- Best Software To Remove Malware From Macbook Air
- Best Software To Remove Malware From Macbook
- Best Software To Remove Malware From Mac Chrome
- Best Software To Remove Malware From Mac
There are a few main reasons that people buy from Apple: great design, an approachable user interface, and an OS that is known for being virus-resistant.
![Best software to remove malware from mac Best software to remove malware from mac](https://static.macupdate.com/screenshots/203182/m/keepassx-screenshot.png?v=1568272911)
And yes, your Mac is definitely less likely to get a virus than a system running Windows, but that doesn’t mean that your system is immune!
If you have been caught by one of the many viruses, adware or ransomware that’s lurking around the internet, you’ll be wondering about Mac malware removal.
What’s the best way to get rid of it?
Which apps and programs will delete the malware and have you back up and running the quickest?
We’ll take an indepth look at this topic, and answer the most pressing questions you have about how to remove malware from a Mac including:
The issue of how to remove malware from Mac has become a hot topic over the years - and with good reason. Mac malware is on the rise and shows no sign of stopping. Here we take a look at some of the most recent malware threats faced by Macs in 2019, symptoms of malware on your Mac, and the best removal tools (as voted by MacUpdate users) to get. You’ll find several competing methods for how best to remove malware from a Mac, from premium malware removal tools all the way to a range of free virus removal techniques. However, the most reliable solution, and the one we recommend, is that you use a dedicated virus removal tool.
- Do Macs need malware protection
- What are some recent malware threats?
- How to tell if your Mac is infected
- The 5 best malware removal tools for Macs
- How to manually remove malware from your Mac
- How to recover from a malware attack
Do Macs Need Malware Protection?
You might be asking yourself ‘do Macs even need malware protection?’ Sadly, they do.
Malware threats are a universal problem, and are constantly evolving. Because of that, not only do you need protection, you want to use a malware detector and remover that is consistently updated against new threats.
A 2018 report by Malwarebytes showed that there was a 270% increase in Mac malware in 2017, and this trend is not showing signs of slowing.
As many Mac owners think of their device as virus-resistant, malware developers take advantage of that mindset. There is good news though! Macs already have a fairly robust system to ward off malware threats.
The Gatekeeper program, which is on every Mac, blocks any programs from running, unless they have digital approval from Apple. Gatekeeper is a great first line of defense against malware. Apple is quite dedicated to helping their users stay malware free, and has some handy articles about it.
In general, if you only download apps from the Mac App Store, you should be safe from malware. A lot of malware results from downloading pirated software or media, or downloading apps from untrustworthy sites.
Sticking to apps that have a security certificate from Apple is a good idea (although even they are not always safe, as we will see!) and if you are downloading something from a non-App Store location, do a quick Google just to make sure there aren’t any known threats.
3 Recent Mac Malware Threats
OSX/CrescentCore
This guy showed up on a few different websites in 2019, including one commonly used to download comic books, as well as showing up in Google search results. Disguised as part of an Adobe Flash Player update, this sneaky malware would install either rogue software or a malicious Safari browser extension.
This malware was actually able to get around Gatekeeper by having a signed developer certificate, assigned by Apple. The certificate was eventually revoked by Apple.
OSX/Linker
This malware exploited a zero-day vulnerability in Gatekeeper. A zero-day vulnerability is a newly discovered security flaw, known to the developers but as yet without a patch or solution. Hackers love to exploit these types of flaws, and did just that with the OSX/Linker malware.
Loud Miner (aka Bird Mine)
This malware was found in a cracked installer for high-end music production software called Ableton Live.
Once downloaded from the website VST Crack (which is known to have been distributing malware for at least 4 months), the user runs the installer, which also installs the malware.
This particular program would use the infected computer to mine cryptocurrency.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, and MacWorld has a great rundown article on all of the recent malware that you might encounter, should you require it.
How Can You Tell if You Have Malware on Your Mac?
All this talk of viruses, malware and threats – you must be wondering if you’ve been affected. How would you be able to tell if you have a virus on your system?
The authors of malware work hard to make sure that you won’t know it’s there, but there are some ways to tell if you have malware.
- Your computer is running slower than usual, or your fan seems to be working overtime. If you’re not personally running programs that take a lot of computing power, then someone else might be! This could be bitcoin mining, DDoS (dedicated denial of service) attacks, or any number of other, processor-hogging activities.
- An increase in ads, especially pop-up ads. If you’re seeing ads in places where they previously didn’t show up or you are getting pop-ups throughout the day – even when not browsing the internet – you very well might have an issue.
Fake virus scanners can be part of the pop-up, claiming to have found any number of issues on your mac to trick you into registering for the paid version of the software. - Consistent browser issues. Sometimes this can be redirecting you to sites that you have never seen before (and certainly were not trying to go to!) or changing your homepage.
- Other issues can be regular crashes, exceptional slowness, or unresponsiveness.
If you have concerns, the best thing to do is to use a malware scanner to check your computer.
