Best Security Software 2012 Download Things Like

While its scoring on malware blocking tests and built in sandbox for opening packages and files from unknown sources makes it a very safe and secure utility, the nuts and bolts of the program are decidedly expert-only, and better left to those who really know that theyre doing.

Somewhere around 2012, that message changed to Its built to be safe.

The update itself happened shortly after nearly 600,000 Macs were infected with a trojan named Flashback, and although this wasnt the first time Macs were targeted, it was certainly the largest.

This security breach led Apple, and Mac users, to understand that they were in no means immune to viruses or malware.

If you prefer to stick to your iPhone or iPad, you should also read our review of the WinX MediaTrans iPhoneiPad manager.

While large scale viruses are still a rarity among Mac users, that doesnt lessen the need for smart antivirus software in order to help you recognize, and react to possible infections.

Here are five smart (and free) choices to keep your machine free from viruses and malware.

Best Security Software 2012 Download Things Like

With your Mac protected, it will be safe to download things like the Moosejaw X-ray app.

Sophos Sophos Antivirus features an easy to use interface that can be used for custom on-demand scanning, as well as fully automated scans at user-defined intervals.

The software runs quietly in the background and is surprisingly resource friendly so it doesnt slow down your system as much as some other options.

With the Live Antivirus feature, Sophos even updates your software the moment that new threats are found online, and through use of the link scanner, its now possible to perform full scans on web pages before you click the link to visit.

In a head-to-head test of several popular free and paid options for Mac, Sophos was the clear cut winner, and one of only two to achieve a perfect 100-percent in catching all malware it was tested against with zero false positives.

With these stats, it wouldnt be a reach to call Sophos the best antivirus software on our list.

For the Mac, the system certainly doesnt disappoint, and its definitely on par with the top choice, Sophos.

The one major drawback to Avast (on Mac) is that it only scans for Mac-specific malware, which is fine if you never use a Windows-based PC, but becomes problematic in terms of email and file sharing when youre sharing these files outside of a Mac-based ecosystem.

As far as security on a Mac though, Avast is about as good as they come.

In fact, AV Comparatives tested Avast and found that it detected 100-percent of the malware that they attempted to download to the system, which makes it the only other Mac antivirus software with that distinction (Sophos is the other).

With Avast, youre safe to download the best personal finance software for Mac.

Best for: People in all-Mac ecosystems, or those that prefer it to Sophos.

Get Avast 3. ClamXav 2 ClamXav 2 uses the open source ClamAV virus scanning engine to scan for both Windows and OS X malware, viruses, and badware.

ClamXav is actually the most lightweight free antivirus software in our recommendations, and its compatible with any Mac running OS X 10.5 or higher.

The only real drawbacks to ClamXav 2 is the frequency in which virus and malware definitions are updated.

It seems to be the slowest at updating the database of any of the five weve tested.

Best for: Multi-taskers or those that want a lightweight option that runs smoothly in the background with minimal interruption.

Get ClamXav 2 4. Comodo Comodo is an extremely powerful antivirus software, but its strongest point also makes it a relatively unpopular option outside of the website administrator crowd.

Best Security Software For Mac 2012