Free Sophos Antivirus Software

[Bbob]

Sophos Antivirus for Mac Home Edition is offered free at:

http://www.sophos.com/products/free-tools/...virus/download/

Anyone use it or know anything about it? Is appears to be free, but I am always somewhat leery of freebies.

Here's info from the Sophos web site:

Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac: Home Edition is software that detects and deals with threats (viruses,
worms, and Trojans) on your Mac. As well as being able to detect Mac OS X threats, it can also
detect Windows threats that might be stored on your Mac and transferred to Windows computers.
Sophos Anti-Virus is preconfigured with the recommended settings for protection.We recommend
that you don’t make changes to the settings unless there is a specific need or problem that you are
aiming to address.

[Paddy]

I have ClamXAV installed (it's also free) but I can't say I ever bother running it. I do have anti-virus software installed on my Windows 7 install under VMWare Fusion. I use Avast, which is also free and works well enough that I've never had a virus.

At this point, I don't want nor see the need for anything that runs constantly in the background on a Mac like the Sophos AV. If any real threats come along, I may change my tune, but until then, I will continue on as I have for the past 10 years.

BTW Bob, I have changed your link as you had linked directly to the download itself, and it starts downloading if you click on that link.

[krissel]

At Sophos:

QUOTE

Advice: experiencing slow-down when scanning?

We have seen a small number of reports online of Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac Home Edition causing system slowdowns when manually scanning local drives.

We are taking these reports very seriously and are working around the clock to resolve the issue. We're sorry for this inconvenience.

To avoid the problem, you can rely on Sophos Anti-Virus automatic on-access scanning. When Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac Home Edition is installed, the on-access protection feature is enabled automatically. On-access scanning is running when the Sophos shield in your title bar is black. There is no need to run a manual scan.

Sophos's on-access scanning means that every file you access is invisibly scanned, and any malware threats will be intercepted without you needing to do anything. Your Mac is fully protected against threats automatically.

Please check back to this forum for updates on this issue. Thanks!

Might be interesting to follow the threads on this software at their forum. Already there are complaints about slowdowns and freezes.

Why is it free?

QUOTE

The reason for providing this for free is because we think Macs are beautiful machines and we want to keep them that way.  As Apple market share grows there is a growing concern that the number of malicious attacks against the Mac platform will increase.  Historically, Mac users are less likely to run anti-virus / anti-malware software making Mac users a soft target.  We want to help Mac users increase their security hence offering this software for free.
 
We know that Mac malware already exisits and these can attack Mac systems to steal data or compromise systems.  As the majority of malware still targets Windows, there is not the same range of high performance consumer anti-virus software available in the market.  Sophos provides high quality protection for businesses, and all business users are also consumers.  Therefore helping them to protect their Macs at home will also help protect their business machines.  We think offering free, industrial-strength protection to consumers will help them be ready for any future mac-specific cyber-attack.
 
This software is backed by the same high quality threat detection as our business-class software - so will detect, clean-up and quarantine to the same standards, it is not watered it down.  However this is restricted just for home use.
 
We have not set a time-limit on this software and our intention is to continue providing best protection updates to users on this software version.

Umm, yeah, sure. As for "this" software version, when Lion comes out this version will not work and those who now believe they "need" this will pay for the Lion version.  (My speculation, of course.)


http://openforum.sophos.com/t5/Sophos-Anti.../FTT_MAC_MAGNET

[jchuzi]

For more takes on this subject, read this FineTunedMac thread.

[krissel]

Two members of TS are contributors to that thread.  

[gunug]

The University of Kansas "insists" that all students begin their campus connections with Sophos but a lot of them uninstall it because it is somewhat draconian in how it chooses to work.  I don't know much about the current MAC version as they're both using Windows machines right now!

[Xairbusdriver]

Being the cynical type, I always wonder about products that claim to fix problems that the company warns about. I don't take my vehicles to a mechanic if I don't know there is a problem because I can guarantee a mechanic can find something that 'needs' fixing.

While I appreciate these AV companies issuing warnings, and they must create some income if they are to continue that, I would rather use software that is not what creates that income.

Secondarily, the current software may not be of much use if/when a new malware is born since it may not have any kind of "signature" that is recognizable. That obviously creates an opportunity to charge for an update, sooner or later.

ClamXav is already free, so the developer(s) have no incentive to boast of finding new problems that are purely lab experiments. The app has been updated three times this year. As far as I can see, the virus definitions are updated daily, as needed. Someday, it may become a paid product. It certainly is worth paying for and I think they still accept donations. I just like support the "little guys." Especially those who don't have dull axes!

