How To Scan For Viruses On Mac
This is an all-in-one summary on virus infecting MacBook Pro laptops, with a special emphasis on methods to remove all types of harmful code from them.
Scanning Your Mac for Viruses: Why It’s Important By Phil South – Posted on May 27, 2015 May 26, 2015 in Mac In this article we do a case study on a recent Mac problem, give reasons why you should always start afresh with each new Mac you buy and in a larger sense why virus checking is more important for Mac users than other platforms, even. If you do decide you want anti-virus software on your Mac, this tutorial will guide you through installing and using ClamXav – a free (and frequently updated) virus scanner for OS X. Start out by downloading ClamXav. Once the download has completed, open the DMG file, and drag ClamXav to your Applications folder.
MacBook Pro is a premium line of Apple’s laptops. Such an honorable status, though, doesn’t make them any better protected against malware than entry level Mac machines. Moreover, it also means “premium” focus of cybercriminals who are constantly scouring the Mac landscape for preys. Technically, these fancy devices are just as susceptible to infections as their less powerful counterparts, primarily because they run the same operating system. Some might argue that macOS virus is the exception rather than the rule, but we can prove this wrong. There have been numerous adware, scareware, and even some ransomware campaigns zeroing on this platform over the past years, and this trend continues to be the case.
As far as the quantity goes, adware is by far the dominating threat to MacBook Pro’s. This is a vast niche encompassing browser redirect viruses, also known as hijackers, and ad-injecting culprits. Let’s start with the former, that is, malicious apps taking over web browsers and rerouting traffic to what’s called landing pages – mostly pseudo search engines, junk ecommerce resources or sites hosting drive-by virus downloads. These pests are typically manifested as aggressive plugins or extensions that are furtively embedded in Apple’s native Safari and additionally installed third-party web browsers, such as Mac versions of Chrome or Firefox.
You might overlook the trespass, because these baddies mostly sneak in alongside other programs, all under the umbrella of the same installation clients. As a result, your default search engine, new tab and homepage will be replaced with some rogue URL that will be resolved whenever the above mutilated values are supposed to be triggered. The destination page will often include some type of a spoof warning that tries to manipulate you into downloading other nasty infections.
Ad-injecting applications are even more irksome. They display tons of advertisements on pretty much every web page you visit from an infected MacBook Pro. Just like hijackers, these PUPs (potentially unwanted programs) make their way into computers by dint of software bundles. Therefore, when installing any freeware that appears too good to be true, consider selecting the custom setup mode that will unveil the actual package of apps configured to get on board in one hit. A few extra clicks on the install stage can save you the trouble of eliminating noxious Mac threats afterwards.
When inside a host, the average ad-injector establishes persistence by adding an aggressive browser extension that gets elevated privileges. In particular, it can insert arbitrary elements into the layout of visited sites. In the upshot of this tampering, you will be stumbling into popups, transitional ads, bizarrely hyperlinked text fragments (in-text links), and various other sponsored items, including banners, coupons, price comparisons, and freebies. What’s more, these entities are targeted most of the time, which designates another nontrivial adverse trait of adware – online user activity tracking. The infection keeps record of every keyword you type in a search engine, every website you visit, and quite possibly every password you enter. So the damage from this misdemeanor can, obviously, exceed irritation alone. Some adware samples aren’t as innocuous as they might appear – keep that in mind.
Scareware resides further down the MacBook Pro malware hierarchy. These impostor baddies are really straightforward in their tactics. They bombard victims’ conscience with a slew of fake alerts reporting viruses and system performance issues. Their goal is to frighten you into thinking your computer is about to run out of memory space or crash due to severe virus activity. For instance, the rogue utility called Mac Auto Fixer, which surfaced in early August 2018, will list critical disk usage problems as well as system and memory errors even if your MacBook Pro is brand-new and has been booted up for the very first time. The phony scan results will be accompanied by recurrent popup warnings that remind you of the purported tech quandary and insist that you hit the Clean Now button. Now, that’s where the trick is – the “fix” suggested by any scareware boils down to your paying for its license. The whole modus operandi is ridiculously simple: to forge a bad virus contamination scenario and then lend the victim a helping hand.
