Reputable app to scan and remove malware, extensions, etc.

[GhostMac24]

Looks like my searches come up with Malwarebytes quite often here on the forum. Still at the top of most lists or are there others I need to look into? I am perfectly fine with a fee to purchase or a subscription model. Just need to make sure I am protected as well as fix some lear issues that have come up on my wife's laptop (browser redirects, etc). TIA!

 

[russell_314]

I haven’t heard anything bad about Malwarebytes but if you think the system has malware I wouldn’t try to scan and remove it. At that point regardless if it’s a Mac or Windows PC it’s time for a clean install of the OS. I’ll probably get some people disagreeing with this but for what I use my computer for, things like logging into financial sites, paying bills online, doing stuff for work, etc I’m not taking a chance that something could be there undetected collecting and sending information out. Perhaps if it’s just for watching YouTube videos or something generic like that it may not be necessary.

 

[GhostMac24]

I haven’t heard anything bad about Malwarebytes but if you think the system has malware I wouldn’t try to scan and remove it. At that point regardless if it’s a Mac or Windows PC it’s time for a clean install of the OS. I’ll probably get some people disagreeing with this but for what I use my computer for, things like logging into financial sites, paying bills online, doing stuff for work, etc I’m not taking a chance that something could be there undetected collecting and sending information out. Perhaps if it’s just for watching YouTube videos or something generic like that it may not be necessary.

Appreciate the reply. I told my wife that honestly, the best would be a clean OS install. Save all her files on the external drive and then reinstall the OS. She didn't like that idea ??‍♂️

 

[russell_314]

Appreciate the reply. I told my wife that honestly, the best would be a clean OS install. Save all her files on the external drive and then reinstall the OS. She didn't like that idea ??‍♂️

What I do is keep all of my documents on iCloud. I like this because if my computer decides to die then my data is still there. I think most things are synced to the cloud by default. Photos should be saved. I believe Safari bookmarks and some preferences. If you’re using Firefox or Chrome those bookmarks would be synced to your Firefox or Google account. Of course before doing any kind of restore verify everything you want is saved somewhere. It’s bad enough if it’s your own computer but if it’s your wife’s she won’t be happy with you if you delete something lol

I believe the free Malwarebytes will do the same scan as the paid version so try that. You kind of have to go out of your way to get malware on a Mac so you’re probably fine. Usually it’s from downloading software from some sketchy source or you’re important enough to be a target

 

[GhostMac24]

What I do is keep all of my documents on iCloud. I like this because if my computer decides to die then my data is still there. I think most things are synced to the cloud by default. Photos should be saved. I believe Safari bookmarks and some preferences. If you’re using Firefox or Chrome those bookmarks would be synced to your Firefox or Google account. Of course before doing any kind of restore verify everything you want is saved somewhere. It’s bad enough if it’s your own computer but if it’s your wife’s she won’t be happy with you if you delete something lol

I believe the free Malwarebytes will do the same scan as the paid version so try that. You kind of have to go out of your way to get malware on a Mac so you’re probably fine. Usually it’s from downloading software from some sketchy source or you’re important enough to be a target

haha, not important enough to target unless we have some sophisticated patients that are trying to install browser redirects. It appears that it's really just browser redirects and changes the "default" browser address and then locked so it's not changeable. For example, the "google" browser address (in both safari and chrome) is actually some odd search browsers called search baron and search marquis. In addition, the chrome browser is now stating "managed by your organization" so we cannot change anything.

 

[russell_314]

haha, not important enough to target unless we have some sophisticated patients that are trying to install browser redirects. It appears that it's really just browser redirects and changes the "default" browser address and then locked so it's not changeable. For example, the "google" browser address (in both safari and chrome) is actually some odd search browsers called search baron and search marquis. In addition, the chrome browser is now stating "managed by your organization" so we cannot change anything.

I’m sure there are people on here that would know how to fix this specifically. I’ve had friends that this happened with their Windows PC. I remember at the time I was able to track down and remove most of it but I’m not sure how to do this on a Mac. I think my Mac makes me lazy because it usually doesn’t have any problems so I don’t learn things on how to fix problems. I felt like when I use the PC more often I was learning more stuff ?

I would try Malwarebytes and maybe it will remove it. I don’t think it would make it any worse.

 

[Reggaenald]

If I might add something to the suggestion of reinstalling macOS and porting your files back:
When you first set up the Mac without your files, go through all settings and everything you want set/customised the way it was before, create a Time Machine backup so if this happens again you can start fresh with an already set up Mac, just with no external files.
I recommend using Time Machine anyway for situations like this.

 

[GhostMac24]

If I might add something to the suggestion of reinstalling macOS and porting your files back:
When you first set up the Mac without your files, go through all settings and everything you want set/customised the way it was before, create a Time Machine backup so if this happens again you can start fresh with an already set up Mac, just with no external files.
I recommend using Time Machine anyway for situations like this.

excellent point. we always use TM

 

[KaliYoni]

Here are some suggestions for managing privacy and security on your computer:

Level 1 (foundation)

• Anti-virus (I use Sophos)
• Anti-malware (I use Malwarebytes)
• Firefox browser with ad blocking and Javascript blocking add-ons (I use AdBlock Plus and NoScript) for general web browsing. I keep Safari relatively stock and only use it with a very small number of trusted websites.

Level 2 (good to have if you don't mind the convenience vs. security tradeoffs)

• Little Snitch (monitor outgoing Internet connections, essentially a reverse firewall)
• RansomWhere (anti-ransomware monitor)
• SilentKnight (utility for easily checking Apple's own security measures in macOS for updates)

Another action you can take is to set up a non-Admin user account for daily use. Then you only need to log-in as an Administrator when you are actively doing troubleshooting, installations, or maintenance tasks (see: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...n-administrator-account.2327558/post-30700893).

 

[kevcube]

Looks like my searches come up with Malwarebytes quite often here on the forum. Still at the top of most lists or are there others I need to look into? I am perfectly fine with a fee to purchase or a subscription model. Just need to make sure I am protected as well as fix some lear issues that have come up on my wife's laptop (browser redirects, etc). TIA!

It's likely not true malware but just adware, you can go through browser extensions, search engine settings, new tab default homepage settings etc and return all that to default and likely resolve it.

If you restore from Time Machine you'll get all those settings back too.

 

[Fishrrman]

The answer is "MalwareBytes".

 

[Ruggy]

Nothing wrong with Malwarebytes but if you want to try something else: Avast for mac free version

 

[bogdanw]

Known macOS malware from 2020, as seen by security products https://www.virustotal.com/gui/file...540e13ce40b88adc096c8f1b3311187e6fa/detection
At the time of writing: Malwarebytes – Undetected


Free Mac Security Tools https://objective-see.com/products.html