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Ive got a virus on my mac - how to fix?

B

Bushplum

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 20, 2005
40
0
I have wha i believe is a macro virus that has infected microsoft work. I cannot send a .doc document without it being blocked by spam/virus blockers.

I used a virus checker and it determined these word documents as infected.

Steps Taken to resolve the problem:

1. Delete all Microsoft Word preferences.
2. Delete Microsoft Word.
3. Create a new user.
4. Not to open an infected word document in the newly reinstalled word.

However, despite all these steps taken... my .doc documents remain infected.

I cannot seem to resolve the problem. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Bushplum said:
Steps Taken to resolve the problem:

1. Delete all Microsoft Word preferences.
2. Delete Microsoft Word.
3. Create a new user.
4. Not to open an infected word document in the newly reinstalled word.
Click to expand...

Hi,

I'm not a specialist, but I submit some comments... :rolleyes:

I don't think any of the steps you mention should help, as the macro virus will still be in your word documents and other (hidden) word templates used by the software, so it will start again soon after you start the newly installed version.

You should use an antivirus to clean the files and your machine. I tried to find a free one for Mac, but couldn't succeed. Norton should do - but I can't stand this software

Otherwise, there might be a possibility of opening Word, turning the macros off in the preferences, erasing the macros used in your file and saving it anew. I think that was a way to work it some time ago, I'm not sure it works anymore. :confused:
 
My mom got that once and I just researched a Mac Anti-Virus app that was free and ran it. It got rid of it.

Funny how it's a Microsoft related virus on your mac. :eek:
 
ya i got those macros once. really annoying. my school lent me their anti-virus so i got a free anti-virus:D . that cleaned it right up.
 
Went to microsoft website. It said the only way to remove it is to upgrade to service pack 2.

At work there is an email going around concerning this particular virus. Ironically, it outlines how to prevent infection from this particular virus.... not the cure.

Still working it out.

Thnks guys.
 
can you open the documents in Word? if so save as a .RTF and delete all the original documents, the Rich Text Format will keep all the formatting of your document but can't house macro's..

DD
 
dolphin1 said:
Is it best to just NOT use any microsoft stuff on the macs?
Click to expand...

Wow THAT is a loaded question! :D

I think it depends on what you do. If you're using a Mac in an office environment, or otherwise have to be able to edit and exchange Word/Excel documents with other people on a regular basis, then you really don't have a problem-free alternative to Microsoft Office.

If you don't need to work with other peoples' documents, or only need to do it on rare occasions, you can use NeoOffice or OpenOffice. If you don't need the spreadsheet, AbiWord is a great word processor that is much faster (and smaller!) than these office suites.

Or you can wait until January and get the new version of iWork :) that will hopefully include a spreadsheet app.
 
dolphin1 said:
Is it best to just NOT use any microsoft stuff on the macs?
Click to expand...
Probably. If you select "Warn Before..." in Word Prefs, you can choose whether to disable Macros before opening the document.
 

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The email that the OP saw, and the tighter email filters, probably has to do with the zero-day exploit that came out on Dec 5. It infects Microsoft Word documents, both on Mac and PC

It is called a Zero-Day exploit because it takes advantage of a newly discovered vulnerability in Word, before Microsoft or the anti-virus companies have had a chance to develop patches and barriers. There is no protection as of Dec 7.

If you must transfer Word documents, make contact between the sender and recipient first, to connfirm the file name(s) that will be transferred, and consider saving them as Text or RTF files (rather than DOC files) before transferring.

Microsoft says
"Do not open or save Word files that you receive from un-trusted sources or that you receive unexpectedly from trusted sources. This vulnerability could be exploited when a user opens a specially crafted Word file."


http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2068786,00.asp
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/929433.mspx
http://smallbiz.symantec.com/home_homeoffice/security_response/index.jsp


I have not checked the anti-virus sites yet today to see if a response has been published
 
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