Although it was once virtually unheard of, spyware is an increasingly common and serious problem for Mac users. With that in mind, MacScan seeks to provide a dedicated line of defence against spyware and all known Mac malware. This is a commercial application from SecureMac, which is otherwise known for its Mac security news website. With free options available, though not to mention other commercial options at around the same price is something like MacScan powerful and useful enough to be worth paying for?
The Basics
MacScan 2.7 runs on Leopard (Mac OS X version 10.5 and up) and Snow Leopard (10.6 and up). Its $29.99 US price (with discounts for multiple licenses) includes technical support. MacScan works with any type of processor. In addition to spyware applications and exploits, it deals with tracking cookies, and can be used to delete browser histories and caches. It will protect you against all known Mac malware including Trojans.
The Pros
MacScan has some great privacy features. Not only does MacScan quickly delete Internet clutter such as browsers history, cookies, recently downloaded files, and caches for the popular web browsers it also has Blacklisted Cookie Scanning. Rather than deleting all cookies losing saved data such as usernames and password it will audit the cookies for tracking cookies and allow the user to delete just the blacklisted cookies.
MacScan includes varying scan detail levels (Quick, Full, and Custom), scan scheduling support, and an automatic update option. New spyware definitions are made available regularly, or at least as regularly as new spyware for Macs is identified.
If you use multiple browsers, you can delete the histories and caches for all of them directly from MacScan, which may be a useful feature for machines with several different regular users. At the very least, MacScan provides the peace of mind that comes with knowing that you won’t have to worry about spyware getting on your Mac and monitoring your activities.
MacScan protects against Mac malware such as trojan horses (including the DNSChanger/RSPlug Trojan Horse, the iServices Trojan Horse, and the PokerStealer Trojan Horse), worms (including the Tored worm), keystroke logging programs, scareware, dialer programs — any malware threat in the wild that affects OS X is protected against. Additionally, MacScan supports older versions of OS X back to OS X 10.2.4, with free monthly definition updates for all versions of OS X that MacScan runs on.
The Cons
SecureMac has made a point to focus on the malware MacScan protects against but doesn’t mention Mac viruses. MacScan protects against Mac only threats and is not burdened with Windows definitions, although there are no active viruses in the wild for Mac OS X it will not protect against the chances of passing Windows malware along to Windows users by sending infected files.
The Verdict
So, does MacScan stack up as a viable Mac security program? In our view, the answer is a resounding yes!
If you need a dedicated spyware blocker for your Mac that includes protection against all known Mac malware, including trojans, you can’t go wrong with this program. There’s no doubt that MacScan for Mac does an excellent job of keeping away all Mac-based security threats, and this is what intends to do.
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