Bizhack.net

If you are a Mac user then perhaps antivirus software was something you never thought you would even need to contemplate.  But as Macs continue to increase in popularity, many believe that its only a matter of time before a more significant percentage of hackers and wrong-doers turn their attention on the world’s most popular alternative to Windows.

This concern was perhaps drummed home (to an extent) last month when a new Mac specific trojan was discovered in the wild, and while this also served to fan the flames of the age old Mac vs PC debate, security providers must now be licking their lips in anticipation of entering a new and wonderfully profitable market.

At the moment Mac users have to contend with a negligible amount of dangerous malware in comparison to their Windows couterparts so if you or your business uses OS X it might be a little too early to be getting jittery.  Mac themselves tend to do a good job of keeping you up-to-date and secure. However, one can also never be too cautious and Mac users can only help the world at large by stopping Windows viruses in their tracks despite the fact that Windows malware will not affect them.

If you prefer to exercise caution over Mac ideology, then the less than aptly named PC Tools have released the free, Mac specific, iAntivirus (in beta)

Modeled primarily on simplicity and usability, the antivirus offers real time protection and smart updates, and while in beta it is also free for business use.  It certainly lacks the functionality that many PC users would be accustomed to (for example you can not easily scan individual files) but its easy to use interface, fast scanning and relatively small footprint on system resources makes this a sure-fire winner for the price.

Having said all of that, our testing to date has pretty much been a non-event and we have not encountered a single virus so far.  However, whether to curb the “inevitable” onslaught of Mac malware, or if not to simply  feel better about the prospect of it, iAntivirus might be a good application to have on the list.