Review: Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac
The days of not having some sort of anti-virus product on your Mac are over. There are not only Mac specific threats out there that are on the dangerous side, but there are cross platform threats as well. Not to mention that you don’t want to pass along PC specific viruses to your Windows loving friends. Thus you have to run something on your Mac to protect yourself and others. One such product that will keep you safe is Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac brought to you by Bitdefender. Now this is a product that has a fair amount going for it as you’ll see.
First, the install is pretty simple. A few clicks and the requisite entering of your password and you’re done. It doesn’t get any easier than that. Now once it’s installed, I suggest you do one other thing. You should also install an add on called TrafficLight which works with Safari and Firefox. TrafficLight intercepts, processes, and filters all Web traffic, blocking any malicious content. When you search for stuff using your favorite search engine, it lets you know what’s safe. It also lets you know what’s tracking you. For example, I went to the webpage of the Toronto Star and found that everybody from Google to Facebook is keeping an eye on my activities. Charming. When it comes to the main anti-virus product, there are two ways to run it. It has a continuous scanner that is constantly looking for threats without you needing to do anything. Or you can do on demand scanning for either the full system, critical locations, or a specific location. The interface is easy to navigate and you should have no reason to crack open the digital manual included with the product. Another item I noted, when it updated successfully, it popped a notification in the Notification Center. That’s a nice touch as it ensures that you know that you are fully protected at all times.
Now for the key points. How well does it work and how much does it slow down your Mac? In terms of how it works, I tested it by going to places that were known to be infested with marware and other evil. Bitdefender For Mac came to my rescue each time. Not only that, when I tested it by copying a ZIP file with a copy of the EICAR test virus on it and attempting to open it, it very quickly stepped in to save me. And I do mean very quickly. It reacted instantly. That’s nice. As for the speed, I cannot find any evidence that it slowed my system down in any way that I can tell. That’s also nice.
So, what’s this protection going to cost you? It’s $49.95 CAD for three Macs or $10 less for a single Mac. Is it worth it? Yes. You need protection for your Mac. Bitdefender Antivirus is a great choice to keep you safe while using your Mac.
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