Virus Detection Mac

1. This Mac security app offers a quick scan that searches likely places for viruses, plus a full scan that takes longer and checks out your whole system. You can use Zap to perform a scan of specific.
2. Stopping a virus altogether involves searching your Mac pretty thoroughly to ensure all traces of the virus are gone. You should use malware-scanning software to help identify and eliminate.

• Mac Virus Detection Software
• Best Virus Detection For Mac

How to detect and remove viruses and malware on Mac computers Many Mac computer users believe that Apple computers are perfectly protected from any type of malicious software or virus code. This situation might have been true for some considerable time, however, the prevalence of malware has increased with the growing popularity of Apple products.

There are many antivirus and antimalware reviews for Macs on the Internet. They do a good job comparing various aspects of antimalware software, such as price, impact on the performance of the computer, ease of use, detection ratings according to respectable AV test labs.

However, almost none of the reviewers made an effort to infect their Macs with malware and test antiviruses on the real devices.

I went the same route initially when I wrote What to Look for In Antivirus Software post. Not because I was lazy, but because I didn't know where to find real viruses for a Mac.

But as we know, 'Who seeks shall find.'

I was finally able to find more than 100 Mac-specific malware samples, and I spent a week testing 13 malware detection software.

I have to admit that the results surprised me a little. But now, armed with the real data, I can confidently recommend best malware detection app for Mac.

After all, it does not matter how much does AV cost and how easy it is to use if it does not catch 100% of malicious programs.

Personally, I wouldn't want to spend a single penny on a program that finds only 90% of threats, because even a single undetected virus can ruin my Mac.

It's like a cop wearing a bulletproof vest which only protects from certain types of bullets. If I were a cop I wouldn't want to have the second best vest.

Same with antimalware. It's the only kind of app where I don't want a hacked or free version. I want a legally purchased, fully supported software with regular updates. With a hacked software updates are not available and very soon the AV will be outdated and pretty much useless.

Anyway, here is a table with my top picks followed by the test description and results:

Best Malware Detection Software for Mac

I Injected my Mac With 117 Malware Samples

The list of actual active viruses and how tested AVs performed can be found in Appendix A. This list is pretty comprehensive. It includes:

• 27 Adware and PUP (potentially unwanted programs)
• 54 backdoors
• 7 ransomware
• 6 keyloggers
• 6 bitcoin stealers and crypto miners
• 5 worms
• 2 rootkits
• 3 trojan viruses

Each column in the table has the name of the AV tested. If AV failed to identify and disinfect the malware, I would put ‘x' in the corresponding cell.

The best antimalware is supposed to have no ‘x' in the table, and there was only one AV that accomplished the goal.

Testing Procedure

In order to create a repeatable environment for the test where all conditions are the same except the antimalware installed, I used my MacBook Pro 13″ with macOS Catalina.

First, I wiped out the disk and installed a fresh new OS.

Then I took a backup of the disk.

The following steps I repeated more than 13 times (I had to rerun several tests to make sure everything was right):

1. Copy malware folder from a thumb drive to the Downloads folder on my Mac
2. Install an antivirus
3. Scan the Downloads folder if the AV allowed selecting an individual folder, or ran the Full Scan.
4. Repeat scans until the results came back clean (according to the AV)
5. Save the results

In the end, I compared the results (see Appendix A).

As you understand, it was a lot of work.

I spent exactly a week running tests each night after work, but now I have the best data you could possibly find.

High-level Results

Here are the initial results aggregated by each AV. As you can see, the only AV that deleted 100% of malware was VIPRE Advanced Security.

One program that most AV products did not identify was MacKeeper. Some programs define it as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Program), but I happened to disagree with this. You can read my post about MacKeeper here, where I explained my point in great detail.

After some consideration, I decided to exclude MacKeeper from the list. After this adjustment the results would be as follows:

So, now we have three solutions with a malware detection rate of 100% for Mac (all US-based companies):

Testing 13 AVs

Here I want to quickly describe my impressions from each antivirus I tested (even the one not included in the final list):

Airo AV

One of the most frustrating interfaces I have seen. On the one hand, the simple interface they come with may be appealing to non-technical people who just want to set and forget.

