I have been a die-hard Windows user since my tryst with the big bad world of computers. A robust graphical interface was all, that fascinated me what with the Microsoft churning versions after versions as if there was no tomorrow. Appealing icons, ease of use and multimedia experience create a surge of adrenaline into gullible (pun intended) users like me but hey, somewhere down the line I realized that the party was over. In came anti-viruses sounding at the highest of decibels that Windows are prone to hackers and malicious program attacks.
My whole world came crashing down but my friend consoled me as the protection was readily available. I jumped on to bandwagon, installed the antivirus and thought voila, here I go fully secured but alas regular updates made my system slow. Renewal charges on the protection system seemed to add insult to injury and I was at cross road when one fine day bumped into my sister living at the ass end of the city.
Mac Really Needs an Antivirus?
I was surprised to know that she was using Macbook that doesn’t require any antivirus. Now that was news because as far as I knew there was not a system in this world that cannot be attacked and destroyed. In forums too heard a lot of bragging from the stiff upper lip MAC users that they do not require protections as the lesser mortals using windows do. Well, probably my sister too suffered from similar syndrome (I thought so) as she had a smirk on her face knowing that I was stuck with windows and antivirus. Acting on her advices, I switched over to MAC but didn’t know whether still needed the antivirus application for the system. Determined to find the answer, I got down to some serious research. To start with let’s find out what is the hullabaloo about the viruses and Trojans.
Viruses are nothing more but small programs that are attached to the files and folders transferred across the network. Native user can clock those attachments triggering a bushfire type scenario with the malicious program replicating at double the pace of the cheetah hunting after the gazelle. Within a blink of an eyelid virus infects the computer bringing it to a halt.
Is Mac Really Secured?
Trojans operate by stealth as they get executed with the opening of the seemingly innocuous files claiming to make you rich at the drop of a hat. They secretly transfer the information to the hackers situated at remote locations through the internet. In a nutshell, MAC is as secured as the user wants it to be. For instance, if I have the callous habit of clicking on all and sundries link on the internet, forget MAC, not even God can save my computer. Technically, Yes I can say that it is based on the UNIX OS which is quite safe and robust in comparison to Windows but take a pause! Do you know how many people are buying window based devices? Probably dime a dozen in comparisons to MAC users who I must say resemble threatened species as far as the numbers are concerned. For hackers, intruding into a Window based PC or Laptop is far more rewarding as the amount of sensitive information would easily make them rich. Tables can turn if Apple decides to shed its elitist image and aims for the mass market.
Verdict
Doomsayers quote the phrase “just in case install” often for MAC users as if in distant future there will be an attack on all the Apple computers. Till now everything is going hunky dory with Steve jobs innovations but who can predict the future, right? People having an itch to download files from non trusted sources more often than not can install an Antivirus for MAC to ward of rampaging Trojans or adware reminiscent of Butch Cassidy of yore. Probably that would be the wisest decision or am I still missing something? If you want to tighten your security, I will prefer to go with Bitdefender antivirus for MAC or Bitdefender Family pack which will cover your all devices.
