Kaspersky Anti virus on iMac?

McDiesel · Apr 3, 2022

MattKing said:
Having a tool that can screen emails and other files sent to you is definitely advantageous.

Nope.

All modern browsers check downloaded attachments and all modern operating systems will warn you if you try to launch an untrusted (not signed) executable. If you override the warning from your own operating system, you are being stubborn on purpose and the "tool" won't be any different. The malware screeners only check against the database of well-known malware hashes, so they are lagging in time, but they create a false sense of security, commonly known as "security theater". People wrongly assume that an executable attachment is safe just because their "tool" didn't complain. For this reason, again, my advice is to keep it simple, trust your OS and your browser, don't waste money on 3rd party tools [1], and never open attachments that your operating system warns you about.

Basically all modern OSes have a built-in executable signing facility, which means that all safe software for MacOS is signed by Apple. Your computer will not run unsigned code. If you downloaded something that your OS complains about, don't override the warning. This robust sandboxing tech first appeared on smart phones and now has migrated to desktop operating systems as well. You don't run an anti-virus on your iPhone, why would your Mac be different?

And nothing, absolutely nothing, will protect you against a true zero day exploit. But those are expensive and usually reserved for targeted attacks. If you're paying for anti-virus software, you are being exploited.

[1] BTW, the quality of cyber talent available to OS and browser vendors is in a different league vs what Symantec or Kaspersky can afford, and the operating system is a much better platform to implement scans than userland software. In other words it's impossible to compete with the OS.

McDiesel · Apr 3, 2022

BrianShaw said:
I see 1 denied attack every 3 or 6 months. Not many but seeing them isolated is much better than the 1virus I recall many years ago that was so bad that I trashed the computer to eradicate it.

You are not looking. Your IP address is being hit by bots several times per minute, 24/7. All of those probes are bouncing off your router, but even if it wasn't there, they would have been easily deflected by your operating system. Your Norton does what it does best: takes your money and annoys you with useless notifications.

radiant · Apr 3, 2022

Sirius Glass said:
Apple is more than good enough.

This.

OS X security is pretty good already and there is no reasong for anti-virus software. For example you cannot run apps from untrusted sources without really overriding all warnings & security questions.

Yes nothing is 100% safe but if you use OS X in normal way, there is no reason to install any of these "security" apps because of the internal proctection it has.

Alan Edward Klein · Apr 3, 2022

shutterfinger said:
Only if you're only checking email and the like and not shopping. True, OS systems such as Microsoft Defender do a good basic job but for many a more robust antivirus and firewall are necessary.
I have had virus problems in the past with Comodo and Norton. I'm currently using https://www.bitdefender.com/ Its smooth, stays in the background unless a threat is detected and does not load down the system as best I can tell.
I dropped Kespersky when Czar Putin took control of Russia.

Do you run both Microsoft Defender and the anti-virus program?

Alan Edward Klein · Apr 3, 2022

Alan Edward Klein said:
Do you run both Microsoft Defender and the anti-virus program?

I just checked my own system and it says that Microsoft Defender is inactive because I'm running Kaspersky software. When I go to Windows Defender, it says that Defender (shut down) is being controlled by Kaspersky.

Alan Edward Klein · Apr 3, 2022

MattKing said:
If you receive a lot of email from people unknown to you - say you are an HR department at an employer that accepts job applications by email - then you can expect to receive emails and attachments that contain problems. That is one of the favourite methods of those who send ransomware.
Having a tool that can screen emails and other files sent to you is definitely advantageous.

Does Microsoft Defender that comes with Windows 10 do that? What else besides Kaspersky or other anti-virus software?

gone · Apr 3, 2022

I had Kaspersky anti virus on our computers for years w/ no issues. My stepson is an IT tech in a Hilo, Hi school, and many years ago he mentioned that he didn't put anti virus on his computer because it slowed it down too much and he didn't really need it. So I removed the anti virus stuff, and we haven't had any problems for what, 12 years now?

Basically, you should be hard wired to the internet, wifi is a security issue and it's slower. If you do get hit by a virus, all you have to do is disconnect from the web and shut the computer off. When it reboots, any virus should be gone. It works, at least on Windows machines, I can't imagine that a Mac would be different.

jtk · Apr 3, 2022

I use the basic, free version of Avast Antivirus. Have always considered Norton itself to be a virus...all the junk marketing it does qualifies as virus..

...and, by the way, your needs for antivirus software relate directly to your browsing activity.

During ten years as a headhunter I found and interviewed hundreds of possible candidates and I researched the companies for which they worked....as well as the regional and national markets in which those companies operated. I never, ever, accepted resumes from people I had not researched in advance, before contacting them. Nobody benefits by submitting resumes directly...real headhunters don't accept unsolicited emails. Free antivirus software (such as Avast) caught and blocked or eliminated hundreds of virus infections every week.