But on the other hand, it took me a lot of time to make sure that I ran the scan against the folder where I kept all my malware.

And since I was not sure that Airo picked up the correct folder, I ran the scan multiple times. Still, it missed 10 malicious programs.

Details:

• Company founded in 2017 in Israel.
• 1-year price: $119.98 (first year $49.99) for one Mac. Additional pricing available for two years or monthly.

Avast Free Antivirus for Mac

Avast and Malwarebytes are the only truly free AV products. I wrote a detailed post about Avast. In my test, it missed only one sample.

So, if you are looking for a free AV, Avast could be your choice. However, keep in mind that the company was known for spying after its customers, so be aware.

Details:

• Avast was founded in 1988 in Prague, Czech Republic.
• 1-year price for Premium: $69.99 for one Mac or $89.99 for 10 devices (Mac, PC, Android, iOS).

AVG Antivirus

AVG was acquired by Avast, and I suspect that both have the same engine under the hood. So it is not surprising that both have similar results in testing.

I actually liked AVG more than Avast, it was straightforward to use, and the interface is very clean.

Details:

• AVG was founded in 1992 in Prague, Czech Republic.
• 1-year price for AVG Ultimate: $79.99 for 10 devices (Mac, PC, Android, iOS) – $10 cheaper than Avast.

Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac

Honestly, I was not impressed with Bitdefender.

Pros:

• One of the cheapest AV products.

Cons:

• it missed 6 samples out of 117
• it took a while to set it up
• the interface was average and not very easy to use

Details:

• Bitdefender was founded in 2001, with headquarters in Bucharest, Romania.
• 1 year price: $39.99 (first year $19.99) for one Mac or $59.99 (first year $29.99) for 3 Macs. Additional pricing available for 2 and 3 years.

ClamXAV

One of the simplest user interfaces (one might say not polished). It did a very good job finding viruses (missed only 2).

However, once the malware detected, it depends on the user to take action: I had to delete items manually. Unfortunately, since there was no bulk delete option, I had to delete items one by one (all 100+ of them).

Details:

• The ClamXAV engine is based on free software Clam AV. The same engine was used by macOS.
• 1-year price: $29.99 for three Macs or $49.95 for 9 Macs. Student discounts are available.

ESET Cyber Security

This was the biggest surprise for me. I know Nod32 for a long time since my Windows days. In my test, the program performed extremely poorly (missed 20 samples), and I don't know why.

I ran the tests multiple times to make sure that I didn't miss anything. It is entirely possible that I was doing something wrong, and there is a right way to use the product.

However, most people using the product are less technical than I am (I am a software developer, after all).

And if it takes me a while to learn how to use the product, what are the chances that the regular guy or gal can handle it better and won't be infected?

Details:

• The company was founded in 1987 in Bratislava, Slovakia.
• 1-year price: $39.99 for one Mac

F-Secure

Another poor performing product. F-Secure was so eager to find something on my Mac that it started the scan even before the installation completed. I saw it found a lot of malware; however, I was not able to figure out how to make F-Secure to delete them.

All I could see is No Action as a remedy. In the end, the product displayed the worst results of all tested apps: it missed a whopping 26 samples.

Details:

• F-Secure was founded in 1988, with headquarters in Helsinki, Finland.
• 1-year price: $89.99 for three devices. Other plans are available.

Intego Mac Internet Security X9

This was one of three products that cleared 100% of malware (excluding Mac Keeper). The interface could be simpler, but the end result is good enough.

Details:

• Founded in 1997, with headquarters in Seattle, United States.
• 1-year price: $49.99 (first year $39.99) for one Mac. Plans available for 3 and 5 devices (Mac and PC).

Kaspersky Internet Security

Another well known and pretty old stable AV product. However, it didn't do well in my test: Kaspersky missed 7 samples, and this disqualified the product from my recommended list.

