Jun 2, 2011 17:01 GMT  ·  By

With a new Mac Defender variant emerging hours after Apple’s Security Update 2011-003, we asked security software vendor Sophos “is it safe to say Cupertino is now engaging in its first ever cat and mouse game with cyber criminals?”

“I think it's fair to say that Apple has never found itself fighting malware authors quite so intensely,” Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, told us.

“Although there has been Mac malware for many years, what's changed is that now regular users are frequently encountering it *and* falling for its tricks.  Clearly the bad guys believe that there is money to be made from the (mainly) unprotected Mac community - so I doubt we've seen the last of this,” he said.

Softpedia: Looking at how Apple has handled security over the years, would you say they’re being caught off guard by the recent events?

Cluley: Not necessarily, after all they first introduced a very rudimentary anti-malware protection into Snow Leopard in 2009. It wasn't (and isn't) as good a protection as that offered by real anti-virus products as it only scans under certain conditions rather than all the possible vectors for attack - but it's better than nothing.

I think what is true is that for some years Apple has liked to play the "only PCs catch malware" card in their marketing. That was never entirely true, and has probably done some harm to the Mac userbase as they suffered a misbelief that they were somehow invulnerable.

Recent events prove that they aren't.

Softpedia: Will Apple’s update (2011-003) be enough to keep users safe with automatic updates via XProtect, or do you foresee more such releases from Apple in the near future?

Cluley: Apple will either have to develop a more sophisticated solution to tackle Mac malware problem or be clearer in its advice to its users that they should install an anti-virus product. The cybercriminals aren't going to rest on their laurels if they smell money to be made.

Softpedia: Would you say the need for an antivirus program has increased considerably because of Mac Defender, or do these programs still offer a mere “additional layer of security”, as Apple has generally touted them?

Cluley: I've always believed it's wise to run an anti-virus product on your Mac.  All my Macs at home run anti-virus software, and the Mac I'm typing this to you on right now is running anti-virus protection too. Clearly these latest attacks are more prevalent than the other Mac malware attacks we've seen in recent years - so from that point of view, the situation has got worse.  But it's not the end of the world as we know it, and it's still a lot better than the Windows malware problem.

Fortunately, there are good free anti-virus products for Mac home users.

Softpedia: What advice would you give Mac users now that the whole world believes Mac OS X is suddenly not the rock solid platform it used to be?

Cluley: Keep yourself informed about security threats. Install an anti-virus program on your Mac. The dream is over.

We thank Mr. Cluley for his insight and we would like to also point Softpedia readers to the latest free antivirus solution from his company - Sophos Anti-Virus Home Edition. If Cluley has it installed on his Mac, perhaps so should you.