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I think my Mac has a virus!

Use An Antivirus Software. As indicated by the name, an antivirus program is a software design to. Checking your Mac for viruses. OS X does a pretty good job of stopping viruses and malware from attacking your computer. But there are steps you can take to further protect yourself. For long, people believed that mac cannot be infected with computer viruses and malware. Later it turned out to be totally irrelevant. Back in those days, Windows was the most popular OS and thus hackers were only inclined to developing malware which easily infected this operating system. If you think that your Mac has a virus, the quickest way to verify it is by scanning the computer with the Malwarebytes for Mac program. Download a free version of Malwarebytes, and it will fully scan your Mac for malware in less than a minute. Myth About Macs Being Free From Viruses. The myth that Macs are protected from viruses is just a myth.

If this is your first thought, then the next one is probably: how can I check for a virus on my Mac? Whatever your circumstances are, don’t panic!

I also suggest you read the entire post without rushing to implement “expert” recommendations. If you indeed have a virus, it happened due to a lack of knowledge, and the same lack of knowledge can make things worse. First, understand what the problem is and then try to fix it.

So, in short, here’s what you should when malware is a suspect.

If you think that your Mac has a virus, the quickest way to verify it is by scanning the computer with the Malwarebytes for Mac program. Download a free version of Malwarebytes, and it will fully scan your Mac for malware in less than a minute.

Myth About Macs Being Free From Viruses

The myth that Macs are protected from viruses is just a myth. While Macs are less targeted than Windows, they still have their share of malware.

For instance, KeRanger ransomware was detected in 2016 and it designed for macOS. It even affected several Macs in Apple headquarters in Cupertino, CA.

In 2019 there were several Mac-specific malware programs detected:

• OSX/Linker – exploited a zero-day vulnerability in macOS
• LoudMiner – uses your Mac to mine Bitcoins
• OSX/NewTab – adds new tabs in Safari with malicious web sites
• NetWire – spyware

So, if you thought you were shielded from viruses because Macs don’t get viruses, you were wrong.

Did you know?

The first ever virus was written for the Apple II computer by Rich Skrenta when he was 15 years old. The virus did not do any harm to computers; it displayed a following poem on the screen:

Typical Signs That Your Mac Might Have Malware

There are several symptoms that may (or may not) indicate that the Mac was infected with the malware:

• Your Mac is slow or crashes unexpectedly
• The startup disk is running out of space
• Pop-ups appear on the screen when you are online or offline
• The browser home page or search engine has changed without your permission

The symptoms mentioned above can be caused by other things, however. For instance, you may be running Time Machine backups that taking entire disk space.

If the browser home page has changed after installing an app, sometimes all you need is to change it back.

But if you suspect something, it never hurts to scan the Mac for malware.

Will Your Mac Tell You If You Have A Virus?

The answer is as always: it depends.

macOS has two malware protection mechanisms: Gatekeeper and XProtect.

The way the Gatekeeper works is by setting the Quarantine Flag when the file gets downloaded. So, when a user opens an app with this flag, the Gatekeeper will check if the app came from a trusted developer or not. If not, then it will pop a warning message.

This message does not necessarily mean that the app is malware. It only means the macOS does not know anything about it. It is possible to override the warning by going to the Security and Privacy pane in the System Preferences app.

XProtect is another built-in protection system on macOS. It contains definitions of many malware programs.

When the Gatekeeper on Mac checks the file marked with the Quarantine flag, it also searches the file signature in a malware database provided by XProtect. If the signature is found, then your Mac will tell you that you have a virus.

How To Check Mac For Viruses Free

For instance, in April 2019 the XProtect was updated to include TrojanSpy.MacOS.Winplye, a Windows file that can run on Macs.

So, if you happened to download an app that contains this Trojan, the XProtect would prevent it from running. However, there is a caveat. You must have the security update installed on your Mac.

So, here is rule number 1 for anyone who wants to make sure that their Mac is secure: Always have automatic updates turned on.

Here’s What To Do If You Think Your Mac Has a Virus

Now, when we know, all the theory behind viruses and malware, let’s do some practical things.

When I called the Apple support and told them that my MacBook is slow the first thing they suggested to restart the laptop in Recovery mode. The next step was to install the antivirus.

If you have reasons to believe there is a malware on the computer, skip the first and download the antimalware program.

