Why You Need Antivirus (Even on a Mac)

Antivirus is, for some reason, controversial for students. Some love it, some hate it, some think you need to pay for it, and many don't even know what it is exactly. Most of you will know already that Harding's network require you to have an antivirus, but why?

First and foremost, antivirus is there to protect you and your information. While many can avoid digital infections through common sense, no one is completely immune to the effects of a computer virus. This malware can often look benign, have some use, or even be attached to a program you use often, but are almost always out to a) steal information or b) use your machine maliciously. In addition to protecting you, having antivirus on your machine will keep Harding's network, information, faculty, students, and devices safe.

I have often heard it said that 'Macs don't get viruses.' While they are not susceptible to the same types of attacks as a Windows machine, they can certainly be infected in other ways. The rumor about Macs is based in truth, because the baseline platform of MacOS (Unix) is incredibly secure and does not have the same vulnerabilities as a PC. Apple computers are still able to get other forms of malware and viruses, however, and an antivirus will all but guarantee you are protected.
This can definitely be scary, especially to someone without antivirus currently, but fear not - antivirus is usually free and will help keep you safe. The programs we recommend, both for Windows and Mac, are free and run in the background without bothering you, significantly impacting battery life, or slowing down the machine. Here is a list of our recommended programs:

Avast Free Antivirus raises the bar on security with real-time protection, intelligent threat-detection, and added security for your network, passwords, and browser. Easy to install and easy to use, no other free antivirus comes close.

Beneath its deceptively simple design lies a powerful virus cleaner that works in real-time to detect and remove viruses, spyware, and mobile threats. So AVG Antivirus not only helps protect all that's important on your Mac, it also prevents you from infecting friends on other devices.

Windows 10 delivers comprehensive, built-in and ongoing security protections you can trust - including Windows Defender Antivirus, firewall, and more. By staying up to date, you're assured of the latest features and protection - at no extra cost to you.

Note: Windows Defender runs by default on all Windows machines.