It’s a great way to check and see if you have anything nefarious lurking in your system. This is the most surefire way to check, but remember, malware developers are always creating new malware, so even a scanner might not pick up on something.
5 Malware Detection and Removal Apps you Should Know About
So – you’re worried that you have malware on your Mac. What do you do now?
Let’s take a look at some of the best malware detection and removal tools for Mac.
These have been voted on by actual users of MacUpdate, so we know that these are people who have put the apps to the test:
Manually Removing Malware
If you have malware and would like to remove it yourself, we can help you with that, although we should warn you that it is advised to use the help of experts – Malware can be very hard to fully remove, and you should be very careful!
So, here is what you should do if there is malware on your computer and you want to remove it.
- First, no more passwords. You should not enter a single password on your computer. If the malware is running a keylogger, then they will get all of your logins and passwords, and that – obviously – is a big problem for you.
One thing to keep in mind is that some malware will take secret screenshots, so showing the password or copying and pasting it from a document might present you with some problems as well. - Second, get offline and stay offline until you’re sure that the problem has been solved. Malware has to be connected to its network to do it’s (bad) thing, so cut off its communication and you’ll be able to effectively shut down the issue.
- Check the Activity Monitor (in the Utilities folder) to see which apps are running. You should recognize all of them, and if there is one that you don’t recognize – or are not sure about – select the app and force quit.
It’s probable that the malware developer has foreseen that people will try and use Activity Monitor to force the program to stop, so most will be named something innocuous, and will be more difficult to spot. As such, this method is not the ideal way to rid yourself of malware. - If you have a backup, now is the time to use it. All computer experts will tell you to periodically make backups of your system for situations like this – use SuperDuper or Time Machine to make backups regularly, and you’ll be able to revert to a pre-infection backup.
Make sure not to reopen any suspicious programs, files or emails after you install the backup though, there’s no sense in going through all that trouble just to get infected again! - If all else fails, you might have to reinstall macOS after wiping the hard disk. This is a last resort method, though, as you will lose everything you have on the computer.
Best Software To Remove Malware From Macbook Air
Recovering from a Malware Attack
The best way to recover from a malware attack is to have prepared for it by creating a copy of your disk. It’s true what they say, the best offense is a good defense.
If this advice is coming a little too late to help you right now, just put it in your pocket for the future, as it will never stop being relevant.
Using a program like Paragon Backup & Recovery to create clones of your system will save you so many headaches in the future. It’s a simple process to put these clones in a partition, drive or external drive, and you’ll be thanking your past self for doing so.
Users have recovered instantly from ransomware attacks by simply rebooting a previous day, effectively kicking the malware from their system without any fuss – and without losing any money, data or time.
Keeping your Mac Malware Free
Ultimately, the best way to keep your Mac malware free is to take advantage of malware scanning and detection programs to ensure that you’re running a clean system and are not the victim of any malware attacks.
There are a ton of programs out there that promise to keep your Mac malware free, but it can be difficult to decipher which one is the right fit for you. Hp digital imaging software, free download.
Take advantage of user reviews to make sure that you’re using the best programs, whether paid or free. Sites like MacUpdate are great tools, because not only can you benefit from the experience of others, you can leave your own reviews to help other users.
There is a popular opinion that Mac systems are inherently more secure than Windows. In fact, most Mac users don’t even bother to use an antivirus or anti-malware software. Objectively speaking, that opinion may or may not be true. Mainly because that depends on a variety of factors like the number of Mac users, how they use their system, how computer literate they are, etc. However, over the past few years, the threats to Mac users have been increasing, thanks to quickly spearing malware, ransomware, and adware.
Read: Best Malware Removal Tools For Windows
Avoid MacKeeper
I bet you might have seen ads on websites (mostly porn sites), telling you to clean your Mac with MacKeeper. And while it’s legitimate software (as in not a virus), but it’s nonetheless useless and a waste of resources. Also, uninstalling MacKeeper isn’t easy as well. So, no matter what you do, avoid MacKeeper at any cost.
Instead, it is essential that you use a good anti-malware software so that not only you can be safe but also avoid spreading malware, ransomware, and viruses to other users. Here are some of the best anti-malware software for mac.
Read: How I Removed Malware From my WordPress Site
Best Anti Malware for Mac
1. Malwarebytes
When it comes to dealing with malware and other nasty stuff like rootkits, there is no other software that more popular than Malwarebytes. Other than it being able to remove malware from Mac effectively, the best thing about Malwarebytes is that it plays nice with your other antivirus software if you’ve already installed any. In fact, most users including me use Malwarebytes as a backup and perform weekly scans just to make sure that the system hasn’t been infected or has infected files.
To scan your system all you have to do is install the application, launch it and hit the scan button. As soon as you hit the button, it can do a quick scan for malware, PUPs (potentially unwanted programs), rootkits, adware, spyware, virus, etc., both in your system memory and hard disk. If it finds any threats, it will automatically quarantine those threats.
