OS X Concepts for Windows Users: Do I Need to Run an Antivirus in OS X? October 20, 2011 by davidwank Continuing my article series about helping Windows users work with Macs and OS X, I figured that now would be a good time to talk about a huge question that PC users face when moving to (or at least visiting) the Mac platform: Do I Need to Run. Learning a new Operating System can feel frustrating, but Mac is designed with users in mind to easily navigate. For more short tips on the Mac OS as a Windows user, go to Apple’s support section here. Use Migration Assistant to copy all of your documents, apps, and settings to your new Mac from another Mac or Windows PC. Transfer your files Find your way around with gestures and shortcuts.

• Mac Os X For Windows Users Guide
• Mac Os X For Windows Users Windows 10

1. MacOS Catalina includes new features to help everyone get the most out of Mac. Voice Control lets users who can’t use traditional input devices control Mac, iPad, and iPhone entirely with their voice. New tools for users with low vision allow you to zoom in on a paragraph of text or the entire screen.
2. Windows 7 is designed to replace Windows Vista as the main operating system for Windows-based PC users. With Apple's OS X Snow Leopard also under development, we met up with Ian Moulster, Windows.

Continuing my article series about helping Windows users work with Macs and OS X, I figured that now would be a good time to talk about a huge question that PC users face when moving to (or at least visiting) the Mac platform: Do I Need to Run Antivirus Software on my Mac? After doing lots of reading and discussing, the answer I’ve come to is: (at least as of mid-2011)…not really.

OS X is Fundamentally Different from Windows
OS X is built on UNIX, and therefore is inherently much more secure than a Windows system. Without getting into the nitty-gritty, UNIX does a much better job of security out of the box as opposed to Windows. Windows 7, however, has made great strides in improving security but still REQUIRES antivirus software (and anti malware software, as well). So while I wouldn’t dare go on the internet with a Windows system without using security software, I’d browse freely on the internet with a Mac and OS X.

Are there Viruses for the Mac?
Well, kind of. Generally speaking viruses and malware that’s written for Windows won’t run on a Mac . For the same reason that Photoshop for the PC won’t run on OS X, viruses written for Windows won’t run on a PC. That being said, if you want to be super-cautious, you can run an antivirus program for OS X (see below).

Who Should Run an Antivirus on OS X?
If you walk into the Apple Store and ask about viruses on the Mac they’ll say, “You run Windows, right?”. Ask the majority of Mac users and they will give you a similar funny look and tell you that they don’t run antivirus. Coming from Windows, however, running ANY computer without some kind of antivirus software gives we PC users the feeling that we left the stove on — it’s dangerous and we wouldn’t do it.

The one group of people who I would recommend running an antivirus software on their Macs would be people who are running Windows in Parallels or Fusion on OS X. Naturally you will have to run antivirus on the Windows virtual machine, and while the odds of anything “crossing-over” from Windows to OS X is extremely rare, running an antivirus will make you sleep better at night (at least it made me sleep better).

So for the run of the mill Mac, you are pretty safe out of the box. But if you are running a virtual Windows machine (or if you spend a lot of time on websites that may have high risks for acquiring viruses), then I’d strongly consider running antivirus software.

What is the Best Antivirus Software to Use on the Mac and OS X?
Currently there are a few software programs out there for Mac users, the most notable commercial one being Norton. That being said, the one that I’d recommend at this time is ClamAV. ClamAV is a free (yes, FREE) n antivirus program for OS X that does a good job and (at least on my test system) has a minimal resource footprint (we PC users know all-too-well about antivirus program like Norton sucking the life out of a PC with all it’s loading, and scanning, and memory eating).

ClamAV itself needs to be compiled, but there is a pre-compiled (e.g. you just run it) available and this program is called ClamXAV. ClamXAV can be downloaded from the link in the previous sentence, or can be downloaded at the App Store.

Note that there is a difference between the version you download and the App Store version. Due to certain App Store limitations, the App Store version cannot “run in the background.” So if you are running the App Store version you will simply need to run the program when you want to scan (or just leave it on and then scan on a regular basis). Currently I leave the program running and I scan once per week.

Individuals who have a valid authorized need to access DoD Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)- protected information but do not have access to a government site or government-furnished equipment will need to configure their systems to access PKI-protected content.

Accessing DoD PKI-protected information is most commonly achieved using the PKI certificates stored on your Common Access Card (CAC). The certificates on your CAC can allow you to perform routine activities such as accessing OWA, signing documents, and viewing other PKI-protected information online. For more information about your CAC and the information stored on it, visit http://www.cac.mil.

