Best Mac Anti-Malware Suites, Please?

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[Mr. Austin]

It seems that most of the prospective security exploits against I want to protect on Macintosh machines are going to be anti-ransomware. Anti-virus protection should be included in the anti-malware suite, please.

One of my best friends is running High Sierra 10.13.6 on an older iMac with RAM upgrades and an SSD. And my son and a couple of other friends are Mac-o-Philes on PowerBooks or older MacBooks. So I need, please, two great, different anti-malware software suites to consider for these machines. What do all you Mac power users and network admins like these days, please?

What I know so far:

1. I use Acronis True Image to replace Windows’ native File History, which broke many months ago. I stopped using True Image for PC disc imaging and backups because I was having far too many problems with it across two different versions of it.

But, just now when I looked at what Acronis is doing they’ve subsumed True Image into their new Cyber Protect Home Office product. So I want to find out if Cyber Protect Home Office is a horse I want in my race for the best Mac protection, and if someone I respect and admire has experience with it.

2. And Bitdefender Total Security works quite well on PCs, and I’ve been happy with their support. But their Total Security is anything but total for Macs, and I’ve tested it.

3. And I don’t even want to talk about any Symantec offerings although long ago I’d run both their network security server software on a 25-client LAN and liked it. I also liked Norton Internet Security until its performance became bloated and slow, just like their support. They’re the reason I switched a few years ago to Bitdefender on the PCs I secure.

There are enough Mac wizards and wizardesses on these fora that y’all will have your faves. Thank you for your help!

Human, who sports only naturally-occurring DNA ~ oneironaut ~ broadcaster

• This topic was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by Mr. Austin.

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I would suggest trying Intego VirusBarrier as real-time anti-virus, Intego NetBarrier as a good one for monitoring what application in the Mac is babbling to what, and the free version of Malwarebytes, so it does work on demand, not in real-time, as otherwise it could stumble with Intego’s real-time AV, as additional protection. Better download Intego’s free version first, see how you like it. Annual subscription is around $US 50.

The Intego software was recommended by our too-soon departed Mac & iPhone, etc. expert Nathan Parker (still alive, just not here.) Malwarebytes, used, as described, on demand, was recommended by PKCano, as a good way to “CYA”, as I seem to recall that it was put.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

2 users thanked author for this post.

Mr. Austin, rodcallen

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I have the same question. It seems the consensus here is:  Intego and Malwarebytes free on demand.  I had read that Bitdefender was also good.  Is anyone using anything else? I also need something for my iOS devices. I know there is no a/v scanning, just protection from malicious websites, spam calls, etc. What are you all using for your iOS devices? I have not been using anything, but iOS is becoming more vulnerable every day.

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dmt_3904 wrote:

What are you all using for your iOS devices? I have not been using anything, but iOS is becoming more vulnerable every day.

I never used an a/v on iOS/iPadOS since the first iPhone and never been hit by malware…I run beta versions of iOS and iPadOS.
No a/v will guard iOS against NSO’s ‘Pegausu’ hacks or 0-day.
I use Lockdown app (firewall / “vpn”) to block sites tracking..
I use Cloud+ ‘Private Relay’ to mask my IP when using Safari browser.
There is a new feature ‘Hide my email’.

You should update/install all iOS updates the day they are published and not wait weeks/months.

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As far as Macs go, while it is true that they have some pretty good defenses against malware, these tend to be rather slow in being updated. A third party software such as Intego is faster on the uptake, providing significant extra protection largely for this reason.

A friend of mine who, unlike me, is an expert on Macs, has emailed me an explanation that went:

“For antivirus/anti-malware, while XProtect is decent, sometimes Apple is slow at updating the list. Intego or other third party tools are generally a little bit faster, so it’s an extra level protection that helps me sleep better at night.”

“While Macs can’t run Windows viruses (unless you have Windows running on your Mac), Macs can spread Windows viruses (such as caught in emails) to other Windows users, and most third party Mac antivirus/anti-malware also catches Windows viruses. Macs can become “asymptomatic carriers” of Windows viruses without this extra protection, so I recommend having it. The price I pay for Intego and the regular scans it does is small enough to warrant the extra protection I receive.”

In my own case, besides Intego (that runs continuously (in “real time”) I also run Malwarebytes and the Intego NetBarrier software as an additional protection for finding which application is being particularly chatty with some external party over the Internet.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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Mr. Austin

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