http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10110852-83.html

In what appears to be a first, Apple is recommending that Mac users install antivirus software.

But don't read this as an admission that the Mac operating system is suddenly insecure. It's more a recognition that Mac users are vulnerable to Web application exploits, which have replaced operating system vulnerabilities as the bigger threat to computer users.

Apple quietly signaled its shift with an item titled "Mac OS: Antivirus utilities" posted on its Support Web siteNovember 21: "Apple encourages the widespread use of multiple antivirus utilities so that virus programmers have more than one application to circumvent, thus making the whole virus writing process more difficult."

The item offers three software suggestions: Intego VirusBarrier X5 and Symantec Norton Anti-Virus 11 for Macintosh, both available from the Apple Online Store, and McAfee VirusScan for Mac.

Brian Krebs, who first reported on the Apple antivirus recommendation Monday in his Security Fix blog at The Washington Post, said an Apple store employee told him he didn't need antivirus software when he purchased a MacBook three months ago.

There goes all the debates that macs dont get viruses 

I've met one guy who claimed his Macintosh was invulnerable to viruses.  However, Mac uses Java, therefore it can be infected.

The only reason Macs don't get viruses is because viruses are not made for them. Apple is extremely inexperienced when compare to Microsoft when it comes to handling exploits and overall security. Microsoft has been dealing with crap like that for over a decade, Apple hasn't even really bothered. Pray that the Mac never overtakes Windows because then it will be a field day for hackers and malicious code programmers.

People said the same thing about firefox, that there are less exploits for firefox since it is not used as much as Internet Explorer.  Now that firefox is widely used, it is still more secure than IE7.

I can list several reasons that Mac is more secure than PC.  A couple are: 1) They do not use file extensions to define how the operating system handles files. 2) MacOSX core is a linux OS, which runs more secure than Windows.

People will always say that the product with the smaller market share are more secure only because hackers don't make exploits for them whether or not it is true.  If MacOS was so easy to hack, more people would do it, regardless of the market share.

FX just barely passed 20% market share and the Mac is still under 15%, hardly "widely used." Still FX gets some exploits patched already with updates. You are also forgetting that the common garage hacker hates Microsoft as a corporation specifically due to its size and practices, thus trying to bring it down, in a way. Why would more people bother to exploit less than 20% of the people when they can go for the other 80%? If I could aim for somethign I wouldn't even bother for something that small. You forget that evrything is currntly hackable and if Mac gets near 50% it wil start getting attacked as well, especially considering Apple's practices are just as bad if not worse than Microsoft's. Given Apple's inexpereince in the field of security things would really get interesting then.

In fact, the MACs are the fastest to hack, then Windows Vista, then Windows XP, and Ubuntu was the last man standing... It's not me talking out of my ass, it was tested in a contest...

Of course, MAC OSX having the Unix core is convenient for bug fixes, because there's a whole community who dedicates to that code, the same cannot be said for Windows...

Time will tell if MACs are prepared for the Windows attention or they are better with a "small" but benevolent marketshare...

The list of advantages by getting a Mac is shortening with every day...

I want to laugh but this makes me sad because I used to like Macs.

The benefit of owning a Mac really lies with it's stability. Since MacOS runs on Mac hardware, it is ideal for things such as video and picture editing.

Perhaps Mac is not more secure than Windows. However, if you really wanted security, you should go for Linux. Each OS has it's strenths and weaknesses.

Windows: Wide support base
Mac: Stability
Linux: Security

Mac has 8% of the market, its only a matter of time before programmers focus harder on infecting it.