If you need to be able to detect Windows malware in your files, use the free software ClamXav - nothing else.
Never install any commercial "anti-virus" products for the Mac, as they all do more harm than good. Regardless of version, experience has shown that Java can never be fully trusted, even if no vulnerabilities are publicly known at the moment.įollow these guidelines, and you’ll be as safe from malware as you can reasonably be. This setting is mandatory in OS X 10.5.8 or earlier, because Java in those obsolete versions has known security flaws that make it unsafe to use on the Internet. Few websites have Java content nowadays, so you won’t be missing much. If it is installed, you should disable it ( not JavaScript) in your web browsers. If Java is not installed, don't install it unless you really need it. Java on the network (not to be confused with JavaScript, to which it's not related) is always a potential weak spot in the security of any operating system.
If you have reason to suspect that you're the target of such an attack, you need expert help.Īlll versions of OS X since 10.6.7 have been able to detect known Mac malware in downloaded files. That threat is in a different category, and there's no easy way to defend against it. It does not apply to software, such as keystroke loggers, that may be installed deliberately by an attacker who has hands-on access to the victim's computer. This comment applies to malicious software ("malware") that's installed unwittingly by the victim of a network attack.