It notifies you if it finds malware, but otherwise theres no user interface to MRT. 5. The built-in security features of OS X reduce the risk of malware attack, but they are not, and never will be, complete protection.

Take a look at this web site that will be a good guide what you should be concerned about: Ciao.

That answer is right, but it may give the wrong impression that there is no threat from what are loosely called viruses.

There is a threat, and you need to educate yourself about it.

This is a comment on what you shouldand should notdo to protect yourself from malicious software (malware) that circulates on the Internet and gets onto a computer as an unintended consequence of the users actions.

It does not apply to software, such as keystroke loggers, that may be installed deliberately by an intruder who has hands-on access to the computer, or who has been able to take control of it remotely.

That threat is in a different category, and theres no easy way to defend against it.

OS X now implements three layers of built-in protection specifically against malware, not counting runtime protections such as execute disable, sandboxing, system library randomization, and address space layout randomization that may also guard against other kinds of exploits.

Antivirus 10.7.5 Mac Malware In

All versions of OS X since 10.6.7 have been able to detect known Mac malware in downloaded files, and to block insecure web plugins.

The malware recognition database used by XProtect is automatically updated; however, you shouldnt rely on it, because the attackers are always at least a day ahead of the defenders.

The following caveats apply to XProtect: It can be bypassed by some third-party networking software, such as BitTorrent clients and Java applets.

As new versions of OS X are released, its not clear whether Apple will indefinitely continue to maintain the XProtect database of older versions such as 10.6.

The security of obsolete system versions may eventually be degraded.

Antivirus 10.7.5 Code Of Obsolete

Security updates to the code of obsolete systems will stop being released at some point, and that may leave them open to other kinds of attack besides malware.

Starting with OS X 10.7.5, there has been a second layer of built-in malware protection, designated Gatekeeper by Apple.

By default, applications and Installer packages downloaded from the network will only run if theyre digitally signed by a developer with a certificate issued by Apple.

His identity is known to Apple, so he could be held legally responsible if he distributed malware.

That may not mean much if the developer lives in a country with a weak legal system (see below.) Gatekeeper doesnt depend on a database of known malware.

It has, however, the same limitations as XProtect, and in addition the following: It can easily be disabled or overridden by the user.

A malware attacker could get control of a code-signing certificate under false pretenses, or could simply ignore the consequences of distributing codesigned malware.

An App Store developer could find a way to bypass Apples oversight, or the oversight could fail due to human error.

Apple has taken far too long to revoke the codesigning certificates of some known abusers, thereby diluting the value of Gatekeeper and the Developer ID program.

For the reasons given, App Store products, andto a lesser extentother applications recognized by Gatekeeper as signed, are safer than others, but they cant be considered absolutely safe.

Sandboxed applications may prompt for access to private data, such as your contacts, or for access to the network.

Never click through any request for authorization without thinking.

Starting with OS X 10.8.3, a third layer of protection has been added: a Malware Removal Tool (MRT).

MRT runs automatically in the background when you update the OS.

It checks for, and removes, malware that may have evaded the other protections via a Java exploit (see below.) MRT also runs when you install or update the Apple-supplied Java runtime (but not the Oracle runtime.) Like XProtect, MRT is effective against known threats, but not against unknown ones.

It notifies you if it finds malware, but otherwise theres no user interface to MRT.

The built-in security features of OS X reduce the risk of malware attack, but they are not, and never will be, complete protection.

Antivirus For Mac 10.7.5