Details:

• Kaspersky was founded in 1997 in Moscow, Russia.
• 1-year price: $39.99 (first year $29.99) for one Mac or $35.99 for 3 Macs.

Malwarebytes

One of two free AV products. Noticed that the results of Malwarebytes are not in the table?

It's because Malwarebytes does not have Full Scan capability. All it does a Quick Scan (very quick indeed), but I couldn't point it to scan the folder with all malware samples.

Malwarebytes Premium will trigger when you open a file with a virus, but I don't think that the free version does it too.

Details:

• Founded in 2004 in Chicago, United States.
• 1-year price: $39.99 for one device (Mac, PC, iOS, Android) or $59.99 for 3 devices.

Norton 360 Deluxe

On the one hand, Norton took longer than any other product to install, but the result was pretty good: it detected 100% malware in adjusted test.

I have to admit that I have a soft spot for Norton products since I've been using them for more than 20 years, and I generally trust the company.

I rated the AV as the best for the following reasons:

• Norton protects all types of devices: Macs, PCs, Android and iOS
• It is the best deal for 5 devices (and I to have 5 Macs)
• It's been in the business longer than any other company
• Besides AV, Norton 360 is offering cloud backup to protect from ransomware.
• Additional services: Secure VPN, Cleaner, Credit Monitoring, Identity Theft Protection, etc.

Details:

• Company (Symantec) was founded in 1982 in California, United States.
• 1-year price: $99.99 (first year $49.99) for five devices (Mac, PC, iOS, Android).

Trend Micro

Another solid AV product. It only missed one sample.

Details:

• Founded in 1988 in Los Angeles, United States.
• 1-year price: $39.95 (first year $29.95) for one Mac.

VIPRE Advanced Security

Another US-based company. This one came as a surprise for me. It was the only AV product that cleaned all malware and the only one that hit 100% in both adjusted and non-adjusted results.

The product was very easy to use. The interface is straightforward, and it didn't require any learning.

Details:

• Founded in 1994, with headquarters in Florida, United States.
• 1 year price: $54.99 (first year $43.99) for one Mac or PC or $64.99 (first year $51.99) for 3 Macs or PCs.

Appendix A

Following is a table with results of the test. Symbol ‘x' in each cell indicates the instance when the program failed to detect certain malware. Less ‘x'es is better.

VIPRE Advanced Security is the only solution that does not have a single ‘x' in its column because it detected and removed all malware in the test.

Think your Mac is infected? How to detect and remove viruses and malware on Mac computers

Many Mac computer users believe that Apple computers are perfectly protected from any type of malicious software or virus code. This situation might have been true for some considerable time, however, the prevalence of malware has increased with the growing popularity of Apple products. On the other hand, mobile devices such as iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch remain relatively safe, since most malicious software and viruses are developed to infect the macOS operating system. Despite this, some of these infections transfer from Macs to iOS devices when they are connected via a USB cable.

As compared to the Windows operating system, the Mac operating system includes an increasingly effective protection system. System updates are delivered with a new version of a database including the list of known malware and viruses. This allows computers to search and block these infections automatically. In the past, Mac computers remained virus free for long periods because malicious software developers predominantly targeted Windows computers. Today, however, Mac computers might be affected by many of the viruses now present on the internet. Built-in protection tools now automatically deal with threats, and often it is more difficult to notice if your Mac system is infected, whether performance is reduced, etc. In this article, we describe common cases of computer infections, how the system behaves in response to them, and how to diagnose existing threats.

Table of Contents:

It is recommended to run a free scan with Malwarebytes - a tool to detect malware and fix computer errors. You will need to purchase the full version to remove infections and eliminate computer errors. Free trial available.

What is the difference between a virus and malware?

First, we will clarify the definitions of malware and a virus. Malicious software (malware) usually behaves like various applications and often appear to do little when opened. In fact, these applications add extra applications that might display pop-up ads, and change the home page and default search engine settings. These infections are mostly used to display advertisements, however, they sometimes also track browsing history, most used queries, etc. Viruses are small portions of computer code designed to go unnoticed, however, they often reduce Mac performance. Checking the activity monitor will enable you to see the kernel task consuming extensive computer resources due to the prevalence of a virus, since it is designed to protect the Mac from overheating.

