Mac Antivirus?

Hi, excuse this basic question but I am about to buy my first imac for use with logic and am wondering about the Internet and antivirus. I have not used computer software for recording before and never an iMac for anything. I remember in the old days advice that you should never use the internet on the same machine as your recording software but I can't believe this is still the case since it would be necessary for software updates, file sharing etc. So my question is: do I need antivirus software on my new imac and if so which? I have seen advice on some forums recommending no antivirus software at all but I find it hard to believe macs are totally safe from attack and after all this saving up and anticipation would hate to have my new pride and joy ruined. Hoping you can help with any internet suggestions and again my apologies but I am right at the start....

I’ve used a Mac since 1989. Never once have I had a virus. Today, my MacPro in the studio is connected to the internet all the time and I do not have antivirus software.

 

My advise, skip the antivirus software. You don’t need it. Just make sure anything you download is from a reputable site.

20 Macs over the years, most of them connected to the Internet.

 

Never had a virus, never had any anti-virus software installed, never personally seen a virus or piece of malware on a Mac.

 

PC users have been saying since 2000 it was only a matter of time, but here we are in 2018 and it's still not a real issue for Mac users.

 

Use your brain and don't download or install stuff from bad sites or stuff you don't know what is, that's it.

 

The most common piece of "malware" people install on their Mac is MacKeeper, which ironically claims to do just the opposite.

Thanks for your help KC and lagerfeldt, that's really useful to know. I guess antivirus or Firewalls would slow logic down and be a general pain?

Anything that's running in the background is a potential load on the CPU or stability, yes, especially if it's a third party app.

 

OS X already has a built-in firewall: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201642

Oh, I see - that's good to know. I certainly don't want to be slowed down, that's for sure.

Hi, excuse this basic question but I am about to buy my first imac for use with logic and am wondering about the Internet and antivirus.

Stop wondering right there. Don't install any anti-virus on your Mac. Not only are they unneeded, they can cause more issues than they resolve. I would also recommend against installing any utility to "clean up" your Mac, or make it perform better or more efficiently etc. Again, more issues than solutions. A Mac doesn't need anything else to run well.

 

IMO the most efficient Mac for Logic is a Mac, and Logic Pro X. Done.

Thanks so much David, lagerfeldt and KC. I really appreciate your advice and I will leave my imac well alone to do its job as intended. What a great Forum this is. I have found it so useful and will consider it an essential aid as I move forward.

Great! Good to hear. And you're welcome.

One further very-important comment:

 

Your "ordinary" user(s) should not be "Administrators." They should not be capable of walking into any phone-booth anywhere and to fly out wearing ugly blue tights. Don't "enter an administrative password" anytime, unless you know damn well where it came from.

 

User-accounts are free. Consider setting up different users for different purposes. For instance, when I'm doing small-biz accounting – (yuck!) – I log on as that user, and so on. Personal files as well as settings are thus automatically segregated and protected. Use permissions so that other users don't have access to what shouldn't interest them. Never have a "guest" account.

 

And ... run Time Machine. ... All the time.

Thanks Mike - especially about 'Time Machine'. When you're new to something it's so easy to miss the essential. I've been mixing up 'Time Machine' up with apples external 'Airport' wi-fi device! Out of interest, which external disc do you use for your 'Time Machine' back up and what size? The imac I am getting is a 1TB SSD machine. Having listened to advice from here on another thread, I aim to purchase a 3 or 4 TB external Thunderbolt SSD for my music projects and possibly a 500GB Thunderbolt SSD for any instrument libraries. Since it's largely to be left alone, will it matter whether the 'Time Machine' back up disc is Thunderbolt?

I'm also one of those users who never had an anti-virus on my Mac and never had a problem.

But I need to add this: when I was a PC user for many years, I never had an anti-virus either. It's about knowing what to download, what websites to visit (damn those porn emails are tempting... haha), etc. Those companies like MacKeeper who claim to keep you protected and all that, are bulls***, as David said.

Sometimes problems are caused, not by viruses, but by applications that are not compatible, for example.

One thing we need to realize that makes a big difference between Mac and PC is that with Apple, the same company builds the hardware, the OS and the software (Logic, for example), so they are supposed to work well together, more than with a PC where you have 100k companies trying to adapt to each other. It's not a surprise that PCs cause more problems than Macs...

That's so helpful. Thank you 3pl and everyone.