If you don't even want to use ClamXav, SecureMac has a 'one-trick-pony' that searches for the Boonana trojan. <http://www.securemac.com/> Look for an entry dated 10.28.10. The download link is there entitled "Boonana Trojan Horse Removal Tool."

[Johanbgoot]

I DL'd the program last week onto our 2 laptops and my iMac and ran them knowing they would take some time to examine the 400,000+ files on each machine. Frankly I think 45 minutes is just fine, what's the rush?  It found nothing on the laptops and 4 trojans on my iMac that were harmful to"Windows" that were quarantined.  2 were removed automatically when prompted, and the other 2 I had to remove manually. It was easy as the path to them was displayed.  Apparently it runs in the background and updates hourly; last update was today at 14:47.  I am very appreciative of those who make an effort to make my Macs safe and that run without any problems (Thanks Onyx)

Hope this is helpful.

Johan

[Xairbusdriver]

QUOTE

Apparently it runs in the background

That's been the biggest complaint...everything that runs, slows everything else down a little or a lot, depending on how well it is programmed. I'm sure it can also be run at the users discretion, similar to ClamXav (which also updates its definitions list whenever it runs, with your permission, of course). BTW, ClamXav has been around since Sep, 2004. How long has Sphos been programming for the Mac?

[Johanbgoot]

After installing and running Sophos, I asked my son and wife to tell me if they noticed any difference in how their laptops ran and none of us have noticed any difference at all in the performance of our Macs.

[gunug]

I downloaded the Sophos just to see how it would work, and on my G4 laptop it runs "very" slowly to scan the entire drive! I just let it go and it didn't find anything!

[Paddy]

QUOTE

I just let it go and it didn't find anything!

Of course it didn't. There's very little to find out there in the wild - and nothing (other than a Trojan or two) that actually infect Macs. Sophos is trying to create a need by scaring people into believing they need AV software running in the background at all times on a Mac. That and creating the illusion that they're doing this because "they love Macs". If you believe that's their reason, I've a lovely bridge for sale...

What I find particularly amusing is the assumption that as Macs become more mainstream, of course there will be more malware aimed at them. (The old security by obscurity argument) Of course, as Macs become more mainstream, the platform become much more attractive to those trying to market AV software, whether there is any real need for it or not. It's no doubt a particularly easy sell to those moving over from the Windows world.

Cynical? Moi?

[gunug]

And maybe, although I don't use "Time Machine" it might kill my backups if I were making them using Time Machine:

QUOTE

Did Sophos Free A-V for Mac kill my Time Machine backups?

The title isn’t merely rhetorical; I really want to know. I hope by this blog post to begin a conversation with folks from Sophos and those who know more about the inner workings of Time Machine. My backups are gone — 19 months of irreplaceable data — but perhaps this post and the ensuing conversation can spare others from similar trouble.

First, of course, I should have had a backup of my 500-GB Time Capsule. It’s been in the back of my mind for months to go out and acquire a suitable disk and get that essential job done. So, before we get started, let me just say: mea culpa.

I downloaded and installed Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac Home Edition as soon as I heard about it, on Nov. 3. As a long-time Mac user I’ve been following the debate about whether or when the Mac platform would be targeted at a level that makes A-V protection prudent. My personal conclusion: by the time the Mac’s market share approaches 20%, we will be embroiled in the same battle that has swirled around PC users for a decade. Now that (by some estimates) the Mac has broken the 10% barrier, I was prepared for the first sounds of distant battle trumpets.

http://recoveringphysicist.com/17/did-soph...machine-backups

[Xairbusdriver]

You get what you pay for...

[kimmer]

QUOTE(gunug @ Nov 10 2010, 06:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And maybe, although I don't use "Time Machine" it might kill my backups if I were making them using Time Machine:

QUOTE

Did Sophos Free A-V for Mac kill my Time Machine backups?

http://recoveringphysicist.com/17/did-soph...machine-backups

He's updated his blog, and has posted more information that is relevant. One thing that stood out to me is this comment -- and the bolding is mine.

QUOTE

Sophos went spinning pizza of death — after a couple of minutes I issued a three-finger salute and terminated the hung process. As some point here I probably stopped the Time Machine backup as well, without resorting to undue force.

I do think that stopping TM improperly could be part of the prob -- but I can't prove that, just my opinion for what it's worth.

I do have ClamVX installed and I do run it now and then. The first run through it found 2 really, really, really old files in my TB email archives. Both were attachments brought over when I moved from my old G4 to this iMac and the date was 2000 and 2002. They were both from pals and I hadn't opened them because they were exe files. I'd kept the emails because they had personal notes. Anyhow, I had ClamVX dump the files and since then it hasn't found anything. I run it once a month for drill. I need something to do on the 7th Sat of each month.