of a virus springing up out of nowhere and burying themselves in your computer are more or less over. Especially if you use the tips to prevent Mac viruses outlined in this very post. Do Macs need antivirus software?Īgain, this is a bit up for debate, but for the most part, no. I’m not going to get into this since it’s a bit complicated, but if you want to learn more on this topic you can check out this post from Colorado Computer Support. Side Note: I realize that there is a difference between a true computer virus and the way most people use the term “virus” today. That increase in popularity means more hackers trying to exploit macOS, which means Mac users need to remain savvy.

Windows is much more secure now, and Macs have grown in popularity. Macs, by comparison, had next to no risk of infection.īut that period is over. The myth stems from an era not too long ago when Windows was being flooded with viruses and malware to the point where antivirus was a necessity. I even found official forums on Apple’s website with comments echoing this sentiment (Apple employees were not leaving these comments, mind you). I’ve known that this was a myth for some time (saying an OS can’t get a virus is like saying a lock can’t be picked) but was completely floored to find just how prevalent this myth is. Despite how many people try to say otherwise, you can get viruses and malware on Mac. Today, we’re going to discuss how you can prevent Mac viruses and malware, what you can do if you suspect your Mac is infected, and tackle the age-old question of whether Macs can get viruses in the first place.

There is a lot of misinformation on Mac viruses and malware (as well as malware/viruses in general), so I wanted to use this post as a place to clear things up. In addition to being fascinated and terrified by the potential of the attack, it also raised a concern I hadn’t had on my Mac before: How I could prevent Mac viruses and malware. I recently wrote a post covering the Silver Sparrow malware attack that began near the end of 2020.

How to check macbook pro for malware