It’s a common thought that Mac users do not require antivirus like their Windows PC user counterparts. However, the climate for this statement is everchanging in the digital age we are in today.

The two main reasons Macs are considered more secure:

  • MacOS is a Unix-based operating system and is sandboxed.
  • There are fewer Macs being used than Windows PC.

Macs can get infected but it is much harder for the virus to spread to the heart of the machine. The recent growth of the web and the ever-increasing popularity of the cloud has changed the landscape for possible threats. Although it is harder to target Macs, and the number of users is a lot smaller than other brands of computers, there are still some viable reasons to look into a good Mac Antivirus Software. Malwarebytes reported in March of 2018 that malware grew more than 270 percent back in 2017. That being said, Windows 8 and 10 are the most secure Windows updates ever, and criminals are starting to take not that maybe it would serve them well to target Mac users more frequently. Mac users need to be made aware that they can, in fact, infect Windows users, especially in a shared network corporate environment. If a Mac user downloads a file with a PC virus, and that file is given to another user it could very well still have the virus code within it. Another issue is that mail can be infected and then forwarded to a Windows machine without the Mac user even noticing. Some Mac users even run macOS and Windows side by side using Bootcamp or other virtual machine solution.

Signs your Mac has a virus:

  • Your Mac suddenly starts running very slowly or applications lag much more than they usually do.
  • You see ads pop up on your Mac Randomly.
  • Websites you visit show ads that are unconnected with your usual browsing history.
  • You find software such as browser toolbars that you didn’t install yourself.
  • Websites that don’t usually have ads start to display banners on them.

Macs are great machines that have a lot of built-in methods for keeping you secure. Criminals are shifting their tactics and times are changing. It’s best to keep your computer and the computers around you as secure as possible. Here is a list of anti-virus software that Mac users can look into:

  • Intego Mac Internet Security X9
  • Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac
  • Norton Security for Mac
  • Sophos Antivirus for Mac
  • Avira Antivirus for Mac