All about Mac antivirus Can Macs get viruses? If you’re a Mac user, you get mixed messages about whether viruses and other malicious software pose a bona fide threat. Historically, Mac fans have touted their platform as immune to the kinds of data attacks and other hostile intrusions that plague the Windows world. Apple itself even reassured its customers for years that Macs “don’t get viruses.” It even said so in that first aired in 2006. While it’s true Macs are more secure than PCs, they’re still vulnerable to viruses, and they always have been. By design, the Mac operating system is more secure against the threat of and, but there are still plenty of ways for malware to find its way in. Another thing protecting Macs is the fact that they’re less popular than PCs, but that doesn’t stop some hackers from targeting Macs.
Despite this, there are still tech pundits who recklessly advise against taking even basic security precautions, such as installing a cybersecurity program. “Malwarebytes saw more Mac malware in 2017 than in any previous year.” In the last few years, a growing number of active threats have targeted the Mac operating system. In fact, Malwarebytes saw more Mac malware in 2017 than in any previous year.
Aug 30, 2012 Apple products do NOT come with Anti-Virus software installed. There has not yet ever been an OS X Virus. But, if you would feel safer using A-V software, then I would suggest you download and install the excellent quality and FREE A-V product found here (and, yes, I myself use it).
By the end of 2017, the Malwarebytes intel team counted 270 percent more unique threats on the Mac platform than in 2016. What’s more, Apple's current strategies may not be enough to stop the rising tide of Mac viruses and malware. Look into the history of threats to Macs, and you’ll see that even early on, the so-called “Mac invulnerability” was a myth.
It makes you think twice about wandering around cyberspace on your Mac without taking precautions. (For further reading, see “” by Thomas Reed.) The latest Mac malware news A short history of Mac attacks The first widespread Apple virus was called Elk Cloner. It was created by a 15-year-old high school student in 1982, and it targeted Apple II computers. Disseminated by infected floppy disks, the virus itself was harmless, but it spread to all disks attached to a system.
It proliferated so quickly that many consider it the first large-scale computer virus outbreak in history. Note that this was prior to any PC malware. The first virus that targeted Macintosh computers, nVir, emerged in 1987 and remained a problem until 1991. Best bitcoin wallet for beginners. It infected executable files on Macs, causing system issues like printing problems, application crashes, and slow response times.