Is it possible to still obtain Mac SAV v8

I hate to whip a dead horse, but the point, my point, is that this solution you want is not efficacious, it's a placebo. The likelyhood you are going to be hit by malware that version 8 of Sophos doesn't catch or a vulnerability in Flash, Java, or your browser being exploited is exponentially larger than the scenario of being hit by a virus version 8 can identify. It's not about a philosophy of life but statistics.

About the latest greatest, this Mac I'm writing this in running OS X 10.10.4, OS X latest version, but it was built in 2007, that's 8 years old. Software security is FAR from perfect it's a cat and mouse game, the only way to remain secure is to be in the loop.

If you don't feel like constantly chasing your tail you make practical adjustments in you behavior and accept some added risks. 'My 'build' is late 2005 or early 2006. I looked into it; the consensus was that I probably couldn't do better than 'Lion' and more probably 'Snow Leopard'--to me the effort was hardly worth the risk of 'breaking' my other apps and expending the added effort of locating and downloading and installing all the software needed to get maybe an extra year and a half of comfort. We live on different continents I'm afraid. You look for almost certainty; I don't.

Simply there isn't any certainty as far as Software Security goes.

Humans are hardwired in a way that after they make a decision they will find ways to justify it no matter what. Stay safe.

Another peice of information for you, the viruses version 8 can protect you from are extremely rare in the wild because of herd immunity, meaning, since most people have more up-to-date systems they won't pass these old viruses around, so you are already mostly safe from them.

This is a great discussion and you both have good points. 

Zoespbf, it sounds like you've made some good decisions and compromises with getting the second laptop and using your mac only for restricted browsing. Obviously keeping everything up to date is the "best" but I can appreciate your point of view. 

Personally, if I had to choose between running AV that was 2+ years out of date, and not running any at all, I'd just go without. I'm probably not supposed to say that while wearing my official Sophos hat, but it's the truth. What Specimen said about the latest risks being the biggest threats is true. So as long as you keep your internet use at a bare minimum and don't download files, I think there's a good chance you'll probably be fine... or the risk you're putting your system at is probably about on par with where you be while running super out of date AV.

Thanks Specimen.

You do realize that it's all moot. I can't even get v8. Sophos won't release retired software, so I can't improve my situation regardless. I'll go on using Norton and being careful when I access the internet and using my PC for more secure connections.

Thanks Serra.

Let's hope I can be careful enough--at least until my hard drive GRRRRRinds to a halt, which may not be far off.

No worries! One thing to mention though, which I'm sure you're already doing, but just in case:  don't forget to back up your work! And Good luck! :catvery-happy: