Best way to detect spyware and if anyone has planted anything?

[mrk123]

Mac 2012. Sonoma 14 dual with Sierra.

Is it possible to see if there is any spyware on your mac? Like bad programs running in the background disguised as good programs?
I have clean my mac and it seems to have done a good job but I know it will be limited.
Is it possible someone could have planted a program on my mac which is a portal to my drives any time they want?
I used Anydesk a few weeks ago and had serious issues with some major platforms, lots of password resets, some attempted resets, and some major resets. Still trying to get keys to my domain hosting website and some other serious sites.
I don't want to hard reset at this stage, is there a program other than clean my mac that I can run to make sure there are no spying programs or portals???

 

[Fishrrman]

MalwareBytes for Mac.

BE AWARE:
The download is free.
The app runs "for free" the first few weeks, then it will ask if you wish to pay to continue it.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO PAY.
Just decline, and it will "convert itself" into the "free version", and you can keep using it.

The difference (between "paid" and free versions):
The pay-for version scans live, full-time "in the background".
The free version will only do a scan when you manually "run it".

The free version works well enough for me...

 

[mrk123]

MalwareBytes for Mac.

BE AWARE:
The download is free.
The app runs "for free" the first few weeks, then it will ask if you wish to pay to continue it.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO PAY.
Just decline, and it will "convert itself" into the "free version", and you can keep using it.

The difference (between "paid" and free versions):
The pay-for version scans live, full-time "in the background".
The free version will only do a scan when you manually "run it".

The free version works well enough for me...

I have CLEAN MY MAC full version which makes you feel like it is doing something and have the free version of Malware, I did a scan with it and nothing come up, does that mean there is no spyware or is there a chance it could still be hidden, almost woken up out of hibernbation on command, which Malware would not detect? Or am I going to far??

 

[Fishrrman]

"I did a scan with it and nothing come up, does that mean there is no spyware or is there a chance it could still be hidden, almost woken up out of hibernbation on command, which Malware would not detect? Or am I going to far??"

There's only so much you can do.
If you're "that afraid", then wipe clean the Mac and start over.

Other than that, try not to over-worry about it.

 

[dinobear]

why do you suspect there is spyware?

If you only run malware bytes once in a while the damage from malware could come and go before you even run the next system scan. The malware might even clean itself up so its never detected, but your info is long gone.

If you are worried about it, I'd keep something running that has a background process to actively detect malware in action. that along with an app like Little Snitch and you can monitor any application that requests access to the internet.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

Who prompted you to use Anydesk? You mention having security problems after this.

 

[HDFan]

Is it possible someone could have planted a program on my mac which is a portal to my drives any time they want?

Why are you worried about it? Odds that you have spyware are extremely small. If you are indeed a target then dedicated bad actors can usually find a way around most protections.

 

[dmccloud]

With a Mac that old, I'd be more concerned with apps no longer running on it than I would potential spyware or malware. If anything, the culprit sounds like Anydesk rather than spyware based on what you described in your original post.

 

[AppaSquatic]

I don't know the particulars of you Mac, but maybe a program by security researcher Patrick Wardle might help? It's called Knock-Knock, and shows persistently installed programs that are re-executed / relaunched upon reboot:
Knock-Knock

And this gem from the same author stops persistent malware from loading in the first place without your knowledge:
Block-Block

Since they're not sandboxed, you can run them for a couple of days, then get rid of at least the first. But seriously, unless you have a verified boot process and a clean install, I don't know how you're going to ensure your machine is clean. Can you perform only low priority work on it, or is it your main Mac?

Anyhow, good hunting!

 

[Queen6]

Another for Knock-Knock & Block-Block. Bitdefender is free on the Apple Store as is Intego VirusBarrier Scanner. They are both on demand scanners, however the latter can be configured to auto scan every 24 hours and for me updates definitions a lot quicker.

Might be an idea to clear your browsers cache and check on what login apps it runs at stary up. For Malware to run it has to be persistent. OpenDNS can also help to filter out bogus webpages, is free and just a setting in Network settings and or router;

DNS Servers
208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220

Q-6