The Apple support guy directed me to install Malwarebytes (affiliate). He and I enabled the screen share and here is exactly what he told me to do:

1. Start Safari browser
2. Type Malwarebytes in the bar and click on the link
3. Click on the Free Download button
4. Open Finder and go to the Downloads folder
5. Double click on the Malwarebytes install file
6. The installer program will start
7. Keep clicking on Continue, Agree, and Install keys
8. The app will require to enter the admin password

After installation, Malwarebytes will offer 14 days of Premium option for free. Click Not Now. You don’t need it.

When Malwarebytes starts, click on Scan pane on the left and then click on Start Scan. Wait until the scan finishes.

If Malwarebytes finds 0 threats congrats! If your MacBook is still slow, then there may be reasons other than malware.

Read my post about fixing the slowness: What To Do If MacBook Running Slow And Freezing

If a virus was detected, click on Confirm button to let Malwarebytes delete the threat, then restart the Mac and run the scan again. If the next scan finds new threats keep restarting and scanning until all threats are gone.

Choosing The Best Antivirus

Is free Malwarebytes a good antivirus? For a long time, I thought so, and I was actually actively recommending it until I did the following test.

I injected my MacBook with 117 malware samples (including Trojans and Ransomware). I tested 13 antivirus products.

The result surprised me – only one product (or two, depending on how you look at it) detected 100% of malware.

You can check the results of my test here: Best Malware Detection App for Mac Removes 117 Viruses In 5 Min

There are other antimalware programs besides MalwareBytes, and many of them are good.

The natural question is which one to choose?
I tried to find the answer, and here are my findings:

There are good several antimalware software choices. The most known are Norton, Intego, Bitdefender, Kaspersky, Trend Micro, Avast, VIPRE.

You can search for rankings published by bloggers, but the thing is they are more likely to promote their affiliate links.

So, how do you choose? The decision depends on your browsing habits.

If you are relatively conservative and cautious when clicking on links, then free AV may be good enough for you. Keep scanning your laptop periodically, and you’ll be fine.

If you often visit sites that likely to have malware (torrents, adult, social media) then invest in active protection provided by paid versions.

When choosing the antimalware, consider testing at least two solutions. Then select the one that easier to use. Also, see if it’s using too much CPU with the help of Activity Monitor. The last thing you want is an antivirus that slows down the computer.

To learn more check out my post:

Does Antivirus Guarantee Protection

Unfortunately, not. There is a term called zero-day vulnerability.

The usual cycle goes like this: someone finds a vulnerability in the software, e.g., in macOS. The first day the vulnerability is found is called zero-day.

The hackers will create software that exploits the vulnerability, and every computer is at risk even the ones that have an antivirus installed.

Then antivirus companies find a solution which needs to be downloaded and installed on the computer. The shorter the period between discovering a vulnerability and the fix fewer computers will be affected.

Bottom line, antimalware products protect from known viruses; they do not protect from malware, which was not written yet.

A Side Note On Ransomware

Ransomware is probably the biggest reason why you would want to have active antivirus protection.

With other types of malware: adware, spyware, Trojans, you can download the antimalware software, scan and in most cases, remove the threats.

When you found out about the Ransomware in most cases it’s too late: the disk was already encrypted and the time to pay the ransom is ticking. There is no point downloading anti-malware software because it will not be able to decrypt your data.

However, there are exceptions. In some cases, the effects of the Ransomware can be rolled back.

There is a web site nomoreransom.org which was founded by several organizations in order to fight this issue. They have a list of malware that they can help to fix.

First, you have to identify the type of Ransomware you encountered by following their instructions. If the threat is in their list, they will provide decryption tools.

How to prevent Ransomware

While preventing it is hard, there is one thing you can do to minimize the effect. You should invest time in a backup strategy.

The good thing is that Apple has a good backup software called Time Machine. I wrote an article which will teach you how to use it properly:

In case your MacBook was hit by Ransomware all you need is to restore the previous backup and scan for viruses.

Here’s What I Do To Stay Secure

1. I never open links from emails. If I do, I always check the sender of the email first and then check where the link is pointing to.
2. I always submit downloaded packages to VirusTotal before running on my Mac.
3. I make backups with Time Machine.
4. I save my documents in DropBox. Even if the document was damaged by malware, and the damaged file was uploaded to the cloud, the DropBox keeps a 30-day history of my documents versions, so I can always rollback to the non-damaged version of the document.
5. I use Norton 360 Deluxe to scan my MacBook periodically.
6. I have automatic updates turned on.

