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Reinstalling Everything to stop spyware

K

kdone

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 10, 2009
10
0
Guys

I keep getting problems with passwords and I can only presume I have spyware issues on my mac book pro.

I want to completely start again but there are 3 issues:

1. I don't have my MS Office for Mac original disc although I do have the product ID number and I do have my original OS X install discs and Iwork 08 disc.

2. How do I backup absolutely everything so that as soon as I reinstall I can start where I began?

3. I am not very technical and don't have a clue how to uninstall everything and then reinstall. How do I do this so that any possible threats are totally gone?

Thanks

Kdone
 
What do you mean you have problems with your passwords?

Where you on any site, that seemed dubious and you had to install something to view it?

Answers:

1. I don't know about that, but see point two for MS Office.

2. Use CarbonCopyCloner and an external hard disk drive to clone your internal hdd's content to, or just what you want.
With that you can also copy everything MS Office needs, application and application support files.

3. Insert the Install Disk nr. 1 and restart your Mac, press and hold C right after the startup sound chimes, and you'll boot from the DVD.
With that you have three options to install Mac OS X again.

A. Erase and Install erases your hdd's content and puts a fresh system on it.

B. Upgrade isn't worth much, as you might have a newer system on the Mac as is in the DVD.

C. Archive and Install doesn't delete your user data, applications and its support files and also system files and put them in a folder called Previous System. The OS will then be installed from scratch, and after install you can access the Previous System folder.

See her for more details: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1545
 
spinnerlys said:
What do you mean you have problems with your passwords?

Where you on any site, that seemed dubious and you had to install something to view it?

Answers:

1. I don't know about that, but see point two for MS Office.

2. Use CarbonCopyCloner and an external hard disk drive to clone your internal hdd's content to, or just what you want.
With that you can also copy everything MS Office needs, application and application support files.

3. Insert the Install Disk nr. 1 and restart your Mac, press and hold C right after the startup sound chimes, and you'll boot from the DVD.
With that you have three options to install Mac OS X again.

A. Erase and Install erases your hdd's content and puts a fresh system on it.

B. Upgrade isn't worth much, as you might have a newer system on the Mac as is in the DVD.

C. Archive and Install doesn't delete your user data, applications and its support files and also system files and put them in a folder called Previous System. The OS will then be installed from scratch, and after install you can access the Previous System folder.

See her for more details: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1545
Click to expand...

The dubious problem is an ex colleague who had access to my Mac

Thanks for that - re: point C - If there is any dubious spyware would that be copied and thus carry on working for the spy?
 
Repeat after me: There is no spyware for the Mac. There is no spyware for the Mac.

The only way he could have done anything is to install a keylogger, which isn't exactly spyware (usually used for legitimate purposes), but that should be easy enough to find and delete.

BTW, you still didn't say what kinds of problems you were having with passwords. There are a number of other possibilities here.

jW
 
Mal said:
Repeat after me: There is no spyware for the Mac. There is no spyware for the Mac.

The only way he could have done anything is to install a keylogger, which isn't exactly spyware (usually used for legitimate purposes), but that should be easy enough to find and delete.

BTW, you still didn't say what kinds of problems you were having with passwords. There are a number of other possibilities here.

jW
Click to expand...

There seem to be lots of mac spyware for sale on the net (http://www.spectorsoft.com/products/Spector_Macintosh/entry.asp?UK=true&refer=12952 etc.)

I have checked and the only possible way that he could have accessed my password is either via my email which is a problem for me right now because I cannot seem to change my password.
My .mac email account has been changed to a .me account yet my .mac account is still in use on both my mac (via entourage) and my iphone. When I go to change my password at .mac it has no affect on my iphone or mac (i.e. I would have expected an update password request when I went to use email but didn't)
The other way is by the said spyware
 
My .mac email account has been changed to a .me account yet my .mac account is still in use on both my mac (via entourage) and my iphone. When I go to change my password at .mac it has no affect on my iphone or mac (i.e. I would have expected an update password request when I went to use email but didn't)
The other way is by the said spyware
Click to expand...

