Hot Take The best antivirus for Mac is none at all

[enaph]

The online world is still a dangerous place, but while antivirus providers are trying to sell you subscriptions for their wares, macOS is still secure enough for users to resist the products. The best antivirus for Mac is a combo of existing protections and user sanity.


Viruses and malware are a fact of online life, with numerous reports detailing how various digital nasties are badly affecting systems around the world. Both for individuals and for organizations with more stringent security practices.
On Windows, having some form of additional protection was, and still is, needed, especially as it's the biggest target for virus makers to aim for. With a smaller user base, Mac was less of a target at first, but it has become a bigger one as the years rolled on.
What helped the Mac was its reputation as being very immune to malware and viruses in general. That it was virus-proof in some way, and you didn't need an antivirus tool at all.

That is still pretty much true today, to a point. Apple includes various mechanisms in macOS that makes it very difficult for malware to actually be a problem for the typical user.
This hasn't stopped various companies from trying to provide extra security, declaring themselves to be the best antivirus for Mac in some way.
To be sure, it is still a target of viruses and malware, but certainly not in a way that Windows users have to be concerned about. While some of it is down to users being careful and thinking about how they act online, a lot of it is still down to the protection systems macOS has in place.
That reputation of security exists for good reason. Here's why.

The best antivirus for Mac is none at all | AppleInsider

The online world is still a dangerous place, but while antivirus providers are trying to sell you subscriptions for their wares, macOS is still secure enough for users to resist the products. The best antivirus for Mac is a combo of existing protections and user sanity.

appleinsider.com

 

[ForgottenSeer 98186]

MacOS will no longer be as secure as it once was due to the US and EU requiring it to open its app store and permit sideloading of apps.

Since MacOS devices are very expensive, it is logical to assume that the average MacOS user is financially better off and therefore a better target for threat actors. This has resulted in a massive increase in MacOS malware and targeted attacks.

 

[Trident]

MacOS will no longer be as secure as it once was due to the US and EU requiring it to open its app store and permit sideloading of apps.

Since MacOS devices are very expensive, it is logical to assume that the average MacOS user is financially better off and therefore a better target for threat actors. This has resulted in a massive increase in MacOS malware and targeted attacks.

MacOS was open to sideloading for many years, but the group of users is not extremely interested in cheap or pirated software. And with sideloading allowed, it has remained quite secure. Normally every new piece of malware makes headlines — that’s how rare it is. Majority of this malware is PUPs.

The EU wants Apple to allow sideloading on iPhone but it is unlikely to be popular there either.

Apple already supplies an antivirus based on Yara rules, called XProtect.

 

[ForgottenSeer 98186]

MacOS was open to sideloading for many years, but the group of users is not extremely interested in cheap, pirated freebies.

Security by massive pay-wall.

 

[Trident]

Security by massive pay-wall.

Apple supplies plenty of software needed for users to do their day-to-day tasks.

Apps included on your Mac

Your Mac comes with a wide range of fun and useful apps already installed.

support.apple.com

Majority of users won’t even need to download anything on their Mac. Creative software, games and other programs that may be needed should be purchased on Mac, just like they should be purchased on Windows.

Security on Mac is much more than a paywall.

Apple Platform Security

Learn how security is implemented in Apple hardware, software, apps and services.

support.apple.com

 

[ForgottenSeer 98186]

Apple supplies plenty of software needed for users to do their day-to-day tasks. Majority of users won’t even need to download anything on their Mac. Creative software, games and other programs that may be needed should be purchased on Mac, just like they should be purchased on Windows.

It all goes back to "users want to use stuff" in the Windows world.

 

[Trident]

It all goes back to "users want to use stuff" in the Windows world.

Microsoft for years has been supplying half-baked features and security measures, refusing to patch various bypasses, rather adding definitions to Microsoft Defender (another half-baked security measure of ridiculous quality, allowing malware to add whole drives to exclusions). So it’s not just the users that want to use stuff’s fault.

 

[ForgottenSeer 98186]

Microsoft for years has been supplying half-baked features and security measures, refusing to patch various bypasses, rather adding definitions to Microsoft Defender (another half-baked security measure of ridiculous quality, allowing malware to add whole drives to exclusions). So it’s not just the users that want to use stuff’s fault.

Microsoft can prevent users from shooting themselves in the foot with a few simple moves on Windows, but it won't because the outrage and outcry will be massive.

I think Windows should be a yearly subscription and then each service should require an add-on subscription fee. If a user wants to use stuff - if they want that freedom and all the harms it causes - then they should have to pay for it. Otherwise Windows should be wholly default-deny - lock users out from modifying the system in most any way - for unmanaged home users. There should not be the existing mult-tier Windows model where unmanaged home users get stuck with hobbled enterprise hand-me-down protections while at the same time they are wholly unconstrained in what they can do.

Change for the betterment of the entire world is always painful one way or another. People don't like it. They want freedom and convenience, without being held accountable for their actions and choices.

 

[Trident]

Converting the low quality Windows OS that years ago didn’t even include a proper mail app or player will not be feasible. MacOS and Chrome OS are not subscriptions. It will just increase the number of various KMS activators downloads and the Chromebook/MacBook market shares.

Microsoft SHOULD ensure that users are secure. It is doing it via Microsoft Defender (not gonna comment on its state) and various other mitigations, most of which have high number of work-arounds discovered just months after they are released.

Change for the betterment at Windows is not coming, regardless whether it will be a subscription or not. This requires bold changes to be implemented and Microsoft is not one to do that.

 

[ForgottenSeer 98186]

This requires bold changes to be implemented and Microsoft is not one to do that.

I do not think there is a company out there willing to implement the bold changes required. If they did, other companies and users would sue them and unravel whatever they were attempting accomplish for the greater good. You know... "users want to use stuff" and "companies want to exploit your platform to make money too"- those need to always come first. Public opinion always comes first instead of the practical measures required to decisively solve the problem.

 

[Trident]

I do not think there is a company out there willing to implement the bold changes required. If they did, other companies and users would sue them and unravel whatever they were attempting accomplish for the greater good. You know... "users want to use stuff" and "companies want to exploit your platform to make money too"- those need to always come first. Public opinion always comes first instead of the practical measures required to decisively solve the problem.

Indeed. What interest does Microsoft have to implement better security when they themselves are selling Defender for home usage (included within Microsoft 365) and for business too? This industry is a multi-billion one now.
Microsoft and security should not be used in one sentence together, it is quite hilarious to do so.

 

[ForgottenSeer 98186]

Microsoft and security should not be used in one sentence together, it is quite hilarious to do so.

At least on the Pro version a user with the inclination can harden Windows to the point where it is quite safe at the localhost system level.

How many users are going to be willing to do that? So in many respects, users are a significant part of the problem - whether it is directly their fault or not. I think of them as hapless victims of the current system and of their own choices and proclivities.

 

[NormanF]

You can secure your Mac with the Lulu firewall and BlockBlock to block any suspicious process on the system.

An AV is completely unnecessary! Unix users should be safe by downloading through their package manager and in the case of Mac, the Apple Store.