Yet another group of cyber predators haunting MacBook Pro laptops is the infamous blackmail virus. Better known as ransomware, these infections are targeting Macs increasingly but haven’t yet reached a massive propagation milestone, as opposed to the way things are on the Windows arena. The most common type is the police ransomware, which impersonates the FBI or other law enforcement agencies and locks down the Safari browser with a warning page. It attempts to brainwash victims into believing they are being accused of law violations, and if it works the gullible ones may submit the extorted fine. There’s a great deal of misconception about these infections, which are actually browser hijackers rather than conventional ransomware. Plus, they are relatively easy to contain. There have been more devastating outbreaks, though. The KeRanger ransomware from 2016, for example, had a fully functional crypto module that rendered victims’ valuable data inaccessible and held it for ransom. Thankfully, it didn’t get to worldwide propagation, otherwise it could have caused enormous damage to Mac users.
Zooming out, virus targeting MacBook Pro is quite versatile, and it’s here to stay. The tips below will help you remove common Mac infections described above and get your laptop running smooth and hassle-free.
Remove virus from MacBook Pro manually
This method is applicable if the name of the infection is known, for instance in case it’s a rogue optimization tool or fake antivirus that’s causing issues. The steps listed below will walk you through the removal process. Be sure to follow the instructions in the order specified.
1. Open up the Utilities folder as illustrated below
2. Locate the Activity Monitor icon on the screen and double-click on it
3. Under Activity Monitor, find the entry for the troublemaking app, select it and click Quit Process
4. A dialog should pop up, asking if you are sure you would like to quit the executable. Select the Force Quit option
5. Click the Go button again, but this time select Applications on the list. Find the malicious entry on the interface, right-click on it and select Move to Trash. If user password is required, go ahead and enter it
6. Now go to Apple Menu and pick the System Preferences option
7. Select Accounts and click the Login Items button. macOS will come up with the list of the items that launch when the box is started up. Locate the malware object there and click on the “-“ button
Remove malware from web browsers on MacBook Pro
Settings for the web browser that got hit by adware or police Trojan should be restored to their default values. The overview of steps for this procedure in different browsers is as follows:
1. Reset Safari
• Open the browser and go to Safari menu. Select Preferences in the drop-down list
• Once the Preferences screen appears, hit the Privacy tab at the top. Find the option that says Remove All Website Data and click on it
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• The system will display a confirmation dialog that also includes a brief description of what the reset does. Specifically, you may be logged out of some services and encounter other changes of website behavior after the procedure. If you’re okay with that, go ahead and click the Remove Now button
• In order to selectively clear data generated by certain websites only, not all of them, hit the Details button under the Privacy section of Safari Preferences
• This feature will list all websites that have stored potentially sensitive data, including cache and cookies. Select the one, or ones, that might be causing trouble and click the appropriate button at the bottom (Remove or Remove All). Click the Done button to exit.
2. Reset Google Chrome
• Open Chrome and click the Customize and Control Google Chrome menu icon
• Select Options for a new window to appear
• Select Under the Hood tab, then click Reset to defaults button
3. Reset Mozilla Firefox
• Open Firefox and select Help – Troubleshooting Information
• On the page that opened, click the Reset Firefox button
Automatic virus removal process for MacBook Pro
When confronted with virus on MacBook Pro, you can neutralize its toxic impact by leveraging a specially crafted system utility. The Freshmac application (read review) is a perfect match for this purpose as it delivers essential security features along with must-have modules for Mac optimization.
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This tool cleans unneeded applications and persistent malware in one click. It also protects your privacy by eliminating tracking cookies, frees up disk space, and manages startup apps to decrease boot time. On top of that, it boasts 24/7 tech support. The following steps will walk you through automatic removal of Mac virus.
1.Download Freshmac installer onto your machine. Double-click the Freshmac.pkg file to trigger the installer window, select the destination disk and click Continue. The system will display a dialog asking for your password to authorize the setup. Type the password and click Install Software.
2. Once the installation has been completed, Freshmac will automatically start a scan consisting of 5 steps. It scans cache, logs, unused languages, trash, and checks the MacBook Pro for privacy issues.
3. The scan report will then display your current system health status and the number of issues detected for each of the above categories. Click the Fix Safely button to remove junk files and address privacy issues spotted during the scan.