Before you begin, make sure you know your organization’s policies regarding remote use.

Windows

To get started you will need:

• CAC
• Card reader
• Middleware (if necessary, depending on your operating system version)

You can get started using your CAC by following these basic steps:

1. Get a card reader.
   At this time, the best advice for obtaining a card reader is to work with your home component to get one. In addition, please review the DoD CAC Reader Specifications for more information regarding the requirements for a card reader.
2. Install middleware, if necessary.
   You may need additional middleware, depending on the operating system you use. Please contact your CC/S/A for more information on the middlew​are requirements for your organization. You can find their contact information on our Contact Us tab.
3. Install DoD root certificates with InstallRoot (32-bit, 64-bit or Non Administrator).
   In order for your machine to recognize your CAC certificates and DoD websites as trusted, run the InstallRoot utility (32-bit, 64-bit or Non Administrator) to install the DoD CA certificates on Microsoft operating systems. If you’re running an alternate operating system such as Mac OS or Linux, you can import certificates from the PKCS 7 bundle. The InstallRoot User Guide is available here.
4. Make certificates available to your operating system and/or browser, if necessary.
   Pick your browser for specific instructions.

Mac

To get started you will need:

Click Erase, then complete these items:. In this example, Apple SSD is the startup disk:. Select the disk that you want to erase. Permission for mac os sierra hard drive.

• CAC (see note below)
• Card reader

You can get started using your CAC on your Mac OS X system by following these basic steps:

1. Get a card reader
   Typically Macs do not come with card readers and therefore an external card reader is necessary. At this time, the best advice for obtaining a card reader is through working with your home component. In addition, please review the DoD CAC Reader Specifications for more information regarding card reader requirements.
2. Download and install the OS X Smartcard Services package
   The OS X Smartcard Services Package allows a Mac to read and communicate with a smart card. In order for your machine to recognize your CAC certificates and DoD websites as trusted, the installer will load the DoD CA certificates on OS X. Please refer to this page for specific installation instructions.
3. Address the cross-certificate chaining Issue
   These instructions walk through adjusting the trust settings on the Interoperability Root CA (IRCA) > DoD Root CA 2 and the US DoD CCEB IRCA 1 > DoD Root CA 2 certificates to prevent cross-certificate chaining issues. This can make it appear that your certificates are issued by roots other than the DoD Root CA 2 and can prevent access to DoD websites.
4. Configure Chrome and Safari, if necessary
   Safari and Google Chrome rely on Keychain Access properly recognizing your CAC certificates.
   1. In Finder, navigate to Go > Utilities and launch KeychainAccess.app
   2. Verify that your CAC certificates are recognized and displayed in Keychain Access

Note: CACs are currently made of different kinds of card stock. To determine what card stock you have, look at the back of your CAC above the magnetic strip. Most CACs are supported by the Smartcard Services package, however Oberthur ID One 128 v5.5 CACs are not. Third party middleware is available that will support these CACS; two such options are Thursby Software’s PKard and Centrify’s Express for Smart Card.

Linux

To get started you will need:

• CAC
• Card reader
• Middleware

You can get started using your CAC with Firefox on Linux machines by following these basic steps:

1. Get a card reader.
   At this time, the best advice for obtaining a card reader is to work with your home component to get one. In addition, please review the DoD CAC Reader Specifications for more information regarding the requirements for a card reader.
2. Obtain middleware.
   You will need middleware for Linux to communicate with the CAC. The CoolKey PKCS#11 module provides access to the CAC and can be installed using Linux package management commands.
   • For Debian-based distributions, use the command apt-get install coolkey
   • For Fedora-based distributions, use the command yum install coolkey. The CoolKey PKCS #11 module version 1.1.0 release 15 ships with RHEL 5.7 and above and is located at /usr/lib/pkcs11/libcoolkeypk11.so.

   If you prefer to build CoolKey from source, instructions are included in the Configuring Firefox for the CAC guide.

3. Configure Firefox to trust the DoD PKI and use the CAC.
   To configure Firefox to communicate with the CAC, follow these steps to install the DoD root and intermediate CA certificates into the Firefox NSS trust store, load the CoolKey library, and ensure the Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) is being used to perform revocation checking.

Mac Os X For Windows Users Guide

Mac Os X For Windows Users Windows 10

Your internet browser is now configured to access DoD websites using the certificates on your CAC. Now that your machine is properly configured, please login and visit our End Users page for more information on using the PKI certificates on your CAC.