Good, free anti-virus software?

[mac12345678910]

A friend of mine apparently got his macbook infected. I have not taken a look at it as of this writing, but he says he gets pop ups on his web browser (he uses safari). I've been out of the loop with this sort of thing and was hoping you guys can help me find a free anti-virus software to get rid of it or if there is another solution. Thanks

 

[Taz Mangus]

A friend of mine apparently got his macbook infected. I have not taken a look at it as of this writing, but he says he gets pop ups on his web browser (he uses safari). I've been out of the loop with this sort of thing and was hoping you guys can help me find a free anti-virus software to get rid of it or if there is another solution. Thanks

There are no viruses for OS X. There are trojans which are different. There is no need to install anti-virus software on OS X. This can happen if download and install software from a untrusted source.

What type of popups is your friend getting? A screen shot would help.

 

[Weaselboy]

A friend of mine apparently got his macbook infected. I have not taken a look at it as of this writing, but he says he gets pop ups on his web browser (he uses safari). I've been out of the loop with this sort of thing and was hoping you guys can help me find a free anti-virus software to get rid of it or if there is another solution. Thanks

What is more likely is he inadvertently installed some adware on there.

Have your friend do a boot to safe mode by holding the shift key at startup. That will prevent any login or startup items (like adware) from running. Then download and run the app AdwareMedic to find and remove the adware. Restart afterwards.

 

[GGJstudios]

A friend of mine apparently got his macbook infected. I have not taken a look at it as of this writing, but he says he gets pop ups on his web browser (he uses safari). I've been out of the loop with this sort of thing and was hoping you guys can help me find a free anti-virus software to get rid of it or if there is another solution. Thanks

As Weaselboy suggested, your friend has adware, which can be easily removed via AdwareMedic.

Macs are not immune to malware, but no true viruses exist in the wild that can run on Mac OS X, and there never have been any since it was released over 12 years ago. The only malware in the wild that can affect Mac OS X is a handful of trojans, which can be easily avoided by practicing safe computing (see below). 3rd party antivirus apps are not necessary to keep a Mac malware-free, as long as a user practices safe computing, as described in the following link.

​

Read the What security steps should I take? section of the Mac Virus/Malware FAQ for tips on practicing safe computing.

 

[mac12345678910]

Thank you everyone. Adware medic worked got the job done. Really appreciate it guys. I read the guide as well and gave my friend useful tips to prevent this from happening. Also suggested using Chrome as I find it safer due to all the extensions out there.

Thanks again everyone.