4. Check whether the malware virus has been removed. If it perseveres, go to the Uninstaller option on Freshmac GUI. Locate an entry that appears suspicious, select it and click Fix Safely button to force-uninstall the unwanted application.
5. Go to Temp and Startup Apps panes on the interface and have all redundant or suspicious items eliminated as well. The malware shouldn’t be causing any further trouble.
You may have heard it's said that Macs don’t get viruses. That there’s no Apple virus. You may even have said it yourself. Sadly, it’s not true. According to AppleInsider portal, the number of detected Mac viruses jumped up 60% in 2019. And, it’s not just viruses you have to be wary of. There are all sorts of different forms of malware, from bits of code that download themselves and show you adverts for things you have no interest in, to really nasty bugs that steal your personal data.
How do I know if my Mac has a virus?
Before you remove a virus from a Mac, you need to be sure it actually has one. We’ve covered that in more detail in this article but here are a few pointers.
- Your Mac starts behaving erratically and doing things you don’t expect;
- Your Mac starts running very slowly, as if something is hogging the processor;
- You start seeing adverts on your desktop;
- You find software or applications you didn’t install.
- An app asks for your administrator password
These symptoms may mean your Mac has a virus, although there could be other explanations.
How to remove a virus from a Mac
Thankfully, there are lots of ways to do it. And Mac virus removal doesn’t have to cost money.
1. Delete browser extensions
One of the most common types of malware comes in the form of browser extensions. Even extensions that aren’t particularly malicious can be annoying, and if you didn’t deliberately install them, they’re malware. Here’s how to get rid of unwanted browser extensions.
Safari
- Launch Safari.
- Click Safari in the top menu, then choose Safari Extensions.
- Look down the list and click on any extensions that look suspicious. Read the description of the extension. If you don’t remember installing it, click Uninstall.
- Repeat until you’ve removed all the extensions you don’t want.
Chrome
- Launch Chrome.
- Click on the 3-dot icon in the upper right corner.
- Select More Tools and choose Extensions from the menu that appears.
- Look over the extensions in the browser window and click Remove on any that you don’t recognise.
Firefox
- Launch Firefox.
- Click the 3-line (hamburger) icon at the top right corner.
- Choose Add-ons
- Click the Extensions tab and remove on any you don’t recognise.
2. Uninstall apps
Malware comes in lots of different forms. And it even comes disguised as security software to help you get rid of viruses! Devious, huh?
If you’ve inadvertently downloaded an app that turns out to be a virus, you need to uninstall it immediately. There are a couple of ways to do this. Here’s the hard way.
- Go to your applications folder and drag the app to the Trash.
- Go to your ~/Library folder and look in the Application support folder for any files related to the app and drag those to the Trash.
- Look in the other folders in ~/Library, especially Launch Agents and Launch Daemons and remove any files related to the app from there. But be careful, if you remove files used by legitimate app you could cause lots of problems.
- Repeat Step 3 for your Mac’ main Library folder.
How To Check For Viruses On Mac Air
The easy way: Uninstall apps in a few clicks
- Download and launch CleanMyMac X.
- Click Uninstaller.
- Check the box next to the application name.
- Click Uninstall.
If you don’t know the name of the application, it’s more difficult. But if you use CleanMyMac, all you have to do is scroll through the list of applications and look for any you don’t recognise or don’t need and remove them. CleanMyMac removes every trace of an app, including files that you may overlook when you remove applications manually. This is particularly important for viruses, so it’s much better to use CleanMyMac.
What's makes this method even better, is that CleanMyMac X also shows you app leftovers that remained after the main app is gone.
How To Check For Viruses On Your Macbook
3. Use a malware removal tool
While the above steps work very well in lots of cases, sometimes the Mac virus removal means using a dedicated application to scan and remove malware from your Mac.
There are lots of these applications available, and many of them are either free or allow you to at the very least scan your Mac for free to find out whether you need to take action. Be careful, however. It’s important to choose a tool from a reputable vendor. If you just google ‘Mac antivirus tool’ some of the results may well be for tools that are themselves malicious and instead of removing viruses from your Mac will infect it. We recommend using CleanMyMac X.
It can identify thousands of malware threats, including adware, spyware, ransomware, worms, cryptocurrency miners. And if CleanMyMac finds something suspicious, it will offer immediate removal. Here’s how to perform a full system scan:
- Download CleanMyMac X (free download) and launch the app.
