ClamXav

ClamXav is a very useful tool, a freeware virus checker for Mac OS X. ClamXav uses a slightly modified version of the tried, tested, and very popular clamav open source antivirus engine as a back-end.Back in the days before OS X, the number of viruses which attacked Macintosh users totalled somewhere between about 60 and 80. Today, the number of viruses actively attacking OS X users is...NONE!

However, this doesn't mean we should get complacent about checking incoming email attachments or web downloads, for two reasons.Firstly, there's no guarantee that we Mac users will continue to enjoy the status quo, but more importantly, the majority of the computing world use machines running MS Windows, for which an enormous quantity of viruses exist, so we must be vigilant in checking the files we pass on to our friends and colleagues etc.

For example, if you're a wise person and you've turned MS Office's macro support off then you're not going to notice that virus which is hiding inside this month's edition of Extreme Ironing.doc which your friend sent you.