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There was a time when Apple’s Macs were considered the more secure alternative to Windows, simply because malware specifically aimed at these systems was a pretty rare thing, thus posing a super-low risk for users in the Apple ecosystem.
But as the security of Windows improved, the malicious actors out there also moved their attention to Apple computers, thus proving that virus infections don’t always come down to just one operating system.
This is how security software for macOS has become a must-have, and many users found out the whole thing the hard way after struggling to get rid of malware or other security threats.
Just like it happens on Windows, however, choosing a powerful antivirus solution for a Mac isn’t something that’s so easy to do, and it’s all because there are several vendors out there, and all claim they’re offering the best you can get in the Apple world.
Needless to say, not everything is always as great as it sounds, and the engineers over at AV-TEST have tried to figure out what security products need a change by running comprehensive research that included the most popular antivirus solutions.
As per the organization’s testing approach, all security products were evaluated for their performance in three different categories, namely protection, system performance, and usability. The tested products were awarded a maximum of 6 points per test in case of flawless performance, so overall, the top score for an antivirus product could have been 18 points.
“During August and September 2020 we evaluated 5 home user security products for MacOS Catalina. We always used the most current version of all products for the testing. They were allowed to update themselves and query their in-the-cloud services. We focused on malware detection, false positives and performance,” AV-TEST explains.
The tested products are the following:
- Avast Security
- Avira Antivirus Pro
- Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac
- NortonLifeLock Norton 360
- Trend Micro Antivirus
Surprisingly, most security products performed pretty well and received the AV-TEST certification, though only three of them scored the maximum points.
Avira, NortonLifeLock, and Trend Micro are the vendors whose security solutions received six points for performance, six points for protection, and another six points for usability, therefore getting a final score of 18 points.
On the other hand, Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac earned 5.5 points for protection, which lowered its score to 17.5 points. Avast Security scored just 5.5 points for protection and 5 points for performance, which means that its total score was just 16.5 points.
AV-TEST warned in a previous test that the number of malware aimed at Mac computers has improved substantially in the last decade.
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“Older Mac users somewhat tend to shrug off the topic of malware protection for MacOS. One of the first counterarguments: 'Yes, but only a small number of viruses, Trojans and other threats are specially targeted to MacOS.' Perhaps that argument held water from 2008 to 2014, as up until that time, the AV-TEST database only counted 7,300 Mac malware samples. However: By 2016, there were already over 40,000, by 2018 over 80,000, and in 2020 there are now over 240,000 attackers for MacOS; time to beef up the defense,” the organization said.
But at the end of the day, keeping your data secure doesn’t just come down to running antivirus software on a computer, but also to simple practices that could be at least as efficient as dedicated solutions in this regard. For example, not downloading attachments coming from untrusted sources or visiting websites that might serve malicious content are both recommendations that could help keep you protected whenever you go online.
How Does Antivirus Software Work?
Any time you open or download a new file, an antivirus program will scan the files for viruses and other harmful executables. Almost every free anti virus software today features multiple scanning detection processes. The most basic detection process is called “specific detection.” It works by scanning a file for various sets of characteristics and checking these characteristics against a list of already known malware. This process is an essential component of an antivirus software, and essential for every free PC antivirus, but it is also easy for cybercriminals to evade. All a cybercriminal must do is modify the malware code slightly to render it undetectable.
Free Antivirus For Mac Compared
The top free antivirus, Comodo Antivirus, does not rely only on specific detection. Comodo also uses heuristic detection and containment to ensure that even unknown malware cannot compromise our users’ computers. Heuristic detection is a method of analyzing a file to determine if it contains suspicious code. If suspicious code is detected then the antivirus deletes the file or recommends it for containment. Files run in Comodo containment are kept in a sandbox environment, separate from your operating system. Heuristics is about detecting virus-like behavior or attributes rather than looking for a precise virus signature that matches a signature on the virus blacklist.
A common misconception that lingers to this day is that free antivirus protection is not adequate to deal with malware threats. Though this pay have been true in the past, today’s best free antivirus software have features that can keep you protected from even the most advanced malware. The best free antivirus on the market today, Comodo Antivirus offers features more advanced than most paid antiviruses. Comodo Antivirus gives users a major advantage over not only an antivirus-free environment, but also the best paid antivirus products on the market.
Best Virus Protection Software from Comodo
Comodo's virus protection technology has proved its mettle for battling virus threats through tried-and-tested methods. Infection Defense+ barricades the access of any dubious programs at all critical checkpoints, while the Auto-Sandbox Techniques isolates the potentially harmful programs in a restricted environment without letting it affect your workflow.
Best Antivirus For Mac Free
Comodo antivirus 2020 also features the Default Deny Protection which, as opposed to other security software, denies access to a program if it's not in Comodo's comprehensive whitelist. The cloud-aware security features are light on the system and provide constant virus scanning and behavior analysis report.