Are there Mac viruses? The word virus gets used a lot more than it should be - a more accurate word would be malware. A computer virus is so called because it is capable of replicating itself.
- If you’re at all concerned about viruses and the other nastiness floating around on the internet, Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac is the best software for Macs in 2021.
- No Anti-Virus software or so-called “cleaning” apps are needed or recommended for Mac OS. They can conflict with Mac's own built-in security. At best they will slow your Mac by using unnecessary resources and at worst will bork your entire system. Your Mac has all the built-in protection you need. MacOS - Security - Apple.
- How macOS Protects Your Computer. Your Mac has many built-in security features to keep it safe. The bedrock of macOS (formerly Mac OS X) is a rock-solid Unix foundation. This is the same operating system on which BSD and Linux were built, and it’s earned its reputation for reliability and security thanks to a robust permissions system.
- In 2015, the senior e-threat analyst at Bitdefender, Bogdan Botezatu, was quoted as saying 'Mac OS X software has more high-risk vulnerabilities than all versions of Windows put together.' Despite that statement and apparent fact, Mac computers are still infected by viruses much less often than Windows computers.
While Big Sur is the latest and greatest version of macOS today, the experts over at AV-TEST have recently conducted new research to determine the best security products for Catalina.
“Even MacOS can really use some reinforcement through antivirus software. After all, the amount of malware samples strictly targeting Macs are growing day by day. The number of malware samples registered by AV-TEST ranged between 50,000 and 100,000 over the past two years. Now it is already at 700,000, and we still haven't reached the end of 2020,” AV-TEST explains.
The September 2020 round of security tests included a total of five different products for home users and five more for business computers.
All software applications were evaluated in three different categories, namely protection, performance, and usability, with a maximum of 6 points for each test.
“The test is divided up into three key areas: protection, performance, and usability. In the first section, each protection package and each solutions is required to detect and eliminate totally new MacOS malware samples. This is followed by the test in which the additional system load of the security package is measured. Afterwards, the usability is tested, i.e. in terms of any false alarms. In each test category, a product can earn up to 6 points – thus an overall maximum of 18 points,” AV-TEST explains.
![Macbook Macbook](https://www.pcrisk.com/images/stories/screenshots201902/macosxisinfectedbyviruses-homepage.jpg)
Out of the 5 security products for home users that were included in the research, three of them received the maximum score after obtaining the maximum of 6 points for each test. The following security solutions earned 18 points:
- Avira Antivirus Pro
- NortonLifeLock Norton 360
- Trend Micro Antivirus
On the other hand, Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac got pretty close to the maximum score after receiving 5.5 points for protection, so its final rating was 17.5 points.
Avast Security finished last with a score of 16.5 points.
“In the protection test, all test candidates were required to detect brand-new malware samples especially targeting MacOS. Among the products for private users, Avira, NortonLifeLock and Trend Micro each achieved 100 percent. Avast committed minor errors, detecting only 98.6 percent, Bitdefender only 97.3 percent. Among the solutions for corporate users, McAfee, Sophos, and Symantec came through error-free, reaching 100% detection. The product from FireEye detected 98.6 percent of the attackers, Bitdefender only 97.3 percent,” AV-TEST says.
When it comes to business users, only two received the top rating:
- Sophos Endpoint
- Symantec Endpoint Protection for Mac
McAfee Endpoint Security reached third place after scoring just 5.5 points for usability (a final score of 17.5 points), followed by Bitdefender Endpoint Security for Mac with 15.5 points and FireEye Endpoint Security with the same score.
AV-TEST has also conducted an unrated test where macOS security products were required to detect Windows malware, and surprisingly, most solutions performed pretty well.
“In the additional test, each product was required to identify and delete just under 1,400 Windows malware samples, in addition to sorting out over 3,300 PUAs. Among the packages for private users, the packages from Avast, Bitdefender and Trend Micro achieved detection rates above 99 percent. Only Avira and NortonLifeLock were at 90 to 99 percent. Among the business solutions, Bitdefender, Sophos, and Symantec detected 95 to 99 percent of the Windows attackers and PUA. The scores for FireEye and McAfee came in considerably lower,” AV-TEST says.
Needless to say, running a security product to block malware and other threats doesn’t mean you should forget about the most common security advices, and these include avoiding to click links coming from untrusted sources and downloading files that could be infected.
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This topic describes how to install, configure, update, and use Defender for Endpoint on Mac.
