Mac users are arguably more lax when it comes to antivirus, but it pays to be protected. Sophos is one of the best known antivirus solutions for Mac OS X. It's a free product that helps to safeguard Apple computers against inevitable problems caused by malware and viruses. It's a free product, and it blocks malware before it has a chance to infect the computer.

Sophos scans websites and blocks threats. It will remove Windows malware and viruses as well as those targeted specifically at OS X. Sophos offers a live update service via its SophosLabs service.

Like most modern antivirus applications, Sophos is designed to be lightweight and user friendly. It doesn't weigh the computer down, and updates are largely silent. You can scan your computer when it's idle or to a schedule, and it will remove threats invisibly or after your intervention.

Other benefits include:

• Scanning of incoming and outgoing messages, so you don't inadvertently send viruses to Windows users who may be harmed by them.
• Frequent updates to its definition files.
• Quarantining of threats before they have chance to do damage.
• One product for all customers, ensuring corporate-quality antivirus for home users too.
• Silent operation unless a threat is found.

Sophos for Mac is free, so there's little excuse not to use it. One day, it could make the difference between a clean Mac and a very nasty surprise.