One of the best characteristics of the Mac is that it is still the most secure OS available. My Mac has been continuously connected to the internet for 10 years, receiving hundreds of e-mails each day, but I have yet to experience a security breach other than downloading three viruses with my e-mail.
Actually, I rather enjoyed the viruses. I had a few pieces of virus detection software to evaluate, but had to wait three years before I got my first opportunity. I was thrilled. I ran all three applications and they all found it - a Microsoft Office macro virus. I gave Virex the honour of destroying the virus and repairing the file, which left me no way to test the other applications.
A few years later, I got another virus, and finally a third. They were all Office macro viruses. Eventually, all the software had been tested and the novelty of getting a 'deadly virus' wore off.
I haven't discovered any new ones since. Well, let me be more specific. I haven't received a Mac virus. I have received thousands of Windows viruses - from five to 50 a day. And each time I delete one, I give thanks that Apple has such a small market share, the purported reason for this blessing.
It is a very thorough virus checker/repair tool that is essentially a graphical interface for the ClamAV open-source, free, virus-detecting application. The clamXav interface allows scheduled scanning and runs quietly in the background while you do other work.
