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Virus Scan for MAC?

Z

Zanwolf

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 1, 2009
25
0
Hey everyone,

I've been looking for a good virus scan for MAC.

I've been given McAfee with my ISP but to be completely honest, it's rubbish and doesn't even open for some reason, so I uninstalled it.

I'm looking for a decent one, free or paid, that I can scan my MAC with. I feel I may have a virus or two as my comp has started to run pretty slow lately.

So, could anyone suggest a good anti-virus scanner for MAC please?

Thank you in advance.
 
Z

Zanwolf

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 1, 2009
25
0
GGJstudios said:
A virus scanner on a Mac is as useful as a screen door on a submarine. How are you going to scan for a virus that doesn't exist? You don't have a virus.
Click to expand...

Well to those that said MACs don't get virus'.

I can safely say...you are wrong.

Just downloaded a free trail of ESET Cybersecurity for MAC.
It found 6. My MAC is now running at perfect speed again and my Internet is going fine.

I guess they aren't 100% safe. I trust MAC more than PC any day, but it's silly to think that virus' don't exist for them, just a very small minority I guess, but they are out there.
Ok, they may not have been virus' but I had 6 threats, malware, spyware, whatever, MACs can be infected.

Cheers for the replies though people.
 
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GGJstudios

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,545
943
Zanwolf said:
Well to those that said MACs don't get virus'.

I can safely say...you are wrong.
Click to expand...
Prove it by naming one, just one, virus that runs on Mac OS X. Just one.
Zanwolf said:
Just downloaded a free trail of ESET Cybersecurity for MAC.
It found 6.
Click to expand...
It found 6 what? Be specific.
Zanwolf said:
... it's silly to think that virus' don't exist for them...
Click to expand...
Viruses that run on Mac OS X don't exist for anyone, including you.
Zanwolf said:
Ok, they may not have been virus' but I had 6 threats, malware, spyware, whatever, MACs can be infected.
Click to expand...
No one said Macs can't be infected. The difference is, the only way for a Mac to be infected is if the user actively installs the malware (a trojan), as opposed to a virus, which can propagate itself without user interaction.
 
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Z

Zanwolf

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 1, 2009
25
0
GGJstudios said:
Prove it by naming one, just one, virus that runs on Mac OS X. Just one.

It found 6 what? Be specific.

Viruses that run on Mac OS X don't exist for anyone, including you.

No one said Macs can't be infected. The difference is, the only way for a Mac to be infected is if the user actively installs the malware (a trojan), as opposed to a virus, which can propagate itself without user interaction.
Click to expand...

Wow GG, no need to be so hostile.

Like I said, it may not be a virus, could have been malware, spyware, whatever.

I haven't installed, and never would, install anything that I didn't know what it was.

The fact is, ESET found 6 threats. It didn't give me the option to view the scan report, which I found strange, maybe because it's a free trail, otherwise I would have posted the report in here.

I have no reason to lie, otherwise I wouldn't of posted a reply. ESET found 6 threats and deleted 6 threats.

That's all I care about, they are gone and the fact is, it found something, 6 'somethings' so maybe I can't name them, who cares, they exist and I know I never installed anything I wasn't aware of.

So god knows how they got there. I don't open emails I don't know who they came from either, I am VERY careful when it comes to my computer security so these 'threats' must have recently been 'planted' as it has only been the last couple of days that I've noticed my MAC performance being slower, hence the thread I made, as it took me by surprise.

I could have taken the advise and words that users posted in here that virues DON'T exist for MACs, fair enough, my fault for the title of the thread being misleading, but that is because I did not know if it was a virus or not, but I didn't take their advise, I read them, reflected, sought out a virus scan for MAC and ran a scan, giving me the results mentioned.

I to have heard there are no virues and what not for MAC, so yeah, I'm surprised as well. They are gone now, but they existed, that is what is worrying.
 
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GGJstudios

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,545
943
Zanwolf said:
Wow GG, no need to be so hostile.
Click to expand...
I'm not being hostile. I'm being adamant, and asking for facts to backup your claim. There's no emotion involved.
Zanwolf said:
The fact is, ESET found 6 threats. It didn't give me the option to view the scan report, which I found strange, maybe because it's a free trail, otherwise I would have posted the report in here.

I have no reason to lie, otherwise I wouldn't of posted a reply. ESET found 6 threats and deleted 6 threats.
Click to expand...
It's entirely possible that the threats found were Windows threats, not Mac threats. Many virus scanners for Mac will scan for Windows malware. If you haven't installed anything, it's most likely Windows threats, which can not harm your Mac at all.

Also, there are many things beyond malware that can cause your Mac's performance to degrade. Malware is the last thing to suspect.
 
Z

Zanwolf

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 1, 2009
25
0
That maybe so, but if they don't affect MAC then why has my MAC been going slow?
The moment they were deleted and I restarted it was fine again, so that to me says it affected my MAC.

