Sophos Antivirus Update for Mac
Introduction
CSCS has used Sophos antivirus for many years. Following a review the current antivirus solution is being refreshed with a new and updated software version. This is an important update which will give your Mac continued protection against viruses, ransomware and other malware. CSCS is in the process of contacting users with a supported version of the operating system to agree a convenient time to perform the update.
How Will the Update Happen?
The update to the latest Sophos Antivirus program needs to be done on your Apple Mac computer. The update will be started remotely but it needs some assistance from you to allow the changes to happen. The steps included below show you what you can expect to see and what you will need to do to complete the update. There are only a few simple steps to follow.
The update will require you to be logged into your computer while it is running and should take around 5 – 10 minutes. Someone from CSCS will be available to assist with the update if you have any problems.
What Versions of Operating System are Supported?
The latest version of Sophos is only supported on the last 3 versions of macOS. Those versions are Catalina, Big Sur and Monterey. If you have a version that is older than this then the current Sophos version will stop receiving updates as of the end of July 2020. CSCS recommends that older operating systems are updated, as they do not receive security updates and present a risk to the network. As an interim solution you may wish to use McAfee Endpoint antivirus which is provided by the UIS, a link for the download is included here https://help.uis.cam.ac.uk/service/security/antivirus
You can find further information on our supported operating systems in our Supported Operating Systems guide
The Instructions for the Sophos update are slightly different depending on the version of the Mac operating system you have. To find your version of the operating system follow step 1 below. If you already know which version you have, you can proceed to step 2.
Step 1 - Find your version of the operating system
Click on the Apple logo in the top left-hand corner of the screen (It doesn't matter which program is running), then click on "About This Mac"
The box that appears will display your version of macOS; in this case it is Catalina
Step 2 - Instructions for all versions
Once we have pushed the update you will see this pop up on your Mac confirming the Sophos has been upgraded, it is important
that you follow the instructions, start by clicking OK
This window will open, select Open Security Preferences
Next click the padlock at the bottom of this window, another window will appear asking you to enter your password.
Once this has been done the padlock should change to an open padlock, finally, click Allow.
THIS MUST BE DONE WITHIN 30 MINUTES OR THE WINDOW WILL DISAPPEAR
if you cannot see the Allow button please contact the Service Desk (01223 336261) ASAP
Step 3 - Additional Instructions only for macOS Catalina (version 10.15.x)
Catalina requires an additional security step to be followed. Click "Details" when this pop-up appears
The following window will pop up and it is important to follow the instructions. The Sophos logo to the left of the green arrow is a moveable icon.
For further help with this step please click this link to watch the video Sophos Full Disk Access Mac Catalina.mp4
Step 4 - Checking that the upgrade has worked for all versions
You should see the Sophos icon at the top of the screen and clicking on it should show your computer is protected.
Step 5 - Final Step for all versions
Finally you can click on the padlock to lock it and close the "Security and Privacy" window.
