For Malwarebytes, potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) accounted for the largest category of Mac detections, followed by adware.

And you probably associate antivirus with Windows, because Macs have a reputation for being more secure than Windows.

Best Antivirus 2017 Reddit How To Choose The

As a Mac user, you probably wonder whether your Mac needs anti-malware software, and if so, how to choose the right software.

In a hurry If you want a free option, consider Avast Security for Mac.

If you want a paid option, consider Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac.

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If you want more options, heres the Mac anti-malware that has the best test results from AV-Comparatives and AV-TEST: Avast Security for Mac Avira Antivirus Pro for Mac Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac Norton Security for Mac Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac BitDefender For Mac: Protect Your Device Against Threats 39.99 BitDefender For Mac gives you protection against Mac malware.

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The Threats Early in my IT career, I removed countless pieces of malware from consumer and business Windows PCs.

I hope you havent been a victim of malware Do you need antivirus (anti-malware) for your Mac ( MacBook, iMac, or Mac Mini ) Unsurprisingly, makers of Mac security software are happy to tell you about all the malware that could be targeting your Mac.

I try to base my advice on data rather than on marketing, so lets look at the data.

Its software that prevents andor removes malware (malicious software) from a device.

The term antivirus is often used for software thats anti-malware, because it fights not only viruses but other forms of malware.

Mac Malware Exists Any software can be compromised, and macOS is no exception.

Although theres a lot less malware for macOS than for Windows, it does exist.

Whilst it is certainly true that the population of macOS malware is very tiny compared to that for Windows and Android, there have been instances of macOS malware getting into the wild.

Mac Security Test Review 2019 (av-comparatives.org) From 2012 to 2017, the number of macOS users who have experienced attacks from malicious and potentially unwanted programs grew, approaching 255,000 attacked users per year.

However, starting in 2018, the number of attacked users began to decrease, and in the first half of 2019, it only amounted to 87,000.

During the first half of 2019, we registered 1.8 million attacks of this kind.

The vast majority of threats for macOS in 2019 were in the AdWare category.

Threats to macOS users (securelist.com) Attackers will likely increase their focus on the operating system, but the platform is still far from a popular target Currently, only 3 of WatchGuards network devices encountered malware targeting Mac OS.

WatchGuard is not the only company to see an increase in malware tailored to the Mac OS.

Security-software firm Malwarebyte noted an increase in Mac malware, detecting some 16 million instances in just April, four times more than the previous monthly record over the past year.

The data does indicate there is a rise in the prevalence of threats, the rise is likely connected to increasing popularity.

WatchGuard noted that the most detected Mac malware program installed adware.

Best Antivirus For Mac 2017 Reddit