Most common signs of an infected computer

There are many symptoms of Mac infection, but these might vary with the type software installed on your computer. Here we describe the most common scenarios to alert you of the need to check for malicious software.

• Computer performance has noticeably decreased. It becomes sluggish and the activity monitor displays various mysterious process running in the background, consuming Mac resources.
• You notice a new toolbar on the web browser, that you have not intentionally installed. In most cases, these toolbars encourage you to shop or search faster by typing a search query directly into toolbar.
• Casual Internet browsing loads unexpected results, or redirects to irrelevant websites. Search queries appears within an unfamiliar search engine.
• Websites that you open displays many advertisements, including those that should be ad-free (for example Wikipedia).
• Your favorite websites (that you normally visit daily) do not load, or you are randomly redirected to advertising webpages.
• Advertising windows continually pop up on the desktop and you cannot find any association with websites that you browse or programs you run.

If you have noticed any of these symptoms, do not panic - performance is often reduced for a number reasons, and it may not be the result of a virus or malware on the system. Additionally, some developers attach ads to their software with intention of introducing you their other products. Nevertheless, it is always safer to scan your computer for possible threats. Bear in mind, however, that if you simply enter a query describing your problem and download the result, it might be malware or a fake application.

Most common methods of computer infection

Details:

• Bitdefender was founded in 2001, with headquarters in Bucharest, Romania.
• 1 year price: $39.99 (first year $19.99) for one Mac or $59.99 (first year $29.99) for 3 Macs. Additional pricing available for 2 and 3 years.

ClamXAV

One of the simplest user interfaces (one might say not polished). It did a very good job finding viruses (missed only 2).

However, once the malware detected, it depends on the user to take action: I had to delete items manually. Unfortunately, since there was no bulk delete option, I had to delete items one by one (all 100+ of them).

Details:

• The ClamXAV engine is based on free software Clam AV. The same engine was used by macOS.
• 1-year price: $29.99 for three Macs or $49.95 for 9 Macs. Student discounts are available.

ESET Cyber Security

This was the biggest surprise for me. I know Nod32 for a long time since my Windows days. In my test, the program performed extremely poorly (missed 20 samples), and I don't know why.

I ran the tests multiple times to make sure that I didn't miss anything. It is entirely possible that I was doing something wrong, and there is a right way to use the product.

However, most people using the product are less technical than I am (I am a software developer, after all).

And if it takes me a while to learn how to use the product, what are the chances that the regular guy or gal can handle it better and won't be infected?

Details:

• The company was founded in 1987 in Bratislava, Slovakia.
• 1-year price: $39.99 for one Mac

F-Secure

Another poor performing product. F-Secure was so eager to find something on my Mac that it started the scan even before the installation completed. I saw it found a lot of malware; however, I was not able to figure out how to make F-Secure to delete them.

All I could see is No Action as a remedy. In the end, the product displayed the worst results of all tested apps: it missed a whopping 26 samples.

Details:

• F-Secure was founded in 1988, with headquarters in Helsinki, Finland.
• 1-year price: $89.99 for three devices. Other plans are available.

Intego Mac Internet Security X9

This was one of three products that cleared 100% of malware (excluding Mac Keeper). The interface could be simpler, but the end result is good enough.

Details:

• Founded in 1997, with headquarters in Seattle, United States.
• 1-year price: $49.99 (first year $39.99) for one Mac. Plans available for 3 and 5 devices (Mac and PC).

Kaspersky Internet Security

Another well known and pretty old stable AV product. However, it didn't do well in my test: Kaspersky missed 7 samples, and this disqualified the product from my recommended list.

Details:

• Kaspersky was founded in 1997 in Moscow, Russia.
• 1-year price: $39.99 (first year $29.99) for one Mac or $35.99 for 3 Macs.

Malwarebytes

One of two free AV products. Noticed that the results of Malwarebytes are not in the table?