JL Nims · Apr 3, 2022

New here fellas. But no anti-virus on this Mac. I'm now Micro$oft free!

Jeff

Sirius Glass · Apr 3, 2022

radiant said:
This.

OS X security is pretty good already and there is no reasong for anti-virus software. For example you cannot run apps from untrusted sources without really overriding all warnings & security questions.

Yes nothing is 100% safe but if you use OS X in normal way, there is no reason to install any of these "security" apps because of the internal proctection it has.

I do not run software from untrusted sources.

VinceInMT · Apr 3, 2022

jtk said:
...and, by the way, your needs for antivirus software relate directly to your browsing activity.

^^^This^^^

Like I said above, I practice safe computing and have never had a problem with that bad stuff. However, I have friends who have had me come over and try to rescue them from one self-inflicted wound or another. The most common transgression was from clicking on an attachment in an unsolicited email. The other was answering the phone and believing that it was really Microsoft telling you that your computer had a virus. On 2 occasions I saw that the ransom paid did result in their computer being unlocked. In several other cases I just reformatted their hard drive and reinstalled everything, except for their data which they had failed to back up.

Sirius Glass · Apr 3, 2022

VinceInMT said:
^^^This^^^

Like I said above, I practice safe computing and have never had a problem with that bad stuff. However, I have friends who have had me come over and try to rescue them from one self-inflicted wound or another. The most common transgression was from clicking on an attachment in an unsolicited email. The other was answering the phone and believing that it was really Microsoft telling you that your computer had a virus. On 2 occasions I saw that the ransom paid did result in their computer being unlocked. In several other cases I just reformatted their hard drive and reinstalled everything, except for their data which they had failed to back up.

I like the telephone calls telling me that my Windoz machine has a problem, since I am on a Mac Pro Tower.

shutterfinger · Apr 3, 2022

Alan Edward Klein said:
Do you run both Microsoft Defender and the anti-virus program?

Settings>System>About

Settings>Updates and Security

Virus & Threat Protection

Turning periodic scanning on gives more settings/options

Periodic scanning is OFF by default. Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Firewall replaced by Bitdefender or other 3rd party security.

TheFlyingCamera · Apr 4, 2022

Alan Edward Klein said:
The Federal government is banning it for itself. It's not banned for private use. I've had good experience with it for around 7 years never having a virus that screwed up my machine. I previously used McAffee and Norton and always had virus problems. I don't want to give Russia business, but I'm hesitant to switch back to programs I had problems with.

Can someone answer my other question about Imac computers? Does it pay to load up a different anti-virus program or does the iMac use Apple virus programs automatically and are those sufficient?

There's a good reason they banned it. It created potential security holes. Federal IT folks tend to be extra risk-averse, and while they may be slow to change things, a big part of that reason is security concerns. If they're concerned about the security of it, you should be too.

cramej · Apr 4, 2022

momus said:
Basically, you should be hard wired to the internet, wifi is a security issue and it's slower. If you do get hit by a virus, all you have to do is disconnect from the web and shut the computer off. When it reboots, any virus should be gone. It works, at least on Windows machines, I can't imagine that a Mac would be different.

I hope you're not serious. This is absolutely 100% false.

Alan Edward Klein · Apr 4, 2022

TheFlyingCamera said:
There's a good reason they banned it. It created potential security holes. Federal IT folks tend to be extra risk-averse, and while they may be slow to change things, a big part of that reason is security concerns. If they're concerned about the security of it, you should be too.

My theory when I replaced my Norton that wasn;t working well seven years ago was that Kaspersky is Russian. Since they knew more about most people about getting into systems, they should know a thing or two about anti virus programs, maybe better than most. So far so good. In any case, the Russians aren't really interested in my computer.

Of course, now that there's this war, I'm questioning whether I should continue on moral and technical grounds. Technically, I wonder if there will be updates with the new viruses as they develop or will I be stuck with only the old ones?

Morality is another issue. But that probably gets into politics and Sean has forbidden to discuss politics.

MattKing · Apr 4, 2022

Alan Edward Klein said:
In any case, the Russians aren't really interested in my computer.

They are probably quite happy to make use of it in the background .
Who knows, Putin may be enjoying one of your slide shows right now - everyone needs a little distraction from time to time .

TheFlyingCamera · Apr 4, 2022

Alan Edward Klein said:
My theory when I replaced my Norton that wasn;t working well seven years ago was that Kaspersky is Russian. Since they knew more about most people about getting into systems, they should know a thing or two about anti virus programs, maybe better than most. So far so good. In any case, the Russians aren't really interested in my computer.

