Answer:
The Mac is not immune to viruses, Trojans,
backdoors, adware, spyware, and other nefarious applications. The main
difference between Macs and Windows is that no successful viruses
written for OS X have shown up in the wild, that is, outside of a
security research organization. That's not to say it's impossible to
create a virus that could bring down a Mac; it's just more difficult
than with Windows, because of the nature of OS X and its security model.
The trap that many Mac users fall into is believing that because
there are currently no known viruses targeting the Mac, it's safe from
attack. In reality, the Mac OS, its included applications, and
third-party applications have and will continue to have security issues
that can allow some form of attack; it's just that the attack is not
likely to be from a virus. But if something erases your data, you're not
likely to care whether it was a virus or an attack launched through a
web site; either way, your data is still gone.
Which brings us back to your original question, about using an
anti-virus program on your Mac. The answer is yes, you should.
Anti-virus programs don't just provide protection against known viruses;
they also include anti-phishing, anti-adware, anti-spyware, and other
tools that can keep your Mac from picking up debris as you browse the
web.
There's another reason to use an anti-virus application: the
recipients of your emails. Even though it's unlikely that a virus will
successfully attack your Mac, there's a good chance that you'll
unwittingly forward a virus-laden email to Windows-using colleagues, who
may not have anti-virus software on their computers. It's better to be
prepared for an attack than to try to clean up after one. (It's also
wise not to alienate your colleagues...:)
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