Apple has done an amazing job in providing cutting edge hardware in the form of the iPod, iPhone, iPad, but Apple’s roots trace back to the Mac, which one of the first personal computers widely available.  One of the things that made and continues to make the Mac unique to computers is its operating system, which is a proprietary operating system unique to Mac computers and is not Microsoft Windows® based.  Although everyone is familiar with the ongoing onslaught of viruses that infect Windows® based machines, not everyone is familiar with the increasing number of viruses that threaten Mac computers.  As Apple’s notebook and desktop computers continue to gain in popularity, rest assured that many more viruses will be developed to infect Mac based computers. 

In general, a computer that is not operating normally could be infected with a virus.  Some of the symptoms include the computer turning on and off on its own, programs running slowly, programs not loading and Web pages loading on their own.  Whenever any computer, including a Mac is not behaving like it normally does, the first thing to consider is that a virus has infected the machine. 

There are a number of steps to take to prevent a virus from infecting your Mac.  The first is to keep the operating system up to date by setting up a regular time for the computer to check for updates from Apple.  Next, if the anti-virus system gives you a warning of a potential problem with a website, DO NOT visit the website!  In the event that your Mac becomes infected with a virus, prompt removal of the virus is highly recommended to prevent any further damage. 

Posted on behalf of iDeviceMD