click to enlarge
Virus Barrier X5 is a popular virus scanner available for Mac computers. X5 is produced and distributed by the software company
Intego. Intego is offering to let Mac users try out X5 before deciding to purchase. You can get your free trial of Virus Barrier
here. The full version costs $69.95.
When first installing Virus Barrier X5, you will notice that it is available in just about any language, making it ideal for Mac users of all countries. Virus Barrier installs itself into the Mac OS X Toolbar (up at the top near the clock), and runs in the background to protect your computer. Upon launching the actual Virus Barrier scanner, you are presented with a very nice, modern looking interface, kind of resembling a sonar that you would find on the dashboard of a submarine. Preferences for Virus Barrier X5 are located in the same position as just about any other Mac Application, on the top left side of the OS X toolbar, under the application name, preferences. There are actually very little options that need to be tweaked with X5. However, you may want to turn on the scan for Windows viruses option, if you run Windows on your Mac through an application such as VMware Fusion or Parallels. Other notable options include iPod and iPhone scanning, email scanning, and multiple user scanning.
The problem with many virus protection software out there is that they use up a lot of your computer's resources; which drastically slows down system performance. Virus Barrier X5 does not have this problem. It runs very smoothly and quietly within the background of your Mac. You can also enable the real time scanner which supposedly detects a virus as soon as it mounts into OS X.
As far as virus finding results, there was not much to say. X5 did not pick up any viruses at all, which is a good thing if it is accurate, and a bad thing if it is not accurate. However, there have been many forum posts of VB X5 users stating that they put a Windows virus on a flash drive, and scanned the drive with X5. X5 than detected the virus.
A noted Mac virus was bundled within many pirated copies (software that you would get from torrent sites and hosts such as Rapidshare) of Apple's iWork '09. Upon installation of the modded iWork, the virus would be installed as well. Virus Barrier X5 is said to be one of the only programs that picked up this particular virus.
