[Casper] Mac anti-virus thoughts

[mcorippo]

I can second the Sophos recommendation.  Been using it for a few years and it has been good.  I have a couple minor gripes about some of the prefs on the client being a bit unclear, but it has been working
seamlessly on a myriad of Mac models with no real problems or downsides for us since early in 10.3 all the way up to 10.4.10.  We have never had any issues while installing software or images with Casper (or
in any other situations).  It just doesn't get in the way for us.

The Sophos enterprise console was recently updated to v.3 and it is a real help in a mixed platform environment.  They have added adware/spyware protection too, plus other goodies that can really make Win
security fairly painless.

Last I looked, clamav would detect virruses, but has no repair functionality, and it used to be dog slow.  Has it been updated or improved recently?

One thing to consider is that if the Macs in question or normally run from managed(non-admin) accounts, they are pretty safe.  Take the [ http://www.macworld.com/2007/10/firstlooks/trojanhorse/index.php
]latest Trojan for example.  No admin access, no real threat.  Sophos (or perhaps Intego?) can still add a secondary  level of protection.

Thanks,
Matt Corippo
Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes
IT Dept.



"Ernst, Craig S." <ERNSTCS at uwec.edu> on October 31, 2007 at 7:45 PM -0700 wrote:
>Hi Jeff,
>
>We’ve been running for quite some time now without any AV software, and to my knowledge have not run into anything as of yet. However, that doesn’t mean we haven’t been looking for a good solution. Macs can
>still pass along Windows based viruses in files, or if you have classic environments, they are still vulnerable.
>
>I know that Nathaniel, and the fine folks over at Saint Paul Public Schools in Minnesota, were running Sophos, and that’s a lot of machines they run. Sophos appears to have some of the best options for
>centralized management and deployment. I started to work with them to get a demo setup going, but ran out of time. Sophos will be very enthusiastic about getting you setup with a test and getting any help you
>need to do so.
>
>Other products that in general have had good reviews, ClamXAV ([ http://www.clamxav.com). ]http://www.clamxav.com). It’s free, but I think it has some drawbacks, too.
>
>I haven’t had a chance to look at Intego Virus Barrier. Symantec just gives me the chills thinking about it.
>
>With the release of Leopard does this change what’s necessary here, again? There are reviews out there, but it’s sometimes hard to find those that aren’t out of date and truly are geared towards the Mac. Many
>things I read...”What’s the best antivirus program? Mac OS X!” I also see the “there hasn’t been a ‘virus’ reported for Mac OS X in over 6 years so I don’t run anything.”
>
>Now what should worry about you is stuff like this article talks about, stopping people from getting in, preventing intrusion:
>[ http://www.heise-security.co.uk/articles/print/98120 ]http://www.heise-security.co.uk/articles/print/98120
>
>I think I helped? I’m not really sure...
>
>Craig Ernst
>Systems Management & Configuration
>+-------------------+
>University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
>Learning and Technology Services
>105 Garfield Ave
>Eau Claire, WI 54701
>Phone: (715) 836-3639
>Fax: (715) 836-6001
>+-------------------+
>ernstcs at uwec.edu
>
>
>
>On 10/31/07 6:46 PM, "Jeff Johnson" <jeff.johnson at glendale.k12.wi.us> wrote:
>
>
>
>I'd appreciate anti-virus recommendations from those of you deploy an AV
>package in your environment as well as hearing any reasons why you don't
>run one. We're about 99% Macs (mostly 10.4, a few 10.3 clients) and have
>all Mac servers (all OS X).
>
>Thanks in advance,
>
>Jeff Johnson
>Technology Coordinator
>Glendale-River Hills School District
>2600 W. Mill Rd.
>Glendale, WI 53209
>jeff.johnson at glendale.k12.wi.us
>
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