Caution
Running other third-party endpoint protection products alongside Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Mac is likely to lead to performance problems and unpredictable side effects. If non-Microsoft endpoint protection is an absolute requirement in your environment, you can still safely take advantage of Defender for Endpoint on Mac EDR functionality after configuring the antivirus functionality to run in Passive mode.
What’s new in the latest release
Tip
If you have any feedback that you would like to share, submit it by opening Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Mac on your device and navigating to Help > Send feedback.
To get the latest features, including preview capabilities (such as endpoint detection and response for your Mac devices), configure your macOS device running Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to be an 'Insider' device.
How to install Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Mac
Prerequisites
- A Defender for Endpoint subscription and access to the Microsoft Defender Security Center portal
- Beginner-level experience in macOS and BASH scripting
- Administrative privileges on the device (in case of manual deployment)
Installation instructions
There are several methods and deployment tools that you can use to install and configure Defender for Endpoint on Mac.
- Third-party management tools:
- Command-line tool:
System requirements
The three most recent major releases of macOS are supported.
Important
On macOS 11 (Big Sur), Microsoft Defender for Endpoint requires additional configuration profiles. If you are an existing customer upgrading from earlier versions of macOS, make sure to deploy the additional configuration profiles listed on New configuration profiles for macOS Catalina and newer versions of macOS.
Important
Support for macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) has been discontinued as of February 15th, 2021.
- 11 (Big Sur), 10.15 (Catalina), 10.14 (Mojave)
- Disk space: 1GB
Beta versions of macOS are not supported.
macOS devices with M1 processors are not supported.
After you've enabled the service, you may need to configure your network or firewall to allow outbound connections between it and your endpoints.
Licensing requirements
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Mac requires one of the following Microsoft Volume Licensing offers:
How To Get Virus Off Mac
- Microsoft 365 E5 (M365 E5)
- Microsoft 365 E5 Security
- Microsoft 365 A5 (M365 A5)
Note
Eligible licensed users may use Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on up to five concurrent devices.Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is also available for purchase from a Cloud Solution Provider (CSP). When purchased via a CSP, it does not require Microsoft Volume Licensing offers listed.
Network connections
The following downloadable spreadsheet lists the services and their associated URLs that your network must be able to connect to. You should ensure that there are no firewall or network filtering rules that would deny access to these URLs, or you may need to create an allow rule specifically for them.
Spreadsheet of domains list | Description |
---|---|
Spreadsheet of specific DNS records for service locations, geographic locations, and OS. Download the spreadsheet here: mdatp-urls.xlsx. |
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint can discover a proxy server by using the following discovery methods:
- Proxy autoconfig (PAC)
- Web Proxy Autodiscovery Protocol (WPAD)
- Manual static proxy configuration
If a proxy or firewall is blocking anonymous traffic, make sure that anonymous traffic is permitted in the previously listed URLs.
Warning
Authenticated proxies are not supported. Ensure that only PAC, WPAD, or a static proxy is being used.
SSL inspection and intercepting proxies are also not supported for security reasons. Configure an exception for SSL inspection and your proxy server to directly pass through data from Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on macOS to the relevant URLs without interception. Adding your interception certificate to the global store will not allow for interception.
To test that a connection is not blocked, open https://x.cp.wd.microsoft.com/api/report and https://cdn.x.cp.wd.microsoft.com/ping in a browser.
If you prefer the command line, you can also check the connection by running the following command in Terminal:
The output from this command should be similar to the following:
OK https://x.cp.wd.microsoft.com/api/report
OK https://cdn.x.cp.wd.microsoft.com/ping
Caution
We recommend that you keep System Integrity Protection (SIP) enabled on client devices. SIP is a built-in macOS security feature that prevents low-level tampering with the OS, and is enabled by default.
Once Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is installed, connectivity can be validated by running the following command in Terminal:
How to update Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Mac
Microsoft regularly publishes software updates to improve performance, security, and to deliver new features. To update Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Mac, a program named Microsoft AutoUpdate (MAU) is used. To learn more, see Deploy updates for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Mac.
How to configure Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Mac
Guidance for how to configure the product in enterprise environments is available in Set preferences for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Mac.
macOS kernel and system extensions
In alignment with macOS evolution, we are preparing a Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Mac update that leverages system extensions instead of kernel extensions. For relevant details, see What's new in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Mac.
Apple Virus
Resources
How To Check For Virus On Mac
- For more information about logging, uninstalling, or other topics, see Resources for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Mac.
- Privacy for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Mac.