I will look further into the application to see if I can find a scan report and I will post it.
 
GGJstudios

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,545
943
Zanwolf said:
That maybe so, but if they don't affect MAC then why has my MAC been going slow?
The moment they were deleted and I restarted it was fine again, so that to me says it affected my MAC.
Click to expand...
There's a clue. Did you restart before you did the scan, or only after?
By the way, MAC is something completely different than Mac.
 
Z

Zanwolf

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 1, 2009
25
0
Well it's been going slow for days and it's been turned on and off countless times, was only today that I downloaded the anti-virus.

Was after the scan I restarted and it went back to it's normal speed.

Mac and MAC, please explain?
 
GGJstudios

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,545
943
Zanwolf said:
Well it's been going slow for days and it's been turned on and off countless times, was only today that I downloaded the anti-virus.
Was after the scan I restarted and it went back to it's normal speed.
Click to expand...
It's still unlikely that the malware you found had anything to do with your system being slow, even though it may appear that way. There are a myriad of possibilities that would take some troubleshooting to diagnose. It would really be helpful if you can find any description of the threats that were found. Most AV apps have a log file of some sort, to show a history of actions taken.
From ESET's site:
5. Click Tools Log files. Select On-demand computer scan from the Log drop-down menu.
6. Double-click the line representing the most recently completed scan (top line). A new On-demand computer scan window will appear, showing the scan log details.
Click to expand...
Zanwolf said:
Mac and MAC, please explain?
Click to expand...
Click the links I posted to see the difference.

More information from ESET's site, indicating that it's likely the threats were Windows threats:
  1. What is ESET Cybersecurity for Mac?
    ESET Cybersecurity for Mac is a security solution for Mac Home Users. It brings the protection of ESET NOD32 Antivirus that Windows users have trusted in and depended on: the smart proactive detection and the small footprint of our ThreatSense® technology. ESET Cybersecurity protects you and your network from emerging and cross-platform (i.e. Windows, Linux, Mac) threats without system slowdowns. Advanced heuristic technology recognizes and removes new threats.

  2. Mac OS X is a very secure operating system. Why do I need an antivirus product for it?
    Home users and Business users that share files and/or email between Mac and other platforms such as Windows or Linux can potentially spread threats without knowing or being affected themselves.

  3. Is there an ESET Smart Security for Mac?
    No, ESET Smart Security for Mac does not currently exist.
Click to expand...
 
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munkery

munkery

macrumors 68020
Dec 18, 2006
2,217
1
Zanwolf said:
Well it's been going slow for days and it's been turned on and off countless times, was only today that I downloaded the anti-virus.

Was after the scan I restarted and it went back to it's normal speed.

Mac and MAC, please explain?
Click to expand...

There is also this MAC as well. Sorry to add to your confusion.
 
Z

Zanwolf

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 1, 2009
25
0
Here is my scan report of the errors and threats found;

/Users/RussellParker/Documents/Governement/2009-green-dam.zip » ZIP » exploit.dll - probably a variant of Win32/Agent.FDYLYLD trojan
/Users/RussellParker/Documents/Governement/farc-farcep-admin-directory-2008.zip » ZIP » _admin/tmp/backhtml.html - probably a variant of Win32/Agent.GQVEMIX trojan
/Users/RussellParker/Documents/Governement/farc-farcep-admin-directory-2008.zip » ZIP » _admin/tmp/dc.txt - Perl/Small.E trojan
/Users/RussellParker/Documents/Governement/video6434.mpg.exe - a variant of Win32/Kryptik.IWC trojan - cleaned by deleting - quarantined [1]
/Users/RussellParker/Library/Caches/Java/cache/6.0/3/a1a68c3-2989a426 » ZIP » encode/Unicode.class - a variant of Java/Agent.AB trojan
/Users/RussellParker/Library/Caches/Java/cache/6.0/3/a1a68c3-2989a426 » ZIP » setup/lang.class - Java/TrojanDownloader.Agent.NCG trojan
/Users/RussellParker/Documents/Governement/2009-green-dam.zip » ZIP » exploit.dll - probably a variant of Win32/Agent.FDYLYLD trojan - was a part of the deleted object
/Users/RussellParker/Documents/Governement/farc-farcep-admin-directory-2008.zip » ZIP » _admin/tmp/backhtml.html - probably a variant of Win32/Agent.GQVEMIX trojan - was a part of the deleted object
/Users/RussellParker/Documents/Governement/farc-farcep-admin-directory-2008.zip » ZIP » _admin/tmp/dc.txt - Perl/Small.E trojan - was a part of the deleted object
/Users/RussellParker/Library/Caches/Java/cache/6.0/3/a1a68c3-2989a426 » ZIP » encode/Unicode.class - a variant of Java/Agent.AB trojan - was a part of the deleted object
/Users/RussellParker/Library/Caches/Java/cache/6.0/3/a1a68c3-2989a426 » ZIP » setup/lang.class - Java/TrojanDownloader.Agent.NCG trojan - was a part of the deleted object

