Free Firewall and AntiVirus for Mac?

I haven't had any need or reason in all my ownership since 1991.

 

You probably don't need anything. Not many malware writers bother to try to get through the built in Mac OS defenses.

 

Before I answer, think about this question: Have you ever known anyone with a Mac who ever had a virus on their computer? :madgrin:

That said, there is an open source freeware AV called ClamXAV. I actually sent a donation to the owner because I think it is a good program. And I actually found a couple of Windows viruses (are there any other type?) in my Virtual PC virtual HD a couple of years ago.

OS X has a built in firewall, but I also use Little Snitch (not freeware, it cost $29.95) which is an outgoing firewall that will alert you to applications that want to phone home. It is interesting to see which apps are trying to connect and you have the power to veto the connection if you want.

 

Do you already have a Mac or is this just a hypothetical issue?

 

I use 'private browsing' and 'reset safari' all the time. No extra firewall or antivirus installed. File sharing turned off, cable connection - not wireless. Invisible network with encrypted password. I'm not aware of any problems, put it that way.

I have a windows pc too, but it isn't connected to the net. Hack that. :hand:

 

You should have at least Little Snitch, it's worth the money. A lot of Mac users have a false sense of security, thinking that their Macs are somehow immune to what ails WinBlows computers but the virus writers have paid attention to the increasing popularity of Macs so I wouldn't work from the assumption that you don't need the at least the protection of a firewall.

 

Theoretically you don't really need to use either as most of the mal-ware out there is for PC users.

If you are looking for free/shareware software then a good place to start is Free Downloads Encyclopedia - Softpedia they have a lot of listing for all computers.

Also Avast have a mac version of their antivirus software out there.

 

I have been using Macs at home for several years without any extra anti-virus or firewall software. The Houston Chronicle's PC columnist started using a mac last year and is slightly less sanguine about it. He recommends iantivirus. Click HERE for his archived blog. Scroll down to Dec. 22 article.

 

Actually, the only "successful" malware attacks that I have heard about on the Mac are Trojan Horse attacks. And even those seem to be pretty infrequent. So, unless you are downloading strange files from File Sharing sites or Porn sites, your chance of malware is pretty remote. That is why I like Little Snitch; if you did inadvertantly download some spyware or malware, you would have a better chance of catching the malware trying to phone home.

 

You don't need a firewall for most purposes. Leopard, the current
OS X release, comes with not only an "application firewall" that
gets configured through a GUI but also a traditional kernel-level
stateful packet filter called "ipfw" which has been in a handful of
BSDs for years as well as OSX pretty much since the beginning. Since
the app-firewall is a newer thing and I *still* haven't found exactly
where/how its configuration is stored, I back it up with a ten-line
ipfw ruleset dropped into /etc/rc.local. To handle the outbound side, I
take advantage of the fact that proxy settings are global to the machine
[except for firefox which maintains its own] and run everything web-like
through a logging proxy which can deny certain things [e.g. *.apple.com
unless I'm going after something specific] and show me everything
being requested. [Including the entirety of this post's
form-submittal HTTP transaction, once I fire it off.]
.
Mac viruses are pretty uncommon, especially when users are fairly
isolated from administrative privilege by default. To make this
distinction clearer, set your main user account up as a NON-admin
group one, leaving the first one you created as an administrative
layer you ONLY invoke to do installs, updates, etc. That disallows
you from writing to system directories owned by the admin group,
such as [eep!] /Applications. That helps constrain malware to only
running in your context if it gains a foothold, not being able to
take over the whole machine. It's also a bit harder for malware
to conceal itself in a real unix environment; it would probably have
to install itself as a kext if it was going to be that smart.
.
There are several good OS X hardening references kicking around on the
net. "Launchctl" is your friend, but the best virus protection is
YOU. Don't click on questionable stuff, turn off scripting in your
browsers, and you should be fine. Oh, and junk Safari early in the
game, it's crap.
.
_H*

 

I'm testing Safari 4 today. It's getting rave reviews.

 

That is the best advice possible. Ubuntu is fairly easy to setup that way. Running FireFox, the NoScript addon works *very* well at blocking scripts, especially those that seem to infest .... um ..... naughty sites. Perhaps too aggressive, NoScript is still a nice simple addon

 

I always run as a regular user instead of an admin user.

 

I'm not exactly a Mac fanboy, but as a fan of all that is open-source, might I suggest checking Find Open Source Alternatives to commercial software | Open Source Alternative - osalt.com They seem to have a pretty good selection of all things open-source for just about any OS on the market.

 

There are free security alternatives for the Mac Intel Platform...

iAntivirus Free Edition
iAntiVirus Free Edition - Free software downloads and reviews - CNET Download.com

ClamXav Antivirus
ClamXav - Free software downloads and reviews - CNET Download.com

WaterRoof Firewall
WaterRoof - Free software downloads and reviews - CNET Download.com

iServices Trojan Removal Tool
iServices Trojan Removal Tool - Free software downloads and reviews - CNET Download.com

MacScan is not free but is excellent as is Norton 9 for Mac.:rockon:

 

Waterroof is a wrapper for creating "ipfw" rulesets. Not needed
if you grok packet filtering, and the manpage is pretty comprehensive.
.
_H*

 

Tony, you might also consider setting up your home network to use OpenDNS.com which will let you block nasty domains and ad trackers and set up shortcuts. You can make a shortcut called pc that expands into http://priuschat.com so you can get on even easier.