
However, it goes a step further than some of the other Mac antivirus programs on this list as Norton also includes dark web monitoring and a way to erase your personal information from data brokers.ĭuring our testing, full scans took a long time but affected system performance the least of all the Mac antivirus products we tried in this round of testing. Norton 360 Deluxe may not be the cheapest option to protect a Mac but it does an excellent job with comprehensive malware scanning, real-time monitoring and a global VPN.


Malware authors have frequently found and exploited weaknesses, such as using obscure file formats or large file sizes that the sandbox can’t process, leaving Mac users at risk of infection.Included cloud storage doesn’t work with Macs XProtect defends Macs against various types of malware, by scanning downloaded files for signs of infection, but it needs to be regularly updated to recognize new or emerging threats - and it won’t help you if you unwittingly land on an infected or unsafe website.ĭigitally signed apps A digital certificate is always seen as proof of a file’s security and a surefire sign that the file contains no malicious code, but cybercriminals can still plant malicious code at the file completion stage, exploit security gaps to sign their malicious files with valid digital certificates, and more.Īpp Store and Sandbox app security While sandboxing adds another layer of security for Macs, not even the App Store nor sandboxed apps are 100% safe, as highlighted by the attack on the Chinese version of the App Store by the XCodeGhost Virus. XProtect Apple's basic malware detection is built directly into its Mac OS X operating system.


The macOS operating system The macOS, or Mac OS X system, has existed for 40 years in various forms - it’s robust, and because of its regular updates, malware developers find it hard to keep up with the changes and write viruses that will successfully infect the Mac operating system.
