Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac is free (and a good idea)

Security expert Sophos has announced its latest antivirus product for Mac owners, and it's completely free. Sophos has created a home version of its popular corporate Mac antivirus solution, offering Apple users a simple and elegant way to stay virus-free.

"But wait," you say, "Macs don't have viruses!"

While this is technically true, computer security is about much more than defending against potentially harmful viruses. Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac (which could use a better-branded name) runs in the background on your system and protects you from Trojan Horse programs, malicious applications, and keeps you safe from any future threats.

The most common threats to Mac users are still socially engineered Web sites, pirated software, and social network scams on Facebook and Twitter--all of which can contain malicious code that runs on your Mac, collects your password information, banking information, or directs you to malicious Web sites.

Many Mac users also don't realize that your Mac can still transmit and spread Windows-targeted viruses. If you get a file with a virus, it may not affect your machine, but if you send it to a friend with a PC, his or her computer could get infected. The Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac solution promises to catch these types of files and help you get rid of them safely.

"You get business-grade protection for your Mac backed by our SophosLabs experts--they're on the job every day of the year, 24 hours a day. We'll stop, quarantine and clean up Mac or Windows threats that try to infect your computer. We can even stop new, unknown threats."

You can download Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac here. Two more reviews can be read here and here. You can also check out a video preview from Sophos here.

What are your thoughts about antivirus protection on Macs? Let me know in the comments!

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