Your Security Resource

The short answer is no. You should definitely invest in some form of antivirus protection software for your Apple computer.

You are right in that there are fewer viruses infecting Macs than computers that run Windows. This is primarily due to Apple's much smaller market share -- hackers would rather target 10 or 20 times more computers at a time by going after Windows machines.

You also may be lulled into a false sense of security by Apple's claim that the latest version of the Mac operating system, Snow Leopard, has “antivirus protection.” In fact, Apple's protection is limited to protecting against only two Trojan families and no viruses and it only works with Apple's iChat, email, and the Safari browser. Files that are brought in via FTP, BitTorrent or other file sharing or transfer programs are ignored.

Another reason you should invest in an antivirus program for your Mac is that if your computer does get infiltrated by a virus, you may pass it along via email to others. Investing in antivirus protection -- in addition to the built-in one for Macs -- is a way to both protect your computer as well as prevent the spreading of viruses to your friends, colleagues and family.

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