Of course, now that there's this war, I'm questioning whether I should continue on moral and technical grounds. Technically, I wonder if there will be updates with the new viruses as they develop or will I be stuck with only the old ones?

Morality is another issue. But that probably gets into politics and Sean has forbidden to discuss politics.

The Russian government may not be interested in the contents of your computer, but Russian hackers who have government affiliations most definitely are. Your data is worth far more than you realize, not only to nation-state actors but also garden-variety criminals.

Alan Edward Klein · Apr 4, 2022

MattKing said:
They are probably quite happy to make use of it in the background .
Who knows, Putin may be enjoying one of your slide shows right now - everyone needs a little distraction from time to time .

I'd respond but I'm sure it would be considered political. In any case, any opinions about my technical question about updates going forward?

Alan Edward Klein · Apr 4, 2022

TheFlyingCamera said:
The Russian government may not be interested in the contents of your computer, but Russian hackers who have government affiliations most definitely are. Your data is worth far more than you realize, not only to nation-state actors but also garden-variety criminals.

I assumed Russians would hack into computers at home that are running Norton or McAfee or any other than Kaspersky. They would want to show how effective Kaspersky is over the others. At least that's my theory. After all, it has worked well for me for seven years unlike that unreliable Norton and McAfee I used previously.

MattKing · Apr 4, 2022

If I was USA based, I would avoid security software that wasn't USA based.

Sirius Glass · Apr 4, 2022

Alan Edward Klein said:
My theory when I replaced my Norton that wasn;t working well seven years ago was that Kaspersky is Russian. Since they knew more about most people about getting into systems, they should know a thing or two about anti virus programs, maybe better than most. So far so good. In any case, the Russians aren't really interested in my computer.

Of course, now that there's this war, I'm questioning whether I should continue on moral and technical grounds. Technically, I wonder if there will be updates with the new viruses as they develop or will I be stuck with only the old ones?

Morality is another issue. But that probably gets into politics and Sean has forbidden to discuss politics.

Have you ever checked to see how often your firewall was pinged on a regular basis? When I was working in the DC area, I started monitoring the number of pings and the source on a daily basis. I found that it was pinged and that there were several thousand attempts to enter it on a daily basis from IP addresses in Russia and China. So some people are interested in seeing which computers they can compromise in a big way. What makes you think that you are so special that one of them would not want to compromise your computer, your personal information and your finances?

See below:

TheFlyingCamera said:
The Russian government may not be interested in the contents of your computer, but Russian hackers who have government affiliations most definitely are. Your data is worth far more than you realize, not only to nation-state actors but also garden-variety criminals.

Sirius Glass · Apr 4, 2022

TheFlyingCamera said:
The Russian government may not be interested in the contents of your computer, but Russian hackers who have government affiliations most definitely are. Your data is worth far more than you realize, not only to nation-state actors but also garden-variety criminals.

MattKing said:
If I was USA based, I would avoid security software that wasn't USA based.

Bingo. I agree.

cramej · Apr 4, 2022

Alan Edward Klein said:
I'd respond but I'm sure it would be considered political. In any case, any opinions about my technical question about updates going forward?

If there are any future virus definition updates, would you trust them? Any exploits made public would make for a lot of easy targets for opportunist hackers and botnet creators.

Alan Edward Klein said:
I assumed Russians would hack into computers at home that are running Norton or McAfee or any other than Kaspersky. They would want to show how effective Kaspersky is over the others. At least that's my theory. After all, it has worked well for me for seven years unlike that unreliable Norton and McAfee I used previously.

But that's not how it works. With the depth of integration that AV software has in a given system, data exfiltration is easy peasy. You would never know what data is being sent to big K. It works the same with many other AV suites - you check the Terms and Conditions box stating that you're ok with certain "metrics" and "non-personal" data so that browsing behavior, OS, hardware and system behavior can be analyzed. If you use a browser extension provided by one of the AV vendors, every search term and website you visit is known by them because it has to be run through their servers to check for known malicious sites. A less-than-ethical organization can glean a boatload of information from that kind of data (well, so can an ethical one, but...).

As repeated ad infinitum in this thread, uninstall Kaspersky and turn on Windows Defender. Easiest and best solution for the near term. If you want to use another AV suite in the future, go right ahead. No one is saying that they don't work, just that Defender is really all you need. Oh, and don't open the email attachment for the airline ticket when you aren't flying any time soon .

Sal Santamaura · Apr 4, 2022

Alan Edward Klein said:
...unreliable Norton and McAfee I used previously.

This is the crux of the matter. You describe those as "unreliable." In what way? Please be specific.

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