Protect your Mac from malware. MacOS has many features that help protect your Mac and your personal information from malicious software, or malware.One common way malware is distributed is by embedding it in a harmless-looking app. There are currently no virus for OS X reported to be found 'in the wild' from any credible securities lab in the world. At this time AV products for OS X have been found to be the cause of many problems with OS X from general sluggishness to system crashes to false positives to providing erroneous suggestions to end users that can exacerbate issues with OS X, but offering no benefit to the. The current tests of antivirus software for MacOS Catalina from September 2020 of AV-TEST, the leading international and independent service provider for antivirus software and malware.
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Most Mac users used to believe that the macOS is safe from viruses and malware that commonly affect other operating systems. However, we now know that this is not true. Virus attacks targeting macOS have been reported over the years, proving that Apple products aren’t immune to malicious software infections.
Some of these attacks included:
- The Flashback malware, which affected more than 600,000 Macs in 2012.
- The OSX/KitM.A virus, which took screenshots of the affected computer’s desktop and uploaded them to several websites.
- The OSX.Proton in 2017, which took advantage of a vulnerability in the macOS Keychain app.
- Last year’s snooping malware called OSX/Mami, which spied on the infected computer’s internet traffic.
These attacks prove that even macOS can also be vulnerable to phishing scams, trojan horses, and online fraud. In fact, some researchers have specially created a malware to prove that macOS is not omnipotent. In 2015, researchers created Thunderstrike 2, a firmware worm that is almost impossible to detect and get rid of. The malware only needs a few seconds to attack the extensible firmware interface of the infected Mac during boot up, and the device will remain infected even if the hard drive is wiped clean and the macOS is reinstalled.
Running an antivirus software is not enough to get rid of these pesky viruses and malware. You need to do a deep clean of your computer to make sure that all malicious software is completely removed from your system. Some Mac users go as far as resetting their computer to their factory settings to get rid of the virus.
Will a Factory Reset Remove a Virus?
This is a question Mac users have been wondering about for a long time.
Can a virus survive a factory reset on Mac? The answer is Yes and No. It depends on what virus or malware your Mac is infected with.
Common malware and viruses can be easily removed by antivirus applications. Some are harder to deal with, such as bootkits which infect the boot sectors of your Mac and viruses that target your Mac’s Extensible Firmware Interface or EFI (equivalent to BIOS in Windows OS). There are also viruses that infect computer-related hardware such as routers, phones, and printers, which are quick to spread and difficult to get rid of completely.
Doing a factory reset might seem like a good idea if your Mac is infected. But even this does not guarantee that your system will be 100% clean. There are several viruses that are so persistent that they can survive a factory reset and reformat of the drive.
For example, some Mac users reported being plagued by the MyCouponize adware on Safari even though the device has been reset. Others continue to experience performance issues even after purging the malicious software from their Macs. This is a testament to how viruses and malware are becoming more resilient and more intelligent over the years.
So if you’re thinking that resetting your Mac will completely get remove the virus on your computer, then you’re in for a surprise. Resetting your Mac to its factory settings might get rid of those uncomplicated viruses, but it won’t work on highly complex ones. So what do you do when you suspect your Mac to be infected by malicious software?
How to Remove Virus or Malware From Mac
Some of the symptoms of a computer virus or malware infection are:
- Slow startup and sluggish performance
- Insufficient storage space
- Unexpected pop-up ads or messages
- Heavy RAM and hard drive activity even during inactivity
- Missing files
- App crashes and error messages
- Hijacked emails
- Too much network activity
Any of these signs could indicate a virus or malware infection. If you suspect your Mac is infected, here are the steps that you can do:
Step 1: Disconnect Your Mac From Your Home or Office Network.
Remove all connected computer peripherals such as mouse, USB keyboard, printer, speakers, and flash drives. This is to prevent the spread of the infection in case you were hit by a hardware-related virus.
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Step 2: Uninstall Recently Installed Software.
