Is MBAM needed for the MacBook Pro 11?

[rwharold]

I am a very long term lifetime licensed user of MBAM for my PC and I am trying to help my friend with his first ever computer -  a used MacBook Pro 11 and I told him to consider using MBAM as I do for my PC. He is not a computer expert, but he is under the impression that the MacBook doesn't security protection because it is supposedly built in by Apple. Is that a true statement? If not, can you give me some security information that I can pass along to my friend and get you a new customer? Does he need MBAM Mac, MBAE Mac, and some sort of anti virus program? Your suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I don't want my friend to be shocked someday when he gets attacked with his first ever computer.

 

Thanks so much for your time,

 

Richard - Happy New Year!

[pondus]

Mac malware hit all-time high in 2015

http://bgr.com/2015/10/21/mac-malware-increase-2015/

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/malware-mac-os-x,news-21730.html

[treed]

Richard,

 

Your friend is right, to a degree, that there is built-in security in Mac OS X. That security works pretty well against known threats, but it's definitely not perfect. Outright malware is pretty rare on OS X, but adware has become an increasingly serious scourge, and most adware is not blocked as malware by Apple.

 

Currently, we only offer a free remediation product for the Mac, for consumer use:

 

https://malwarebytes.org/antimalware/mac/

 

That app has no active protection features, but if your friend does happen to get infected with malware or adware, it will remove it. We are planning to have a premium consumer app with active protection in the future, but it's too early to provide any specifics.

 

Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have other questions!

 

Thomas R

[rwharold]

Does he need MBAM Mac, MBAE Mac, and some sort of anti virus program? Your suggestions and recommendations would be greatly appreciated as I don't want my friend to be shocked someday when he gets attacked with his first ever computer.

[treed]

We don't currently have an MBAE product for the Mac. The only Mac product we have right now is our free remediation tool, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac.

 

The use of third-party anti-virus software on a Mac is a matter of some heated debate. It can't hurt to have additional layers of security, but I don't have any specific recommendations. Our current Mac product will be able to remove anything he gets infected with, and some caution with what he downloads should help him avoid almost everything.