For in-depth scanning, select the custom scan option. Do keep in mind that the custom scan can take a couple of hours depending on the amount of data you have on your hard disk.
Download Malwarebytes (free, $40 for pro version)
2. Systweak Anti-Malware
Systweak Anti-Malware is a dedicated malware scanning and removal software for MacOS. Just like Malwarebytes, Systweak Anti-Malware scans for malware, rootkits, viruses, and adware in your hard disk and system memory. Once it finds a threat, it automatically quarantines it. If you know that Systweak Anti-Malware quarantined a false positive, you can restore the file or app with just a single click. For regular, deep, or custom scans, you can create custom schedules.
If you know a file or folder to be safe, you can exclude them from scanning avoiding any possible false positives by adding them to the exclude list. Of course, Systweak Anti-Malware always runs in the background and protects your Mac system from malware and PUPs in real-time. Other features of the software include start-up scan, memory scan, and beginner friendly user interface.
Best Software To Remove Malware From Macbook
So, if you unsatisfied or looking for a good alternative for Malwarebytes you should try Systweak Anti-Malware. 3d sign software.
Download Systweak Anti-Malware ($40)
3. Bitdefender
Bitdefender is another popular software to protect your mac from various threats like malware, virus, trojans, adware, spyware, unwanted software, and much more. The best thing about Bitdefender is that apart from protecting you from regular threats, it can actively scan in multiple layers and protect your system from ransomware. Other than that, Bitdefender can also keep an eye on cross-platform threats so that you don’t unintentionally spread malware, virus, or other infected files to your friends, colleagues or family.
Since Bitdefender always runs in the background, it can block any and all threats in real-time. Of course, Bitdefender also scans your system occasionally. If needed, you can create custom schedules with various configurations and scan settings. Bitdefender also has other features like backup protection, safe files, parental controls, secure shopping protection, etc.
Simply put, if you need a full-fledged software that can do much more than blocking and removing malware then give Bitdefender a try.
Download Bitdefender ($50 – $70 according to the version you choose)
4. Avast
Just like Bitdefender, Avast is not just an anti-malware software, it is a anti-virus software that can scan and protect your system from a wide range of threats. In fact, if you’ve ever searched for a anti-virus software, you should have definitely heard about Avast.
Using Avast you can regularly scan your system and create your own schedules to better protect your system. Along with anti-malware security, Avast can also protect your system from infected emails, unprotect WiFi network, and ransomware. Other features of the software include real-time protection, detailed security reports, browser protection, ability to shield you from dangerous downloads and PUPs, etc.
As good as the software is, while using Avast, you should be ready for a little bit of performance dip, at least, that is my experience while using Avast. Other than that, Avast is a pretty good and reputed software to protect Mac system from online and offline threats.
Download Avast (free, $70 for pro version)
5. AVG
AVG is yet another popular software that can protect you from malware, viruses, trojans, adware, and other threats. The good thing about AVG is that you can scan your system for threats related to Mac, Windows, and Android so that you don’t spread viruses or malware to other systems. Also, thanks to the simple and minimal design, using AVG to scan or create scanning schedules is pretty easy and straightforward. Moreover, unlike Avast, AVG always runs in the background and provides real-time protection for free.
As good as it is, when you try to download AVG from the official site, you will be redirected to the CNET website. So, be careful while installing it on your system as CNET has a habit of bundling adware and other toolbars along with the software you are trying to install.
If you are looking for all-around protection with real-time threat analysis and blocking then you should go with AVG.
Download AVG (free)
6. Sophos Home
Another popular opinion amongst Mac users which is more than just an Anti-Malware. Sophos Home comes with a bunch of extra features including a live chat support. Games macbook download.
Sophos offers features like Anti-virus and ransomware security along with anti-malware protection. The programme also lets you remotely manage your devices. Yes ‘Device(s)’, Sophos home can be used in up to 10 devices for the paid version and 3 devices for the free version. Doesn’t end here, Sophos Home also lets you put on parental controls so that none of your devices reach the unprotected side of Web.
Download Sophos Home (30 day trial, $27 yearly for premium)
Wrapping Up: Best Anti Malware for Mac
If you are looking for a dedicated anti-malware software that plays well with other antivirus and firewall software then go with Malwarebytes. As a premium option, you can also try Systweak Anti-Malware. If you are looking for a full-fledged anti-virus software that can extend the protection to viruses, adware, ransomware, and other threats then go with AVG as it provides real-time protection for free. You can also try Bitdefender.
In general, if you know what you are doing on the Internet and don’t download the cracked software or porn, you’ll probably don’t need an anti-virus and/or anti-malware software. That said, if you don’t consider yourself tech savvy or if you are buying a computer for your parents, it’s a good idea to have an anti-malware installed.
Best Software To Remove Malware From Mac Chrome
That’s for now. If you think I missed any of your favorite anti-malware software then command below and share it with me. It will also help other Mac users.
Best Software To Remove Malware From Mac
Read: Top 10 Free Portable Anti-Malware Software to Have on Your Pen Drive