Traditionally, Apple Mac computers have been – for the most part – immune to viruses and spyware. Perhaps this was the case because Macs comprised a smaller share of the market than their Windows counterparts. But as the popularity of OSX continues to grow, the risk of an attack by a malware virus will also increase.

In anticipation of such a threat, Steve Jobs and his team have incorporated a defense into the new Snow Leopard operating system. Under older versions every time a user tried to open any file that was an internet download, a warning would pop up and ask if they really wanted to open that file. The user was given the choice to confirm or cancel.

Under Mac OSX 10.6 the downloaded file is now compared to a list of malicious software. If the file is infected the user gets a warning telling them as much and is given the option to abort the operation. Currently, the list of trojans is very short but will be kept up to date by Apple.

This built in malware protection feature is another good reason to make the Snow Leopard upgrade.