Topics:

Image Credits: Pixabay, NoMoreRansom, Wikipedia

For long, people believed that mac cannot be infected with computer viruses and malware. Later it turned out to be totally irrelevant. Back in those days, Windows was the most popular OS and thus hackers were only inclined to developing malware which easily infected this operating system. This way they could conduct a mass breach without much hassle. But later when the other operating systems started to gain popularity, they were also infected with viruses and malware. Eventually the myth was broken and it was concluded that any system is safe because hackers have not yet decided to hit on it. Yes, you can take measures to prevent it, but in this swiftly changing world, a new threat comes to existence every single day! Therefore, you need to be alert so that you can stop the infection from spreading further. Well, any step can be taken only if you know about the malware attack. But how will you detect the same? Basically, there are some signs that illustrate that your system could be one of the victims. Here, we’ll discuss how will you check your Mac for viruses! So, without much ado, let’s get started!

1. Too Many Pop-ups

No matter how many times you have tried closing these, they pop again and again. This is the most common sign that shows you have malware infection. So next time when you are constantly getting pop-ups from websites which don’t produce them. You should consider diagnosing your system. We are sure that you’ll detect malware on Mac.

2. Your System Is Slow For No Reason

Yet another indication! Your system never slows down like a snail unless it is infected with virus or you have opened too many applications that need time and resources for processing. But if your system slows down without any reason, then it is a sign that your system is infected!

3. You Find New Tools in Toolbar That You Have Not Installed

Many a time, the malware instead of hitting directly, installs too many tools which make the system slow. So, the next time you see a toolbox or a software that you have not installed, don’t take it casually, it may be the beginning of a mass breach.

4. Your Searches Are Redirected

Well, this is not so common when compared to others. These days, many hackers use redirecting to get maximum number of clicks on a page. As they get paid according to the number of clicks, redirection serves them well until they are caught for using unethical methods for gathering traffic to their website.

5. Random Notifications

How To Check A Mac For Viruses And Malware

Possibly, you would have seen this. Either you or your friends receive notifications for being friends with the ones you are already friends on that social media. In most of the cases, you think that they would have unfriended you and now trying to connect again! Eventually it turns out that either the platform has some issues or hacker has created a near-looking bogus page that resembles with your friend’s profile exactly! In either case, you must consider taking appropriate steps for diagnosis.

See Also: Best Mac Anti-Malware Software 2018

This is not an exhaustive list of things to check your Mac for viruses. Once you have determined that there is something wrong with your system, you must take next step. Simply put, you need to act now.

What to Do Next If Your Mac Is Infected?

How To Check For Viruses On A Mac

Basically, you need to act, there are two methods that you can use. The first one is manual method and the next one is using tools. Let’s discuss about the manual tricks first!

Step 1: Open “Finder” and hit shift+command+G. On doing so, “Go to the folder” will pop-up.

Step 2: Enter the following one by one and click on “Go.” The commands are:
~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons

How To Check A Mac For Virus Or Malware

Step:3 In case, files with abnormal names appear in the list, delete them manually and get rid of them! However, you need to make sure that you do not delete any significant file. Doing so will lead to abnormal behavior in your Mac.

The next method is via tools. You can use tools such as Dr. Antivirus and MacClean, but the results might differ according to the functionalities available.

How Can We Remove Malware and Other Infected Files from Mac?

There are number ways to do so, but we recommend using Systweak anti-malware for Mac. With this, you can easily scan for threats and browse plugins.

We suggest this one because it is efficient enough in protecting you from malware, adware, spyware, and other types of infected files and is easy to install. As it leaves no stone unturned to scan and fix issues, you’ll be ensured that your Mac is disinfected from all malicious files. Moreover, you can create logs for suspicious files and use them for analysis later. When you’ve installed this, you can: Download Now.

Deep Scan: Scan all the files and folders in your Mac to make sure you have ultimate protection against malware.

How To Check Your Mac For Viruses Free

Quick Scan: This scans only the most vulnerable areas on your Mac and notifies you about them.

Scheduled Scan: In case you are willing to run a scan periodically, then this option will come handy to you. All you have to do is set date, time and type of scan and the rest will be taken care of.

Startup Scan: This one is competent enough to scan and fix vulnerabilities in plugins, extensions, login hooks etc.

We believe that you don’t want to compromise your security and thus you should only choose the best product for your security. If you ask us for the opinion, this is the best one that you should invest in. By doing so, you are not just ensuring best services but also peace of mind. We say so because to detect malware on mac and remove it using this software is as easy as snapping fingers. Download Systweak Antimalware here.

What are your views on this? Do let us know in the comments section below!