Thought the LCT MAC user base should be aware of this:

From PC World via ABC News:

Say It Ain't So: Apple Encourages Antivirus Software

After years of promoting Macs as safer than PCs, Apple is now quietly suggesting users run security software.

By: Jeff Bertolucci

After years of belittling-and rightfully so-Windows' lame security, Apple is quietly "encouraging" OSX users to try a little protection themselves. In a brief knowledge base article on its support site, Apple suggests that running security software is probably a good idea.

"Apple 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 states. It goes on to recommend three security apps, including Intego VirusBarrier X5, Symantec Norton Anti-Virus 11 for Macintosh, and McAfee VirusScan for Mac.

While it remains true that Macs are safer overall, experts contend that Macintosh security breaches are bound to rise along with Apple's market share. Perhaps that's the reason for the security heads-up to Mac users.

You've got to love this recommendation, though, particularly in light of Apple's gratingly smug tone over the years. One of its early "Get a Mac" TV ads from 2006 even implies that Macs are invulnerable to viruses. Apple appears to have softened its message recently, however. It's Get a Mac FAQ, for instance, says that "no computer connected to the Internet is 100 percent immune to viruses and spyware," while adding that the Mac is a fairly safe bet overall.

Safer than Windows, yes, but certainly not immune.

Copyright (c) 2008 PC World Communications, Inc.

Copyright © 2008 ABC News Internet Ventures

Link to PC World Article

And from BBC.

Thoughts and any experience on the three AV solutions they mention?

1. Intego VirusBarrier X5,
2. Symantec Norton Anti-Virus 11 for Macintosh
3. McAfee VirusScan for Mac.

Maybe it's a sign that Macs are moving up in the world; the whole premise has been that there were so few Macs it wasn't worth writing a virus for.

I guess it's time to look at some of those. I used to have something else by Intego (kind of like Zone Alarm) but let it go when I got this computer.

After all the hoopla that the above mentioned knowledge base article created, Apple has quietly withdrawn that recommendation.

You can read more about the controversy in the Tidbits article here .

The conclusions of the article:
"The reality remains that although Macs are far from immune to security issues, there is very little malicious software that targets them. Macs can be affected by malware on occasion; I've been contacted twice in the past year by people who downloaded and manually installed malicious software onto their systems. I also work extensively with security researchers who tell me that Mac OS X's built-in protection technologies can be circumvented by an experienced attacker. But neither I nor the security researchers with whom I work know of any widely deployed exploits for Macs. Unless you are either specifically targeted by a knowledgeable bad guy, or spend a lot of time downloading software from risky sites, the odds are extremely low you'll ever encounter malicious software. Macs aren't inherently more secure than PCs, but they are practically never targeted, dramatically reducing the risk a Mac user will be compromised."

And their general recommendations:
"1. Everyone should use an email service that filters spam, viruses, and other malicious software (such as MobileMe, Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, or Google Mail).
2. Enterprise users often need to install antivirus software to comply with corporate policies and avoid being a vector to infect their Windows-based coworkers. Any of the major antivirus solutions work well, and you should work with your corporate IT department to determine what to install.
3. If you visit risky sites (adult, gambling, and file sharing sites are the major ones) and download software from them, you should consider installing antivirus software. Of the two major pieces of malicious software we've seen this year, one disguised itself as a plug-in to view adult videos, the other as a poker program.
4. If you are running Windows on your Mac, via Boot Camp or a virtualization tool like VMware Fusion or Parallels Desktop, you still need to install Windows-based antivirus software to protect your Windows installation.
5. Generally, other Mac users don't need to install antivirus software at this time, but I advise you to stay abreast of security news in TidBITS, just in case the situation does change. Email filtering will likely protect you if there is some sort of sudden outbreak, but it's entirely possible that Macs could become a more common target in the future."

Thanks for this, M!! Good to know. No risky business or other hanky-panky going on over here!

However, just because I suffer from OCD I added Norton Antivirus to the mix and it discovered and zapped 5 trojans. Granted, they were all fairly harmless.

If it makes me feel better to have an extra layer of protection then it was $60 well spent.

I have Norton too but my subscription expired a year ago ... probably should get it updated again. :)