Mac - Virus protection
This conversation on one of the Mac forums may help Mac users in SA, especially they plan to run Windows in parallel with their Macs. Randy Singer is an acknowledge authority on the Mac.
Randy B. Singer to Macintosh
show details 11/12/2009
On Dec 11, 2009, at 2:29 AM, tony riley wrote:
The use of virtual windoze on Macs is becoming more prevalent and I wonder about the virus implications.
If I install , say, VMware Fusion on my Intel iMac and then set up a virtual Windows system, what is the risk from Windows viruses likely to be?
It depends on what you are using Windows for on your Macintosh. By far the most common vectors for transmission of malware are e-mail and via the Web. Many (most?) Macintosh users only use virtualization to run one or two mission critical Windows applications. Usually they do their Web surfing using Macintosh programs, as in most cases Macintosh programs are perfectly sufficient for that purpose. If you fit this description, the risk is quite low, as the vector for viral transmission has been more or less cut off. In that case, you don't need to run Windows anti-virus software at all.
However, if you plan to access the Internet via Windows or exchange files with other Windows users, it would probably be best to have Windows anti-virus software installed.
Can Win viruses attack the virtual machine in just the same way as a standalone Win PC?
Windows viruses can usually run just as well on a virtualized installation of Windows as they do on a real Windows PC.
If viruses can (do) get in via the virtual Windows installation will they (could they) affect the Mac OS as well?
There has been a lot of discussion about this. As with most things having to do with a computer, it's possible to imagine that it could happen in some unusual set of circumstances, but it is a rather remote possibility. I've never heard of it happening, and a Web search won't turn up any instances of it happening. I wouldn't worry about it.
Is the Mac at risk from being on a wireless network with other Win PC's?
If you will be exchanging files with those other PC's and you using those files in an environment where you are running Windows, it is. And, of course, unless you are careful about security, there are the usual concerns about hacking and privacy.
Finally, what is the perceived wisdom of running antivirus software on Macs now?
The overwhelming majority of Macintosh users don't use any anti-virus software at all. While there is Macintosh malware in the wild, the threat is miniscule. (That is, after all, one of the big reasons that you switched to the Macintosh, isn't it?)
Some Mac users, like myself, run anti-virus software because we use our computers in our business, and it just doesn't look good to the public/clients/customers/etc. not to be running anti-virus software. But I can't even remember the last time that my anti-virus software detected something arguably of significance. It's been many years. Maybe as long as a decade ago, before the advent of OS X.
As a recent convert to the Mac platform, any info would be welcome.
I hope that the above helps. This is a subject that provokes a lot of debate, partially because many Mac users are previous (or maybe even are still current) Windows users and are used to how things are on Windows, and partially because there is a lot of paranoia about this based on fear. But if you ask a lot of Macintosh users if they have contracted any viruses since the advent of OS X, I'm sure that you will have a hard time finding anyone who has legitimately been infected with one. (Many users are quick to assume that *any* problem that they encounter with their Mac is due to a virus. That is just about always an erroneous assumption.)