It's because Malwarebytes does not have Full Scan capability. All it does a Quick Scan (very quick indeed), but I couldn't point it to scan the folder with all malware samples.

Malwarebytes Premium will trigger when you open a file with a virus, but I don't think that the free version does it too.

Details:

• Founded in 2004 in Chicago, United States.
• 1-year price: $39.99 for one device (Mac, PC, iOS, Android) or $59.99 for 3 devices.

Norton 360 Deluxe

On the one hand, Norton took longer than any other product to install, but the result was pretty good: it detected 100% malware in adjusted test.

I have to admit that I have a soft spot for Norton products since I've been using them for more than 20 years, and I generally trust the company.

I rated the AV as the best for the following reasons:

• Norton protects all types of devices: Macs, PCs, Android and iOS
• It is the best deal for 5 devices (and I to have 5 Macs)
• It's been in the business longer than any other company
• Besides AV, Norton 360 is offering cloud backup to protect from ransomware.
• Additional services: Secure VPN, Cleaner, Credit Monitoring, Identity Theft Protection, etc.

Details:

• Company (Symantec) was founded in 1982 in California, United States.
• 1-year price: $99.99 (first year $49.99) for five devices (Mac, PC, iOS, Android).

Trend Micro

Another solid AV product. It only missed one sample.

Details:

• Founded in 1988 in Los Angeles, United States.
• 1-year price: $39.95 (first year $29.95) for one Mac.

VIPRE Advanced Security

Another US-based company. This one came as a surprise for me. It was the only AV product that cleaned all malware and the only one that hit 100% in both adjusted and non-adjusted results.

The product was very easy to use. The interface is straightforward, and it didn't require any learning.

Details:

• Founded in 1994, with headquarters in Florida, United States.
• 1 year price: $54.99 (first year $43.99) for one Mac or PC or $64.99 (first year $51.99) for 3 Macs or PCs.

Appendix A

Following is a table with results of the test. Symbol ‘x' in each cell indicates the instance when the program failed to detect certain malware. Less ‘x'es is better.

VIPRE Advanced Security is the only solution that does not have a single ‘x' in its column because it detected and removed all malware in the test.

Think your Mac is infected? How to detect and remove viruses and malware on Mac computers

Many Mac computer users believe that Apple computers are perfectly protected from any type of malicious software or virus code. This situation might have been true for some considerable time, however, the prevalence of malware has increased with the growing popularity of Apple products. On the other hand, mobile devices such as iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch remain relatively safe, since most malicious software and viruses are developed to infect the macOS operating system. Despite this, some of these infections transfer from Macs to iOS devices when they are connected via a USB cable.

As compared to the Windows operating system, the Mac operating system includes an increasingly effective protection system. System updates are delivered with a new version of a database including the list of known malware and viruses. This allows computers to search and block these infections automatically. In the past, Mac computers remained virus free for long periods because malicious software developers predominantly targeted Windows computers. Today, however, Mac computers might be affected by many of the viruses now present on the internet. Built-in protection tools now automatically deal with threats, and often it is more difficult to notice if your Mac system is infected, whether performance is reduced, etc. In this article, we describe common cases of computer infections, how the system behaves in response to them, and how to diagnose existing threats.

Table of Contents:

It is recommended to run a free scan with Malwarebytes - a tool to detect malware and fix computer errors. You will need to purchase the full version to remove infections and eliminate computer errors. Free trial available.

What is the difference between a virus and malware?

First, we will clarify the definitions of malware and a virus. Malicious software (malware) usually behaves like various applications and often appear to do little when opened. In fact, these applications add extra applications that might display pop-up ads, and change the home page and default search engine settings. These infections are mostly used to display advertisements, however, they sometimes also track browsing history, most used queries, etc. Viruses are small portions of computer code designed to go unnoticed, however, they often reduce Mac performance. Checking the activity monitor will enable you to see the kernel task consuming extensive computer resources due to the prevalence of a virus, since it is designed to protect the Mac from overheating.

Most common signs of an infected computer

There are many symptoms of Mac infection, but these might vary with the type software installed on your computer. Here we describe the most common scenarios to alert you of the need to check for malicious software.

