Mac Security Review/Test 2017
2017 Test & Review of Mac antivirus and security software
The closed Apple ecosystem reduces the risk of malware, but does not make Mac’s immune to adware, spyware and other threats. The recent FruitFly malware for example spied on Mac users through their own webcams. In our Mac Security Review/Test 2017 we tested 9 popular Mac antivirus solutions.
Mac Security Test & Review
Our annual Mac security report consists of an interface review and a protection test. Antivirus software has to block at least 99% of Mac malware to receive the ‘approved by AV-Comparatives’ certification. The interface review outlined program functions and usage in a seven questions format.
Antivirus software participating in the ‘2017 Mac Test & Review’ are:
- Avast Free Mac Security 12.7
- AVG AntiVirus for Mac 17.1
- AVIRA Antivirus Pro for Mac 3.8
- Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac 5.2
- BitMedic Antivirus 2.2
- ESET Cyber Security Pro 6.4
- Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 10.9
- Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac 18.0
- Webroot SecureAnywhere Internet Security Complete
for Mac 9.0
All software was updated before the actual test. There is few ‘in the wild’ malware attacking the macOS Sierra. We collected 687 malicious Mac samples in 2017. Because of these relativly low in the wild numbers, we expect an antivirus to protect against most (if not all) of those threats. This is the reason why the certification standard on the Mac platform is so high.