:) :rolleyes:
http://www.apple.com/mobileme/
 
Mal said:
Repeat after me: There is no spyware for the Mac. There is no spyware for the Mac.

jW
Click to expand...

Just keep telling yourself that.

I'm not saying the OP did it, but talk to folks who downloaded iWork from the Swedish torrent server. They sure ended up with bad stuff on their systems.

That guy who walked away with a new Macbook pro for 2 years running by using a Safari exploit at Pwn2own. He just pointed Safari to a carefully crafted website, and BANG, owned the computer.

These 2 are examples of the typical PC ownership vectors. The mac is not immune from this and there are at least 2 examples of such code.

Mac users should not open attachments willy-nilly, just like PC users. Going to bad sites has the potential for getting your computer owned, just like PCs, and to make matters worse, the head-in-the-sand attitude makes it more likely.

The sooner we mac users get used to the idea that we have to be careful, the better.

Sorry about the rant, but "we" can't be as smug as we were a few years ago.
 
bericd said:
I'm not saying the OP did it, but talk to folks who downloaded iWork from the Swedish torrent server. They sure ended up with bad stuff on their systems.
Click to expand...

A Trojan horse deliberately downloaded and installed with pirated software. The point is this person's problem is not spyware, because this issue does not exist for the Mac presently and should not be used as a rationale for reinstalling OSX. That's not smugness, it's realism.
 
bericd said:
Just keep telling yourself that.

I'm not saying the OP did it, but talk to folks who downloaded iWork from the Swedish torrent server. They sure ended up with bad stuff on their systems.

That guy who walked away with a new Macbook pro for 2 years running by using a Safari exploit at Pwn2own. He just pointed Safari to a carefully crafted website, and BANG, owned the computer.

These 2 are examples of the typical PC ownership vectors. The mac is not immune from this and there are at least 2 examples of such code.

Mac users should not open attachments willy-nilly, just like PC users. Going to bad sites has the potential for getting your computer owned, just like PCs, and to make matters worse, the head-in-the-sand attitude makes it more likely.

The sooner we mac users get used to the idea that we have to be careful, the better.

Sorry about the rant, but "we" can't be as smug as we were a few years ago.
Click to expand...

Yes we can. Seriously, I doubt the OP downloaded the Trojan infested torrent that you speak of (not to mention it isn't even on bittorrent anymore!)

THERE ARE NO VIRUSES, AND NO SPYWARE FOR Mac!!!
The main point is that the OP is going to waste a lot of time and really mess up his computer if he attempts to rid his computer of "Spyware" which I am 99.999% sure is not there.
 
GimmeSlack12 said:
The main point is that the OP is going to waste a lot of time and really mess up his computer if he attempts to rid his computer of "Spyware" which I am 99.999% sure is not there.
Click to expand...

So you're saying that there's a 0.001% chance that it will help? Sounds totally worth it to me. ;)
 
I guess several points

1. mac users head in sand attitude towards security threat are dangerous. Especially mac lacks a clear procedures under security threat except waiting for the slow response from apple.

2. OP should post more details about the problem he is having, and see if there are other way out, because I do agree, no matter what, re-installing OS should be the last resort, not the first one.

3. do not panic, stop typing any passwords for now until you figure out what the problem is.
 
IJ Reilly said:
So you're saying that there's a 0.001% chance that it will help? Sounds totally worth it to me. ;)
Click to expand...

Stop twisting my statistics! I've spent many of moments calculating this total guess!

clevin said:
1. mac users head in sand attitude towards security threat are dangerous. Especially mac lacks a clear procedures under security threat except waiting for the slow response from apple.
Click to expand...

I know you hate this approach, you always have and fair enough. But I honestly believe that when the first true dangerous Virus hits OS X that it'll be semi-front page news. We'll be alerted if such an issue arrives, and I have backups.
 
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