Apple now "encourages" use of antivirus software

Wait—didn’t I hear in one of those goofy "Mac vs. PC" commercials that Macs don't get viruses? What's the deal?

Here's the scoop, courtesy of the Security Fix blog on Washingtonpost.com: Earlier this month, Apple discretely posted a technical document on its support site entitled "Mac OS: Antivirus utilities." [Update: TUAW is reporting that the article in question was actually posted back in June 2007, and was revised earlier this month.][Another update (11/3/08): Apple told CNET News that it has pulled the "old and inaccurate" article, but adds that while Macs are "designed with built-in technologies that provide protection against malicious software and security threats right out of the box ... running antivirus software may offer additional protection" since "no system can be 100 percent immune from every threat." Still a mixed message, if you ask me.]

The document advises—er, "encourages"—the "widespread use of multiple antivirus utilities so that virus programmers have more than one application to circumvent, thus making the whole virus writing process more difficult." The article goes on to recommend a trio of antivirus utilities, includig Intego VirusBarrier X5, Symatec Norton Anti-Virus, and McAfee VirusScan.

So ... doesn't that document fly in the face of conventional wisdom (reinforced by this old "Mac vs. PC" ad) that Macs don't need antivirus software? Indeed, Security Fix writer Brian Krebs says that an Apple Store clerk recently told him that antivirus software was "not necessary" for Macs.

Well, as Chris has previously pointed out, Mac viruses—comparatively rare though they are—have been spotted in the wild, and as AppleInsider notes, Apple itself has backed away from suggesting that Macs are somehow impervious to viruses. That said, the reality is that virus writers remain far more interested in Windows than in the Mac OS; for now, at least, the risk of your Mac getting hit with a virus is, while possible, more theoretical than anything else.

So, what should us Mac users do in practical terms? Should we all install antivirus software—or multiple antivirus apps, as Apple suggests?

For his part, Security Fix writer Brian Krebs says he does use Norton Anti-Virus (although it "has never so much as made a peep" in two years, he notes), so if your motto is "better safe than sorry," consider an antivirus package. He also recommends making sure that you have the Mac OS X firewall enabled, as well as conscientiously installing any security patches in the Software Update tool. Most importantly, Krebs writes, don’t open strange attachments or install unknown software.

Personally, I don't use any on my Macs; I'm feeling pretty safe behind the Mac OS X firewall and my Airport Extreme router, and I'd rather not gum up the works with Norton or McAfee running in the background. But that's me—and I should also note I have the added security of regular Time Machine and DVD backups.

As far as using multiple antivirus apps ... well, The Register thinks that advice "smacks of overkill," and I tend to agree.

Related:
Apple: Mac Users Should Get Antivirus Software [Security Fix]