• Computer performance has noticeably decreased. It becomes sluggish and the activity monitor displays various mysterious process running in the background, consuming Mac resources.
• You notice a new toolbar on the web browser, that you have not intentionally installed. In most cases, these toolbars encourage you to shop or search faster by typing a search query directly into toolbar.
• Casual Internet browsing loads unexpected results, or redirects to irrelevant websites. Search queries appears within an unfamiliar search engine.
• Websites that you open displays many advertisements, including those that should be ad-free (for example Wikipedia).
• Your favorite websites (that you normally visit daily) do not load, or you are randomly redirected to advertising webpages.
• Advertising windows continually pop up on the desktop and you cannot find any association with websites that you browse or programs you run.

If you have noticed any of these symptoms, do not panic - performance is often reduced for a number reasons, and it may not be the result of a virus or malware on the system. Additionally, some developers attach ads to their software with intention of introducing you their other products. Nevertheless, it is always safer to scan your computer for possible threats. Bear in mind, however, that if you simply enter a query describing your problem and download the result, it might be malware or a fake application.

Most common methods of computer infection

Knowing how malware and viruses infect your computer will help you to diagnose or prevent possible threats. The methods vary with the type of threat, however, there are a number of common ways that unwanted software can infiltrate your computer. Check the list below to ensure that the threats have not infiltrated your Mac.

Malicious software

As mentioned above, malware and malicious software are merely synonyms for a type threat that is introduced as 'free' (or sometimes paid) software that supposedly cleans or protects your computer from viruses. In the most frequent cases, this software appears when the search query contains keywords about fast, easy and free viruses removal. To avoid these threats from malicious software, check independent reviews of applications or ask for personal recommendations from other users. These threats are spread by downloads, emails, or even instant messages.

Fake files

Malicious software and viruses are frequently hidden within common files, such as images and Word or PDF documents. Many computer users are aware of the dangers of opening executable files such as .dmg on Mac computers and .exe on Windows, but few believe that simple image or document files might also contain threats. The best precaution is to open files from trusted or known sources only, and avoid opening data that appears on your desktop randomly or together with installation of untrusted software.

Fake updates or system tools

Another popular and confusing method used to spread malware is through various pop-up dialog boxes. These encourage you to upgrade your software and apply additional tools to access the content. The Adobe Flash Player browser plug-in is a popular way hide threats within its installation files. We strongly recommend that you add and update this plug-in through their official website only.

Randomly contacted by 'technical help'

Occasionally there are cases whereby users receive calls from people claiming to be Apple or Microsoft 'technicians'. They often state that your computer is likely to be infected and you should follow some steps to clean it. Following their guidance will add malicious software to your system.

Built-in protection tools

Together with system updates, Apple includes tools that work in the background to protect users from malware and viruses. You are advised to check how they are invoked and what actions they perform.

File Quarantine or Gatekeeper

Most Mac users are familiar with this tool, but not all are aware of how it is invoked and what function it actually performs. When attempting to open an application you have downloaded or installed from external storage, you will see a warning message that displays information about the source from which it was downloaded. You must manually choose to open the file, unless the application is downloaded from Mac App Store, since these apps are acquired from a trusted Apple source. If you are trying to launch an application that was not digitally signed by the developer (a condition enforced by Apple), the File Quarantine/Gatekeeper tool will block the access to this particular application.

Xprotect

This tool contains a slightly more aggressive prevention policy against files that are recognised as possible malware or virus infections. When trying to open files for the first time after download, this tool checks the entire package and compares it with the database of known malware or viruses. If it finds any matches, you will see a message stating that files are infected or damaged and the only option offered is to move the file to trash. The Xprotect tool works very successfully and is one of the main reasons why infected Mac computers are rare. This tool might sometimes block older versions of legitimate software, such as Java or Flash plug-in, since it was proven that these plug-ins are vulnerable to malware attacks.

