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Is there an antivirus that is safe for Macs?

I've experienced some security issues and several people including articles on the Internet recommend getting an antivirus program for my MacBook Pro.

Is there a program that is safe for Macs? There is so much out there! I installed Norton 360 and it caused huge problems with the energy and CPU.

Please help.





[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Posted on Jul 2, 2020 12:03 PM

Reply
6 replies

Jul 2, 2020 1:28 PM in response to leslie terry

leslie terry Said:

"Antivirus Protection: [...] I installed Norton 360 and it caused huge problems with the energy and CPU."

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Take this as a Learning Experience:

Keep Security Software off of your Mac:


As for Uninstalling Norton 360:

Go Here: Remove all Norton Programs for Mac using the RemoveNortonMacFiles Tool - Norton Support. Running that application keeps everything off of your Mac - shortcuts even. Using that tool, all would be removed. Though you should keep Norton off of your Mac, if you are having such issues as this CPU usage, then I'd say...

  1. Reinstall: Norton
  2. Restart: the Mac
  3. Uninstall: Norton
  4. Restart: the Mac


Creating a Time Machine Backup First...

Next time you install such software that affects you Mac in many different ways (i.e. backups, multitasking, and disk cleanup), then backup your Mac first. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac is fine, thought for reasons I mentioned above. So, create a backup of your Mac, then go about removing the software. Create a Time Machine Backup of your Mac, that way you can have something to restore your Mac from, should anything go wrong with the install, and to migrate it all back. Use an External Hard Drive at least 1.5 times the size of the Internal Hard Drive.

Jul 2, 2020 1:08 PM in response to leslie terry

leslie terry Said:

"Antivirus Protection: I've experienced some security issues and several people including articles on the Internet recommend getting an antivirus program for my MacBook Pro. Is there a program that is safe for Macs? There is so much out there! I installed Norton 360 and it caused huge problems with the energy and CPU. Please help."

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Please Clarify:

What makes you so fishy of Viruses installed on your Mac? More information would help.


Malwarebytes Usage:

Malwarebytes searches for malware (short for (malicious software) and spyware. It is created by longtime users of these forums making it the only reliable Security Software for a Mac.

Downloads:

  1. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac
  2. Malwarebytes Uninstaller

Jul 2, 2020 12:52 PM in response to leslie terry

I installed Norton 360 and it caused huge problems with the energy and CPU.


So will any other AV package ported from Windows. If it is a recognized brand, it will mess your Mac.


Best action is to handle the suspected security issues here. There are fake popups and other scams trying to lighten your purse that make people think they need antivirus when there is nothing at all wrong with the computer. If possible tell us what you encountered and we can see what advice we can offer.



Is there an antivirus that is safe for Macs?

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