Number of scanned objects: 1351612
Number of threats found: 6
Number of cleaned objects: 6
Time of completion: 18:10:21 Total scanning time: 5230 sec (01:27:10)


I'm surprised they were in those folders tbh...
Hope this helps
 
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GGJstudios

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,545
943
Zanwolf said:
Here is my scan report of the errors and threats found;

Win32/Agent.FDYLYLD trojan
Win32/Agent.GQVEMIX trojan
Perl/Small.E trojan
Win32/Kryptik.IWC trojan
Java/Agent.AB trojan
Java/TrojanDownloader.Agent.NCG trojan
Win32/Agent.FDYLYLD trojan
Win32/Agent.GQVEMIX trojan
Perl/Small.E trojan
Java/Agent.AB trojan
Java/TrojanDownloader.Agent.NCG trojan

Hope this helps
Click to expand...
It does help. As you can see, they're all trojans and all Windows-based, so they can't harm your Mac or affect its performance.
 
Z

Zanwolf

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 1, 2009
25
0
GGJstudios said:
It does help. As you can see, they're all trojans and all Windows-based, so they can't harm your Mac or affect its performance.
Click to expand...

I see.

Still find it strange how my comp is fine they are gone though. I DO have Windows on my other side, so could that affect my performance on my mac side, even though those folders are on my mac side?
 
munkery

munkery

macrumors 68020
Dec 18, 2006
2,217
1
Zanwolf said:
Here is my scan report of the errors and threats found;

/Users/RussellParker/Library/Caches/Java/cache/6.0/3/a1a68c3-2989a426 » ZIP » encode/Unicode.class - a variant of Java/Agent.AB trojan
/Users/RussellParker/Library/Caches/Java/cache/6.0/3/a1a68c3-2989a426 » ZIP » setup/lang.class - Java/TrojanDownloader.Agent.NCG trojan

I'm surprised they were in those folders tbh...
Hope this helps
Click to expand...

These could have been the issue in terms of performance degradation because Java is cross platform but they posed no real threat to your Mac. Although, I have not heard of these causing such issues.

The payloads downloaded by the Java downloader would have been for Windows or they would have prompted for authentication if for Mac (for example, Boonana was cross platform and used a Java downloader but the payload for Mac required authentication to install unless user logged into root account).

This type of trojans that require use of Java to download the payload (keylogger, rootkit, etc that requires authentication) are best avoided by turning off Java in your web browser or installing an extension that provides control over Java.

In the case of Safari, Plugin Customs (http://safari.laissemoichercherca.com/plugincustoms) provides click to launch control over Java within the browser.

I also run on-demand scans with ClamXav (http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/15850/clamxav) periodically just for peace of mind.
 
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Z

Zanwolf

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 1, 2009
25
0
munkery said:
These could have been the issue in terms of performance degradation because Java is cross platform but they posed no real threat to your Mac. Although, I have not heard of these causing such issues.

The payloads downloaded by the Java downloader would have been for Windows or they would have prompted for authentication if for Mac (for example, Boonana was cross platform and used a Java downloader but the payload for Mac required authentication to install unless user logged into root account).

This type of trojans that require use of a Java to download the payload (keylogger, rootkit, etc that requires authentication) are best avoided by turning off Java in your web browser or installing an extension that provides control over Java.

In the case of Safari, Plugin Customs (http://safari.laissemoichercherca.com/plugincustoms) provides click to launch control over Java within the browser.

I also run on-demand scans with ClamXav (http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/15850/clamxav) periodically just for peace of mind.
Click to expand...

Cheers Munkery,

Is there a plug-in you know of for Firefox?

Yeah I downloaded ClamXav today, if it's as good as ESET then I will install it, plus it's free so that is always a plus!
 
S

santaliqueur

macrumors 65816
Aug 7, 2007
1,014
578
If you'll be sharing files with any Windows users, you can scan for malware. If not, it's totally unnecessary and a waste of time.
 
Z

Zanwolf

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 1, 2009
25
0
santaliqueur said:
If you'll be sharing files with any Windows users, you can scan for malware. If not, it's totally unnecessary and a waste of time.
Click to expand...

No, I've turned sharing off and my Windows files are separate from my Mac files.
Don't put the same things in either unless I'm copying files over, but I run weekly scans on my Windows side as I know Windows is stupidly prone to attacks etc.
 
M

Myraid

macrumors newbie
Nov 15, 2010
5
0
Zanwolf said:
/Users/RussellParker/Documents/Governement/2009-green-dam.zip » ZIP » exploit.dll - probably a variant of Win32/Agent.FDYLYLD trojan
et al
Click to expand...

Whilst we are on the topic, it might have had those threats due to your inability to spell the word 'government' :D
 
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