The equilibrium and stability of anisotropic strange stars is analyzed. For this purpose, we consider that the anisotropy factor follows the equation σ = k pr(1 − e−λ); being k a constant, pr the radial pressure and e−λ a metric function. We found that the anisotropy yields considerable changes in some macroscopic properties of strange stars. Despite this, such as is determined in isotropic strange stars, the onset of the instability is marked by the maximum mass point. This indicates that stable and unstable equilibrium configurations can be recognize through the conditions dM/dρc > 0 and dM/dρc < 0, respectively.