Mac Know How—Should I Install An Anti-Virus?

Q: I’ve been burned in the past with viruses on my PC. I just bought a new Macbook. Should I buy virus protection software?

A: Call me foolish, but for my personal Macbook, I’ve never had virus protection and I’ve had it for 3 1/2 years. Don’t let me be your example though. If there ever is a threat, it’s likely most Mac users will be totally defenseless.

You’ve seen the ads. According to Apple, Macs are virus free compared to Windows PCs.  There was some controversy recently when a Apple knowledge base article appeared on the company’s support site. Apple noted that the article had been updated and then quickly removed the offending piece. In addition, Apple released this statement:

The Mac is designed with built-in technologies that provide protection against malicious software and security threats right out of the box.

I’m a Apple fanboy, but even my Apple delusions forbid me from denying that viruses are still a possiblility on Macs. It’s true. The Macs Unix based operating system keeps permissions tight and out of the box, the Leopard’s firewall restricts alot of Internet traffic from getting through. It wouldn’t hurt to invest in some protection. Both Symantec and McAfee offer software packages to protect your Mac.

Know Your Mac—Easily Make Your Very Own Wi-Fi Hub

Have a single Ethernet connection? Instead of fighting with your friends, spouse or kids about using the only connected PC or Mac, in less than three minutes you’ll be using your Macbook or late model Macbook Pro to share the good times.

Here’s what you do:

On you ethernet connected Mac, go to System Preferences. Select Sharing. Next select Internet Sharing. Change your option to share from Ethernet from the drop down menu. Click Airport option and then give the nifty network you just made a name and password. Lastly, turn on Internet sharing. That’s it! Enjoy!

Tags: Mac Know How