I regularly scan my Windows XP computer using antispyware and anti-adware utilities such as Spybot Search & Destroy and Ad-Aware. However, these programs only run on Windows. I also own a Mac computer, and wanted to know if there is any such software which will scan and detect cookies, spyware, and adware on the Mac platform?

This is a good question, since there is substantially more antispyware and anti-adware programs available for Windows compared with Mac. This has come about since most spyware and adware is only written to operate on a Windows platform, given historical beliefs and trends towards persons writing such malicious software finding more instances of security holes in Windows, which such software can exploit, compared with the Mac platform. At the moment, scanning your Mac for adware and spyware is probably not necessary, since there is not a large amount of such malicious software being distributed on the Mac platform. However, with the increasing trends in Mac usage around the world it is possible that spyware and adware may become an issue in the future. At the moment, I could only find one antispyware and anti-adware program for Mac. This software is called MacScan and is available at macscan.securemac.com. This software is not free, and at the time of writing cost US$29.99 for a licence.

While spyware and adware may not be a major issue on the Mac platform at the moment, perhaps a greater risk relates to infection from Mac viruses. While the number of Mac viruses in the wild is also relatively low, I have seen viruses infect the Mac platform (which is why corporate environments run virus protection programs on Mac platforms in addition to Windows platforms). Therefore, ensure that you are running up-to-date virus protection on your Mac. There are several different antivirus options for Mac, including Symantec Norton Antivirus 11.0 for Mac (www.symantec.com/norton/products/overview.jsp?pcid=ma&pvid=nav11mac) together with free solutions such as the open source ClamXav (www.clamxav.com). You may wish to investigate these antivirus programs to see whether they meet your needs.