- Click on the Malware Removal tab.
- Click Scan.
- Click Remove.
4. Escape the virus: Create a new user profile
Usually viruses are attached to a particular user profile on your computer. In this way they are able to seize control of your admin profile. But you can start if from scratch and create a new user on your Mac. Don't worry, you will be able to transfer all your important data from one user to another.
Go to Apple menu > System Preferences, click Users & Groups.
- Click the lock icon , then type in your admin password.
- Use the plus sign to add new user profile
To move your important information from one user to another, you will need to access the Shared folder.
Click on the Finder > Go to Folder..
Paste in this: /Users
Can you see the Shared folder? Here you can copy the needed files from your old user account. Hurray, you've started a clean, virus-free life!
Bonus tip: Clean up your login items
Login items are apps that launch automatically upon startup. Malware programs would often sneak into your login items without you knowing. How to prevent them from launching?
Go to Apple Menu > System Preferences
Click Users & Groups
Click on the Login items tab
From here you can manage them using the [+] and [—] buttons.
How to disable the invisible agents
Some small supporting applications never show up in the Login items. They are called the Launch agents and may as well be hacked by viruses. You can find them with the universal Mac cleaner, CleanMyMac. This app is notarized by Apple, so you are safe using it.
Download the cleaner here — the link to a free edition
Launch the app and go to the Optimization tab
Click Launch agents
How many apps do you see there? Remove any flash players, automatic updaters, or everything else that you find suspicious. Even if you deleted the main app itself, its launch agents may still occupy your drive. Here is what I have:
To prevent your Mac from infection, the above app has a real-time monitor tool. It sees that no harmful apps place their code in your Launch Agents. It monitors several such locations that could be gateways for viruses.
How to get rid of virus on a Macbook Pro (or any other Mac) if all else fails
If you’ve run through all the steps above and are still having problems trying to remove a virus from a Mac, the next step is to restore from a Time Machine backup. The benefit of restoring from Time Machine is that you can do it quickly and easily by booting into the recovery partition and you can choose to backup to a state just before your Mac started behaving erratically.
The downside of this option is that any work you’ve done since the backup you restore from will be lost. You could manually copy files from your Mac to another drive or cloud storage service before you restore and then copy them back afterwards. However, if one of those files is infected, you risk contaminating your Mac all over again. If there are documents you really need and that aren’t backed up elsewhere, use one of the antivirus tools above to run a scan on them before you copy them to another disk. That way you’ll know they’re safe.
Here’s how to restore from a Time Machine backup
- Make sure you’re connected to your Time Machine backup drive.
- Restart your Mac, holding down the Command and R keys until you see the Apple logo. When the macOS Utilities screen appears, choose Restore from a Time Machine Backup. Click Continue.
- Choose the last backup before your Mac started misbehaving or you suspect you were infected with a virus.
Your Mac will now return to the state it was in when you made that backup.
If you don’t have a Time Machine backup to restore from, the last resort is to reinstall macOS. This is a ground-zero approach. You’ll need to wipe your startup drive completely clean and start again. That means re-installing all your applications and copying all your data back to your Mac afterwards. If you have a recent backup of your data, from before your Mac became infected, you can use that to copy data from after you re-install. If not, you’ll need to back up important files now — but scan them with an antivirus tool first to make sure they’re not infected.
To perform a clean install of macOS, you’ll need a bootable installer disk. Creating one is beyond the scope of this article, but there is a comprehensive guide here.
Once you’ve made your bootable installer, plug it into your Mac, go to System Preferences, choose Startup Disk and select the disk you just plugged in. Restart your Mac, holding down Command-R and do the following:
- When the macOS Utilities screen appears, select Reinstall a new copy of macOS. Click Continue and then Continue again when the next window appears.
- Agree to the terms and conditions and select your Mac’s internal disk.
- Click Install. Wait for your Mac to restart.
- Your Mac will startup as if it’s a new Mac and you’ll need to go through the process of setting it up from scratch.
- Once you’ve set it up, copy back the files you need from the backup and that you know aren’t infected.
As you can see, there are many different ways to remove a virus from a Mac, depending on how badly infected it is and what kind of virus it is. The main thing to remember is if you suspect your Mac is infected, don’t worry. It can be fixed!