A Guide to Help You Determine If Your Mac Is Infected With Virus

www.www.worldexecutivesdigest.com | A Guide to Help You Determine If Your Mac Is Infected With Virus | Let’s take a look at the telltale signs that your Mac is infected. Here is a professional guide to help you check for malware on mac.

Did you know that malware types specific to Mac computers have increased by 270% from 2016 to 2017? In fact, there were four “new” kinds of malware discovered within just the first two months of 2018!

It was even worse in 2019, with malware attacks on Macs having increased by more than twice compared to 2018. During this period, the average malware detections per Mac went from 4.8 instances to 11.

That said, it’s best that you learn how to check for malware on Mac, lest you risk your device becoming infected. Malware infections may not only cause serious damage to your gear — they may even steal your identity.

So then, how exactly can you confirm whether or not your Mac has a virus, worm, or any other type of malware? Is there anything that you can even do to keep these malicious files at bay?

We’ll answer all these questions in this post, so be sure to read on!

Go Through Your Applications List

The first place to check for viruses on Mac — or other malicious programs — is the “Applications” folder. You can access this by opening either “Finder” or “Launchpad”.

Under Finder, you’ll see the Applications tab on the left panel, under the “Favorites” group. Launchpad contains all the icons for all your installed applications.

Once you have either opened, go through each of the apps you’ll see. If you find any that isn’t familiar, it’s likely that you have a rogue app, which can be a type of malware. Some of these may also be PUAs (potentially unwanted apps) that, when run, can infect your Mac.

Before you delete anything, run a quick Google or Safari search on their names (and validity) first. Some of these apps may be legit programs that came with your other downloads. Deleting them may cause your other apps to crash or fail to open.

If they’re just add-ons that you don’t really need, go ahead and send them to oblivion. You can either drag and drop them to your Trash folder or choose the “Move to Trash” option.

Check Your Collection of Third-Party Extensions

Extensions are add-on “codes” or patches that boost the functionality of an app. They can be extensions for your audio tools, photo or video editors, or file and document apps. They can also either be from Apple itself or from third-party developers.

That said, you should be warier of extensions from third-party app developers. Some of these are malware, others are methods of malware delivery, and many are both. A perfect example of the last is the Shlayer Trojan.

Shlayer is a kind of malware in itself, as it infects Macs with adware and PUAs. It’s also a malware delivery method since it installs a wide array of malicious files. What’s even worse is that you can get it from legitimate websites.

In fact, cybersecurity firm Kaspersky found over 1,000 sites that distribute Shlayer. Moreover, these are the firm’s partner sites.

That said, one way to check your Mac for viruses and other malware is to review your extensions list. To do this, head to your device’s “System Preferences”. Click on the “Extensions” icon to display all third-party extensions.

As with apps, note the names of the add-ons that aren’t familiar and check if they’re legit and valid. In the meantime, you can disable them by unchecking the box right beside them.

Review Your Browser Add-Ons

Speaking of extensions, these are also common across all internet browsers. Unfortunately, many of them are also malicious — Chrome alone found 500 of them earlier this year. Firefox also discovered — and ousted — over 200 malicious browser add-ons.

If any of these are in your browsers, they can potentially infect your Mac.

So, it’s best that you delete any unfamiliar extensions from all browsers in your device. Start with the one that you use the most though, which is likely either Chrome or Safari.

You’ll find all extensions on Chrome under “Settings” (the icon with the three dots on the tab’s rightmost side). Once you have Settings open, click on the “Extensions” option found at the left panel. This will open a new tab displaying all installed Chrome extensions.

In Safari, you’ll find the Extensions list under the “Preferences” section. Click the Extensions icon to reveal all of this browser’s add-ons.

If there’s anything there that you didn’t install, delete or uninstall it right away.

Download and Run an Anti-Malware Program

The fastest and simplest way to check for malware on Mac is through an anti-malware program. The best malware and virus protection for Mac will let you go through every inch of your device. It’ll check all partitions, folders, apps, and add-ons to verify potential threats.

Moreover, these safety and security apps will also quarantine or remove the apps for you. This way, you don’t have to manually send them over to your Trash folder. You also have the option to authorize them to notify Apple in case they detect a new kind of malware.

Most importantly, anti-malware helps to prevent Mac infections in the first place. Some even come with “external” firewall protection, which helps block potentially harmful connections. They can also keep dangerous downloads from getting into your system.

Regularly Scan and Check for Malware on Mac to Keep Your Gear Secure

There you have it, your ultimate guide on how to check for malware on Mac. Now that you know the best methods, make sure that you implement them ASAP!

Also, keep in mind that as Macs become more popular, more malware types are likely to target their users too. That’s why it’s best to scan your Mac for any harmful files or programs on a regular basis.

Looking for more techy guides like this to help boost your business’ security? Then be sure to check out our site’s Business and Legal section!