If you noticed your Mac’s behavior changing after downloading and installing new software, such as an app, extension, or add-on on your computer, then it is possible that the software you downloaded is the root of the infection. Uninstall it immediately and delete all folders associated with the software from the Library.
Step 3: Run a Scan.
Scan your computer for any infection using your antivirus software. Make sure that your antivirus is updated, so that you’ll be able to scan new threats. Follow the software’s instruction to resolve any infections found and get rid of the infected files. Don’t forget to empty your Trash.
Step 4: Clean Up Your Mac.
Use Outbyte MacRepair to remove all junk files from your Mac, particularly the infected files that you’ve just deleted.
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Step 5: Update Your macOS.
One of the reasons why system updates are crucial is that they usually include security or software updates that help protect your macOS against malicious attacks. Skipping these updates means not taking advantage of the security tools that should add an extra layer of protection to your Mac.
If your Mac was infected, installing all system updates could help get rid of the virus or malware. Follow the steps below to keep your macOS updated at all times:
- Click on the Apple logo in the upper-left portion of the screen.
- Choose App Store from the dropdown menu.
- Click on the Updates tab, then install all available updates.
- Type in your Apple ID and password to proceed with the installation.
You can also configure your Mac to automatically install the available updates so you don’t have to them manually every time. To do this:
- Launch App Store once again, then click App Store from the top menu.
- Choose Preferences to open the settings window.
- Under Automatically check for updates, tick off the following options:
- Download newly available updates in the background
- Install app updates
- Install macOS updates
- Install system data files and security updates
Now, you don’t ever have to check the App Store again for new updates because they will be automatically downloaded in the background and installed overnight.
Step 6: Reset Your Mac and Wipe the Drive.
If the above steps do not work, resetting your Mac is your last option. However, a simple reset is not enough. You need to wipe out your drive completely to make sure no rootkits or bootkits are left lurking in your device.
Follow these steps to reset your Mac and wipe your hard drive clean:
- Sign out of everything: iCloud, Messages, iTunes, and other Apple services.
- Restart your system and once you hear the startup sound, press the Command + R shortcut to boot into macOS Recovery.
- Choose Disk Utility, then click Continue.
- Select the hard drive where your macOS is installed.
- Hit the Erase button at the top of the Disk Utility menu.
- Choose your hard drive format: Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or APFS.
- Select GUID Partition Map under Scheme, then click Erase.
- Quit Disk Utility and re-install a fresh copy of your Mac operating system.
Once you have installed a new version of your macOS, don’t copy over your files from your backup immediately. Scan them first for viruses and malware because they might also be infected. The same goes for apps and files stored in the cloud.
Summary
Not all viruses and malware are created equal. Some can easily be removed by deleting the infected files or apps, while others need to be dealt with using an antivirus software. Those that are tough to crack can be removed by resetting the computer to its factory settings.
However, there are special viruses and malware that can’t be eliminated even after a factory reset. If this is the case, you need to wipe your hard drive clean before re-installing your macOS. You can also read implement some preventive measures to protect your Mac from malware and other malicious elements.
If you’re running into errors and your system is suspiciously slow, your computer needs some maintenance work. Download Outbyte PC Repair for Windows, Outbyte Antivirus for Windows, or Outbyte MacRepair for macOS to resolve common computer performance issues. Fix computer troubles by downloading the compatible tool for your device.
See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy Policy.
See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy Policy.
It’s fair to say there’s less risk of malware attacks on a Mac than a PC, but does that mean you can skip antivirus altogether?
For years, we’ve been told that Macs can’t get viruses. But no computer is immune from cyber attacks, so each year we test Mac antivirus software to their limits with hundreds of virus attacks including worms and ransomware to see how they fare. Read on to see your protection options.
Browse all our antivirus software reviews, or skip straight to the best antivirus packages from our tough tests.
