Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Security Concerns

T

tyler550

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 8, 2015
23
1
Hello

My internet speeds have plummeted,my ISP can't find any problems & I can't find any faults with my hardware.

If my Mac was infected with a Windows virus,Trojan,Spyware,etc,would it be possible for these things to slow down my internet connection despite not effecting my OS?

My activity monitor is not showing any large amounts of usage being downloading/uploaded,nothing unusual under process names but a virus/trojan is the last thing I have left to rule out before I go completely insane looking for a solution.

If I was to download & use something like ClamX anti virus scan for a single scan then uninstall it,will it leave behind remnants like Norton does on PC's or will it COMPLETELY uninstalled from my Mac ?

Thank you
Tyler
 
tyler550 said:
My internet speeds have plummeted,my ISP can't find any problems & I can't find any faults with my hardware.

If my Mac was infected with a Windows virus,Trojan,Spyware,etc,would it be possible for these things to slow down my internet connection despite not effecting my OS?

My activity monitor is not showing any large amounts of usage being downloading/uploaded,nothing unusual under process names but a virus/trojan is the last thing I have left to rule out before I go completely insane looking for a solution.
Click to expand...
Slow internet speed is not a symptom of any OS X malware in the wild. 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.

tyler550 said:
If I was to download & use something like ClamX anti virus scan for a single scan then uninstall it,will it leave behind remnants like Norton does on PC's or will it COMPLETELY uninstalled from my Mac ?
Click to expand...
The most effective method for complete app removal is manual deletion:
 
tyler550 said:
Hello

My internet speeds have plummeted,my ISP can't find any problems & I can't find any faults with my hardware.

If my Mac was infected with a Windows virus,Trojan,Spyware,etc,would it be possible for these things to slow down my internet connection despite not effecting my OS?

My activity monitor is not showing any large amounts of usage being downloading/uploaded,nothing unusual under process names but a virus/trojan is the last thing I have left to rule out before I go completely insane looking for a solution.

If I was to download & use something like ClamX anti virus scan for a single scan then uninstall it,will it leave behind remnants like Norton does on PC's or will it COMPLETELY uninstalled from my Mac ?

Thank you
Tyler
Click to expand...

Hello Tyler,

It may be caused by a number of things.
You don't have to be concerned as there are no viruses on Mac.
Nevertheless, you can try to install AdwareMedic and ClamXav. The latter can be fully uninstalled, no leftovers like with Norton.
 
Thank you for the prompt & thorough responses.
Excellent support!
 
Hi everyone.

As I've mentioned above my ISP & I have ruled out everything but my iMac in trying to find a reason why my download speeds have plummeted.
The easiest way to solve this would be to test another computer on my adsl2 line but unfortunately I don't have access to another one.

I've done some further research on line & found that a few mac users have experienced a similar problem as I.Following their experiences I've deleted Networkinterface.plist from System configuration,restarted, but haven't had an improvement in speed.

Is there anything else I can try? I'm really desperate for a solution & open to ANY feedback.
I should add that I am not using Wireless connection,it is switched off.I'm only using Ethernet connection.


Thank you.
 
Ulenspiegel said:
Hello Tyler,

Sorry to hear that the problem still persists.
I guess your and your ISP went through the classical process already (i.e. checking all the settings, restarting the modem etc.)?
Click to expand...

Yes,EVERYTHING has been tested & eliminated as a possible cause.My iMac is all that's left & I know that it's not my iMac but I'm desperately searching for a solution.I suspect congestion is the real problem but my ISP denies this.

dyt1983 said:
You can simulate another computer's software by booting an operating system on USB flash drive... I don't know which hardware you have but it might be not so easy to create a bootable USB flash drive with what you have. In that case, you could download Ubuntu, on the web site are fairly simple instructions for burning the Ubuntu image to a USB flash drive using a Mac. Then you can use one of the HTML5 speed test applications under Ubuntu to narrow down your OS installation or possibly your hardware. If it's still slow, you will probably still need to try another computer to be sure.

p.s. with such complaints my ISP will bring out a laptop to do testing on-site, this is usually good enough to satisfy "another computer" tests... did you get this?
Click to expand...

Thank you but this USB flash drive test is really over my head & at the end of the day I may still have to try another computer.

Your are very fortunate to have an isp that offers you such a professional service as I can't even get my isp to return my calls.

Thank you both for your time & generosity.
 
Last edited:
keremtezcan said:
Use a hard drive cleaning app to remove any unnecessary items
Click to expand...
That won't help internet speeds at all. You don't need "cleaner" or "maintenance" apps to keep your Mac running well, and some of these apps can do more harm than good. Most only remove files/folders or unused languages or architectures, which does nothing more than free up some drive space, with the risk of deleting something important in the process.
​
These apps will not make your Mac run faster or more efficiently, since having stuff stored on a drive does not impact performance, unless you're running out of drive space. In fact, deleting some caches can hurt performance, rather than help it, since more system resources are used and performance suffers while each cache is being rebuilt.
​
Many of these tasks should only be done selectively to troubleshoot specific problems, not en masse as routine maintenance. OS X does a good job of taking care of itself, without the need for 3rd party software. Among other things, it has its own maintenance scripts that run silently in the background on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, without user intervention.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back