My last article detailed the arguments for and against anti-virus or anti-malware software on Macs. It turned out to be pretty popular because I got a good deal of feedback and further questions that fell into pretty much two groups; one set was about “beyond anti-virus,” which is what other measures can users take to keep their computers safe.
The second group of questions were about pass-through viruses (e.g., infected attachments, documents and files that are harmless on a Mac, but if forwarded to Windows users or networks, can be harmful to the receiver).
For the first set, there are definitely some extra measures that aren’t time consuming and Mac users can take to enhance their security.
- Don’t have your regular users running as Administrators. This is really not a great inconvenience; if you need to install and update or make preference changes, you are prompted for the Admin user name and password. This is really easy; just create a single Admin account on your Mac in System Preferences under Users and Groups and then change your regular user’s account settings to Standard User. It means you’ll be prompted for any system changes.
- Keep OS X up-to-date. This doesn’t necessarily mean upgrading to the newest OS X version if you aren’t ready, but do readily check Software Updates BEFORE YOU CLICK. In most browsers, you can confirm the root of the link (with the exception of more advanced hacks) by simply placing your mouse cursor over the link. Make sure it starts with amazon.com or keybank.com or paypal.com, etc. And never fill out forms directly in emails; go to the requesting site.
- Avoid using secure websites on non-secure (read: public) connections. Sniffers can easily monitor data flying over these semi-open networks. If you’re planning on banking or filling out taxes (it’s that time of the year) etc., on public networks (like at the local library, Starbucks, etc.) do that type of work at home on your own secure Wi-Fi! This is not just for laptops, but for phones and tablets as well.
Regarding passthrough malware, to answer the questions I received about this, there is really very little information about it being a vulnerability in my searching. Essentially, if you inadvertently send malware to a susceptible system (like someone with a PC) it’s really the responsibility of the receiver to have taken their own appropriate steps to avoid infections.
If it’s any level of corporate network that is receiving it, they will almost certainly have sufficient firewalls and internal malware filters running. Also, the type of malware any anti-malware software is going to be looking for on your Mac is not going to be checking for Windows vulnerabilities. So I’m completely unpersuaded that it’s a valid reason for installing anti-virus on a Mac.