For an industry that's based on math, science and engineering, technology sure spawns a surprising amount of myths.

Some of these myths are amusing or only mildly annoying. A relative might send you a chain email claiming that Microsoft will pay you cash to forward it on. Another rumor surfaces occasionally that Facebook is going to start charging users a subscription fee.

However, clinging to certain myths can cost you time and money. Let's take a closer look at these serial offenders.

1. Macs never get viruses
Last year's outbreak of the malicious Trojan called Flashback infected more than 600,000 Macs. The year before that, the fake anti-virus rogueware known as MacDefender also caused chaos for Mac users.

These high-profile security breaches were a wake-up call for Mac users who believed that Apple computers were immune to the viruses that plague PC users.

Apple once boasted in its ads that Mac users could relax and let the built-in defenses of OS X do all the heavy lifting to safeguard their data. The tech giant has since toned down that message.

Don’t let your purchase of a Mac lull you into a false sense of security. Like PC users, Mac users should make safe browsing and vigilant virus monitoring a top priority.