Use Combo Cleaner to clear your Mac

Combo cleaner contains two virus scan engines. The first checks for Mac-based malware infections, while the second searches for PC generic security threats. This software scans the Mac and also checks web browsers for potentially unwanted plug-ins and infected emails. Although infected emails do not directly cause system problems, this option prevents possible threats spread via email messages. First, visit the Combo Cleaner developers website, and get the software. Then, launch it and select Antivirus in the left side panel. Choose Quick Scan, Full Scan, or Custom Scan. Quick Scan is the best option when you suspect that you might have threats on your computer but do not have time to perform a full scan. Full Scan will scan all files stored within the Mac hard disk. This option might take some time, depending on the amount of files your storage area contains. A Custom Scan might be the best option when you wish to check specific files or folders.

Recommended actions when Mac is infected

Following the steps below, you can decrease the risk of problems that may be caused by malicious software. Also, you will be able to eliminate threats to the Mac.

Avoid entering passwords

If you suspect that your computer might be infected by a virus or malware, do not enter any passwords or login details, due to the possibility of a hidden keylogger running in the background. This software is commonly deployed with malware and viruses. Bear in mind, that some of these infections record periodical screenshots, so you should avoid of revealing any passwords when copying and pasting from a document or clicking the Show password option.

Stay offline

Mac Virus Detection Software

Option mac windows keyboard. Another good precaution is to disconnect from Internet. Turn off the Wi-Fi and/or unplug the Ethernet cable from your computer, until you are sure the computer is safe. This will protect your private data from any third parties, since most data that malware collected is sent to the servers, where developers are able to access it.

Activity Monitor

If the information above helped you to consider recent files you have downloaded or installed to your computer, try to remember their name. If the application is running, turn it off by using the keyboard shortcut of Command and Q or simply click the Quit button in the top left corner of the window. Further, open Activity Monitor by using Spotlight or going to Applications and then the Utilities folder through Finder. Once Activity Monitor is launched, locate the search field at the top right corner of the window and type the name of the malicious software. Often, you will find that the application is still running in the background, even though you have closed it recently. Select the running app and click the X icon at the top left of the toolbar and click Force quit. Most malware developers are aware of this situation, and thus deliver random, unused names, to make it difficult to find the particular process in this way.

Shut down and restore

If it is possible, turn off your computer and enter Recovery Mode by holding down the Command and R keys while pressing the power button - hold down these keys until you see Apple logo. Restore your Mac from a recent backup, such as Time Machine or another application. Bear in mind, that you should select the backup created prior to the point at which you believe the Mac was infected. When the restore process finishes and your computer is rebooting, ensure that external storage is not connected to the Mac (if it previously had contact with the infected device). Also be vigilant and do not open fake applications, emails, or files that contain threats. The best option is to connect external storage to a Windows computer running antivirus software (although the infection is based on a Mac operating system, these programs should be able to detect and remove it).

Best Virus Detection For Mac

Protect credit card details

If you think your computer was infected with one of the methods listed above, delete the files immediately. If, however, you have made any transfers or purchases from your credit card, especially for software that appeared to be fake, contact your credit card company or bank immediately and explain the situation to ensure that your credentials are not used elsewhere. You might receive refunds for bogus money transfers.

Clear junk files

To ensure you have eliminated the infection completely, also clear all the junk files. Clear the Internet browser cache manually. Open Safari and click on Safari in the menu bar at top of your screen, then select Clear History. In the new pop-up window, select All history from the drop-down list, and finally click Clear History. Next, delete the entire download folder. Open this folder through Finder, select all files within and drag to Trash, or right-click and select Move to Trash. Finally, open Trash and select the Empty the Trash option.

Change passwords

A final option is to secure all logins. Once you are sure the computer is completely clear of infections, change all passwords, including those of websites, cloud services, applications, etc. You are advised to contact your credit card company or bank to notify them of the current situation - they might then heighten attention for attempts to access your account in future.

Reinstall macOS

If you have endured many unsuccessful attempts to clean the Mac, there is another option that will work in most cases: consider a complete reinstallation of the Mac operating system. Detailed instructions are in this guide.

Video Showing how to clear Mac from viruses and malware