Built-in Mac security
There aren’t many viruses for Mac computers, which makes them hard to come by. Our lab tests Windows antivirus software with several thousand Windows-specific viruses each year, but tests only a few dozen on Mac computers. That isn’t to say that it’s impossible to catch a Mac virus, but the number of different strains is much smaller.
MacOS is secure by design. It requires a number of steps to allow a virus to run on your machine and needs you, the user, to intervene for any program – be it a virus or otherwise – to gain access to critical system files. In short, it’s actually quite tricky to get infected by Malware on an Mac.
Why you should still consider anitivirus for Mac
Even if you don’t let a piece of malware run, we have found that macOS’ built-in security scanning doesn’t reliably detect dormant viruses just sitting on the hard drive. If you never had any intention of running the viruses yourself, you could inadvertently share them with somebody you know who might not be so fortunate.
And there’s more to antivirus than simply protection from viruses. Almost all the security suites we test come with additional protection against phishing attacks, where websites pretend to be legit in order to steal your data. We have found that the very best Mac security suites will also bolster your phishing protection quite significantly, and perform better than the protection built into the Mac versions of Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Opera web browsers. For this reason, if you’re nervous about threats on the web, it would make sense to at least consider a Mac security suite.
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Antivirus options for Apple Macs
While there’s no cheap way to get yourself a Mac, those who don’t fancy a yearly subscription to a security suite can rest easy in the knowledge that this year we tested three free options, one of which was good enough to be a Best Buy.
If you’re a Which? member, you can see the very best antivirus options on our best antivirus for Mac advice guide. And for everybody else, we’ve highlighted five options from the biggest brands.
Paid antivirus for Mac
Norton Security Deluxe
One of the biggest names in antivirus has a relatively inexpensive Mac option. What’s more, if you have Windows computers in your household you can mix and match the different device types under the same subscription. Subscribing gets you various other benefits, although some, such as the 50GB of cloud storage, is only available for Windows computers. See whether it’s worth paying for in our Norton Security Deluxe for Mac review.
Kaspersky Internet Security
Kaspersky’s security suite includes basic protection as well as tools specifically designed to protect your files from ransomware and a bolstered web browser for banking. Like Norton, you can mix and match a Kaspersky multi-device Internet Security subscription between Windows and Macs. See if it’s worth the cost in our full Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac review.
Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac
It comes with phishing protection and a VPN for keeping your web browsing safe from prying eyes, but can this AV production take on its big-brand rivals? It’s performed well in our tests in previous years, so read our full Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac review to find out.
Free antivirus for Mac
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AVG Antivirus for Mac (free)
If you don’t want extra features and also don’t fancy shelling out for yet another digital subscription, AVG Free might be the option for you. There are no frills, but it should deliver when it comes to basic protection, adding that last layer of defence for when all else fails. See how it fared in our antivirus lab test by reading the full AVG Antivirus for Mac review.
Avast Free Antivirus for Mac (free)
Avast and AVG are owned by the same company, so they should perform similarly in our tests. Included in the installation is Avast’s free password manager, which might come in handy if you’ve yet to set one up for yourself. Read our full Avast Free Antivirus for Mac review to see whether it’s a good free choice.
How we test antivirus
Our antivirus test lab is riddled with threats. It has set up dozens of computers in 40 countries around the world to act as ‘honeypots’ for millions of viruses. These honeypots capture viruses that are fresh into the wild and may have only existed for days. This makes the task for the security software very challenging, because many of them rely upon huge databases of so-called virus ‘definitions’ to tell whether or not a file is harmful.
Grabbing new threats means they will also have to rely on their own intuition – rather than simply checking a database – using more advanced techniques to decide if there’s a threat. We also use a mix of scenarios on both Windows and macOS, including viruses stored on USB sticks, and even malicious real-world phishing webpages designed to steal your data. Only the most secure software can fend off all these types of attacks effectively.
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Malware can be more of a concern if you’re using an old phone. Read our guide on mobile phone security for more.