Viruses on Mac are more common than you think, and the issue is here to stay. A random pirated website or a simple link on Wikipedia: click it, and your Mac is under a virus attack. But how would you know that your Mac is infected and how to protect it? Read on to know the answers!
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The symptoms of Mac malware
At times, a malware app can trick you into thinking that it is completely harmless. You might see those apps disguise themselves as extractors, antiviruses, or video players. But how to check your Mac for the signs of viruses? Given below are a few ways for you to tell:
- Pages you visit become covered with ads.
- Frequent freeze-up or a drop in the device’s performance
- The browser starts automatically installing suspicious updates
- Unexpected apps or reboots starting for no reason at all
How your Mac might get infected with malware
Your Mac might get infected with malware either by the installation of a powerful browser extension or by clicking on the fake Flash Player updater. There was an instance where a Trojan extension named NewTab infected nearly thirty million Mac computers. The malware masked itself as a type of parcel tracker and started spreading ads instead.
So, how would you protect your device from malware? A good way would be to try studying the usual infection gateways, which are:
- .doc attachments in the emails
- Camera access requests
- Torrent download
- Fake flash player updates
- Scams that say, “your Mac is infected.”
Removing a virus from your Mac
When it comes to a virus affecting your Mac, you have to simply remove the infected part of the software.
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Remove the malware manually from Mac (Activity Monitor)
You have solved half of the problem if you know which app on Mac is causing the issue. Then, you can close that app and get it completely out of the system.
- Type ‘Activity Monitor’ in the Launchpad and open it
- Pinpoint the app in the Processes that is causing the issue
- Hit the ‘X button to stop the process
Get back to Applications and move that app to the Trash bin before emptying the Trash for good.
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Choose a tool to effectively help in removing the malware
You can use your Mac for years and never need to worry about viruses. But before you know it, one unassuming piece of malware or adware ends up attacking your device. You need a good malware removal tool to help you out in this situation. You can read more about the tools here. Also, here’s a list of the top six Mac malware removal tools:
- Avira Free Antivirus
- CleanMyMac X
- Malwarebytes
- Kaspersky Internet Security
- Avast Security
- Intego Mac Internet Security X9
The Bottom Line
And that’s it! You are now updated on how to spot and remove a virus from an infected Mac. So, if you are using Mac for your work or projects, now, make sure to put this knowledge to good use to keep your device safe and protected.
