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Macs don’t get viruses, right? Wrong, sadly. Your Mac may be safer from malware than the average Windows PC, thanks to its Unix core and Apple’s default security settings in the OS, but it’s not immune. All it takes is one thoughtless click on a link in an email or on a website, and your Mac could be infected.
Computers are supposed to make people's lives easier, yet sometimes it feels like they exist around us only to give us endless amounts of frustration. The most popular advice for all the slow computers includes using a free virus scan to speed up your computer, but this make a lot of assumptions about what's going all wrong with your computer. Check every day to make sure your antivirus program is running by checking the system tray for the antivirus program icon. Scan your entire computer weekly for viruses, and confirm that the scan has completed. Check the status to see if any infected files were found. If you’re running scans automatically, check to make sure it actually ran.
The good news is that performing a Mac virus scan is very easy and if it finds anything, getting rid of the virus is very straightforward, too.
How to check your Mac for a virus
There are a number of tell-tale signs that your Mac has a virus. If it’s not displaying any of those, there’s probably nothing to worry about. So, before you scan your Mac for a virus, here are a few things to check.
1. Is your Mac behaving erratically?
This could include applications crashing, web browsers loading pages you didn’t ask for, and unusually high traffic on your network.
2. Has it started running very slowly all of a sudden?
Some viruses run processes that hog CPU cycles and leave little capacity for the tasks you want to carry out.
3. Are you seeing adverts or pop-ups for things you would never normally see?
Adware viruses are designed specifically to show adverts in the hope that you’ll click on them.
4. Have you noticed software appear on your Mac that you didn’t deliberately install?
4. Have you noticed software appear on your Mac that you didn’t deliberately install?
Some viruses appear in the form of browser extensions, others run in the background, but some may appear as applications in your Applications folder.
Microsoft Virus Scan
If any of the above are true, it’s possible that your Mac has a virus, but don’t panic, it may be relatively easy to remove.
How to get rid of suspicious apps
If you find an application that you didn’t intend to install, you should get rid of it. But don’t just drag it from your Applications folder to the Trash, that won’t remove every trace of it from your Mac. Applications store files in a number of different places in your Mac’s Library folders. You could hunt them down and remove them manually, but it’s quicker and easier to use a dedicated uninstaller like CleanMyMac X. That way, you can be sure you will remove every trace of the application and no stray files will be left behind.
- Download CleanMyMac for free here.
- Launch it from your Applications folder.
- In the Utilities section, click on Uninstaller.
- Look through the list of applications until you see the one you want to get rid of.
- Check the box next to it.
- Press the Uninstall button.
How to run a malware scanner on Mac
There are several Mac virus scanners that allow you to scan your system. However, it’s very important that you don’t just google ‘free Mac antivirus software.’ Many sites that claim to offer free antivirus tools in fact host viruses themselves. So, you go to the site looking for a solution and end up making the problem worse. It’s important to use a reputable tool. We recommend using CleanMyMac X.
CleanMyMac X detects thousands of malware threats, including adware, spyware, worms, ransomware, cryptocurrency miners, and if it finds something suspicious, it offers immediate removal. Here’s how to scan your Mac for malware:
- Download CleanMyMac X (free download) and launch the app.
- Click on the Malware Removal tab.
- Click Scan.
- Click Remove.
Malware Monitor is another thing I love about CleanMyMac X. And it works in real-time. Whenever an adware attempts to enter some protected areas on your Mac, you’ll get instantly notified.
How to prevent your Mac from getting a virus
Prevention is always better than cure. So, if you want to make sure that every virus scan returns a clean bill of health, here’s what to do.
- Never click a link in an email unless you’re 100% sure where the email has come from and where the link will take you. Reputable companies and banks won’t ask you to click a link to log into an account, for example.
- Never download anything unless you’re certain what it is. That includes movie files, software updates, games, and anything else you’re not absolutely certain about.
- Keep your Mac updated with the latest version of macOS. That doesn’t mean you have to be running the very latest OS, but if you’re running, say, Sierra, make sure you install the latest updates when they become available.
Scanning your Mac for threats is very easy. Get CleanMyMac X to make your Mac as safe as new. With its help, you get rid of any applications you didn’t intend to download, and scan your whole system for malware very quick and easy. Give it a go.
These might also interest you:
Here is a guide on how to detect Mac malware and safely remove it from your computer.
Malware is a malicious piece of software that is intended to harm your files or overall system. Mac computers are definitely susceptible to Malware infection and it is a good idea to occasionally check for it especially if you are experiencing strange behavior.
Malware indicators include continuous pop-ups, changes in browser’s homepage, running out of hard disk space quickly, unwanted toolbar items or add-ons and more. These are all typical behaviors of a computer infected with malware and should be addressed immediately.
How to Check For and Remove Mac Malware
Here are the steps to check for malware infection on your Mac and remove it if found.
Watch the above video for a guide on how to remove Mac Malware from your machine.
How to Run Malwarebytes Utility
There are fortunately a couple of different programs available to users that believe they have been infected with a malicious program. My recommendation is the Malwarebytes. This is a free third-party program that I have used to great success in cleaning out my machine as well as friends and family.
Malwarebytes is a free program available for Mac and PC from malwarebytes.com and will download as a .dmg installer package. Install the application by dragging it to your Applications folder (or open it from the installer if you do not want to have it on your machine).
Click the Scan icon then once the application opens and it will begin to perform a scan of your Mac. Fortunately the scan only takes a fewmoments depending on your hard drive size and will quickly inform you if you have any Malware to remove. If you have malware, the program should be able to remove what is there.
If you are not able to get your problem resolved, the program will look have steps for what you should do next. They link to a supportarticle Default browser for mac os x. on their website which has plenty of helpful troubleshooting steps for what to do including steps from a simple restart to potential hardware issues.
How To Check For Viruses On Apple Computer
In my experience, if you want to ensure you are completely clean of any malicious software, you should backupimportantfiles and erase and re-install your MacOS to the newest version. This is definitely a more extreme approach and would only be advised if you are not able to clean the machine using Mawarebytes or something similar.
It is a great idea to always have a databackup going for important files or ensure that they are syncing to a Cloud storage opportunity. In this day and age where Mac computers are now becoming more susceptible to attacks, keepingconfidentialdatasafe is more important than ever.
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