Do macbooks get viruses?

3362>Just got a macbook and wondering if I need to get a protection plan?
Reply:It's not impossible to get a virus on a mac, your chances of getting one are just very slim.
Reply:Very rarely, but that's not to say its impossible.
Reply:nope, its impossible to get a virus on a Mac! (thats why I own 2 of them!)
Reply:It's very hard to get a virus for Macs. They're not like PC's where you can download a trojan, and then have that be the end of your computer. If someone were to hack you, then it would be possible, but hacking macs is a pain which is why no one bothers.





Essentially, no, you won't get viruses.
Reply:Operating systems run code...that's what they do...and malware is simply code. OS X (as well as any Unix/Linux OS) is designed better than Windows, so it's much harder to develop a destructive virus than it is for Windows, plus the fact that it is less ubiquitous, decreases the chance that anybody would write one.





I wouldn't worry about running any AV software, you should be just fine.
Reply:no they shouldn't unless it is something really big


then they have a chance
Reply:no-but the protection plan is still a good idea
Reply:it is not impossible to get a virus on a mac. Its rare because Mac has a small market share and the majority of viruses are written for windows based PCs.





http://antivirus.about.com/od/macintoshr...


http://www.macvirus.org/
Reply:I've used macs for a long time and they have never had any virus at all. But you should get it in case of hardware problems.
Reply:It has nothing to do with Mac vs PC market share.





Having a UNIX BSD base, OSX is a far more stable and secure system, and not prone to viruses.





And for those who still insist on quoting that tired old myth about market share and viruses: UNIX varients are the most widely used operating systems outside the home, yet they suffer none of what windows suffers.
Reply:If the protection plan you are asking about is an extended warranty, you need to ask yourself how long you intend to keep and use the computer and if the coverage over that time span is cheaper than replacement components and labor.





If, on the other hand you are speaking about anti-virus/anti-malware protection, then yes -- you should always have up-to-date protection. While it is true that UNIX/Linux-based systems do not currently attract the same level of attention from the bad guys that Windows computers (the "low-hanging fruit") do, they can be compromised as well. Given the expansion of the open-source community, it is only a matter of time until the focus of hackers and others shifts to the UNIX/Linux realm.





Ask yourself if you are ready to accept the information you have on your OSX system to be compromised or stolen -- especially if you do online banking or have other sensitive information on it.





The best offense is always a good defense. For others to simply say that past history is sufficient basis to disregard protecting against future threats is irresponsible.