Best antivirus software for Macintosh

Although there is less malware on MacOs than on Windows I want to maximum protect my laptop from uninvited guests. I don't care if it costs a few bucks... But I do want the official cd, not just some file downloaded from a website or the App store.

 

Honestly, all you need to do is enable the Firewall within OS X, don't install Java, and use common sense.

Why? Any program you get on CD is going to be outdated, requiring you to download the latest version anyway. You're also very much limiting yourself in what you can install. The only AV I know of for Mac that comes on physical media is Norton. Now it's not a bad piece of software, but you should really try others to see what you like best.

 

official CD? what year are you living in? Some of the best software out there for certain things don't even have those options readily available anymore.

If you want good AV for OS X, you can run Sophos Anti-Virus home edition for free

 

Pretty much agree to the above about CDs. Boxed software is pretty depreciated, and some of your best options will be Internet-only.

Anyway, saturnotaku's advice is pretty sound. Most OSX attacks revolve around social engineering, so as long as you use your computer with that fact in mind, you'll be safe from just about all OSX-aimed attacks.

 

And while you're busy not installing Java- don't install Flash either.

If you have to have access to flash content on the web, then install Google chrome as a compromise.

 

Sophos is download only and, in my experience (as previously stated), it is the best anti-virus software for OS X free or not. It's very low profile and consumes 11.4 MB of RAM in the background (that's 60 times less than Safari) and doesn't take up much space. I don't really understand the need for software on a disc. You can always burn the Sophos installation file to a CD if you really wanted or put it on a hard drive/thumb drive but the website is really easy to find and it takes all of 30 seconds to download again. The process of finding the Sophos website, downloading it, and starting the installation takes less time than it would for you to dig out a CD/DVD, pop that into your computer, open it, and start installing the software.

 

I use avast these days. It has a lot of pop-ups, though you can turn their intensity down or off completely. I have had attack sites that have been blocked by avast and I don't remember it happening on Sophos even though my web behavior hasn't drastically changed. The only time Sophos detected a malware was on a USB drive and it wasn't really a malware, but an .exe installer.

 

you want a program on a CD? what are you living in the 90s? I wouldn't touch anything that comes on a CD as they are always ancient and outdated.

Even if I buy like a new Logitech Mouse, I throw the CD in the bin and get the latest drivers from the website. Get real and stop living in the past

The best AV for both a Mac and Windows PC is Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, here is a glimpse of its rating amongst others:

AV-TEST - The Independent IT-Security Institute: Nov/Dec 2012

 

Sophos caused problems for me (random system freezes), so I had to uninstall it. I replaced it with iAntivirus. The system's been completely stable ever since.