Mac security: ClamXav 2.0.1 beta brings Snow Leopard compatibility
When Apple released Mac OS X 10.6 on Friday, several antivirus (AV) vendors seemed to have been caught flat footed without upgrades to make their products compatible with the mothership’s 64-bit operating system. For users of the world’s favorite free AV software, staying up-to-date isn’t a problem.
In celebration of the application’s fifth (!!!) anniversary and just in time for the release of Snow Leopard, Mark Allan has announced the availability of ClamXav 2.0.1 beta. In addition to bringing OS X 10.6 compatibility, this release includes a number long awaited improvements, not the least of which is that ClamXav has been completely rewritten in Objective-C, meaning Java is gone and this app should greatly faster than before:
Hallmark features in ClamXav 2.0.1 beta include:
• Java is no more. ClamXav is now written entirely in Objective-C
• Launch time has reduced considerably
• The interface is now much simpler to use and more in keeping with other OS X applications
• You can save your favorite scan locations for easy access
• Toolbar buttons can be rearranged to your heart’s content, or hidden entirely
• Infected files are listed more clearly
• You can send selected files to quarantine or trash with one click
• Specifying exclusion settings is now a much simpler task
• Setting a schedule is now more straight-forwardSee also:
— Gullible tempted with ‘free’ Snow Leopard, get trojan instead
— Snow Leopard has integrated anti-trojan horse feature
— Free antivirus solutions for the Mac [u]
— PCTools offers free antivirus for Mac
There are more changes above and below the hood, but long time users have to be celebrating rewriting of the world’s best-loved, multi-platform free antivirus software in Objective-C, which should bring a huge improvement in performance and reduce resource consumption. Get your copy of ClamXav 2.0.1 beta here (6.8MB).
Related Posts:
September 2nd, 2009
Wow! Is ClamXav faster or what? Move aside PCTools (no real complaints), open source AV has caught up and displaced you!
September 2nd, 2009
Ron, PCtools iAntivirus has 102 vulnerabilities/keyloggers/trojans in it’s intel only definitions. It is very well known in the Mac AV/malware community that Clam’s definition “Team” could careless about OS X and there for have very few OS X definitions. It was just recently that a Mac security expert was pushing and pushing and pushing the Clam definitions team to add some common trojans that were popping up. ClamXav is by NO WAY a close match for PCTools iAntivirus. Let alone “The Gold Standard” Intego VirusBarrier X5.
Not to take anything away from Mark. I use ClamXav on a Power PC in my garage, alone with Intego. But as a lone AV/malware solution ClamXav is totally at the mercy of the uninterested Clam (PC loving) definitions team that could care less about OS X definitions advancement.
November 10th, 2009
This is the first I’ve heard of this particular issue with ClamXav, Steve. Do you have a source you can link to? Because I’m just getting myself set up with a new Snow Leopard install and was trying to decide between ClamX and shelling out a relatively large amount of money for VirusBarrier X5. I take it you’d recommend the Intego product without question…?