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System is "infected"-iMac OSx

S

ssforcey

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 2, 2011
1
0
Yesterday my iMac started popping up with some fabulous family "unfriendly" material. I've downloaded a couple free anti-viruses from download.com; nothing is showing up. Although the MacDefender thing that keeps popping up says there are plenty of things showing up...viruses, "dialers" and spy stuff. I really am not able to pay the $40+ to take care of the problem. Any tips?

Thanks :D
 
Go to Utilities > Activity Monitor, find MacDefender, and Force Quit. I'm not sure how to actually remove it properly, but that will at least unload it (until reboot?)

Someone else should be able to give advice on how to remove it.
 
MacDefender itself is the infection.

Read that link above and follow the directions to remove MacDefender.

The full release from the real security firm that discovered it first is here. There are many more screenshots of the phony program at that link.

Also, and this is a good idea for every Mac user, go into the preferences for Safari, under General, and uncheck "Open Safe Files After Download". That will prevent this infection from automatically downloading and launching if you are on an infected website.

The Intego website says, "If a browser asks you if you want to run an installer when you did not expect to download an installer, always click the No or Cancel button."
 
Last edited:
Nameci said:
Be wary of what you are downloading from the internet. Usually I don't randomly download stuff from the internet.
Click to expand...

MacDefender is a "hit and run" infection, if you happen to surf to a website that is infected, MacDefender will automatically exploit your browser and try to download itself. Once downloaded you get pop up messages saying you are infected, and then a MacDefender box pops up claiming your anti-virus protection has expired and to enter your credit card info to renew it for 1 year, 2 years, or lifetime subscription.

But a user doesn't even have to initiate the download, it starts all by itself.

I'd recommend everyone read that link I posted above, see pics and know what this looks like, and follow the suggestions to at least make Safari safer against this particular threat by unchecking the "Open Safe Files After Download" box.
 
just do not download it , ok it does not cause any harm as long as you dont put in your credit card details , but apart from that this thing is really harmless
 
This thread is proof that an uninformed and not very tech savvy person is easily their own worst enemy. Far more of a danger to themselves than any type of malware or "virus".

For many of these people their computer is actually better off to be a zombie system for someone else.

Download.com is the worst place on the net to find free apps for Mac that are worthy of hard drive space. Use macupdate.com and read user reviews of apps before using them.

There is a whole internet full of information out there. Go learn..
 
Last edited by a moderator:
adcx64 said:
Crazy, I just hear of mac defender this afternoon here on MR and already it's infecting people!
Click to expand...
It's not infecting people. And it can't "infect" a Mac, unless the user is foolish enough to actively install it.
goMac said:
MacDefender is the virus. You've been conned.
Click to expand...
It's not a virus. It's not even malware, despite what an antivirus firm calls it, who simply wants to trick people into buying their useless software. It's simply an app installer that automatically launches. The user has complete control over whether it gets installed or not.

There has never been a virus in the wild that affects Mac OS X since it was released 10 years ago. The handful of trojans that exist can be easily avoided with some education and common sense and care in what software you install:
 
GGJstudios said:
It's not a virus. It's not even malware, despite what an antivirus firm calls it, who simply wants to trick people into buying their useless software. It's simply an app installer that automatically launches. The user has complete control over whether it gets installed or not.

There has never been a virus in the wild that affects Mac OS X since it was released 10 years ago. The handful of trojans that exist can be easily avoided with some education and common sense and care in what software you install:
Click to expand...

You always beat me to it. I knew an "Infected" thread would call this a "virus".

I have to say, through this thread, even though I'm always extremely cautious in downloading things, I didn't know about that Safari option. Glad (GLaD? :p) I learned that today.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
GGJstudios said:
It's not infecting people. And it can't "infect" a Mac, unless the user is foolish enough to actively install it.

It's not a virus. It's not even malware, despite what an antivirus firm calls it, who simply wants to trick people into buying their useless software. It's simply an app installer that automatically launches. The user has complete control over whether it gets installed or not.

There has never been a virus in the wild that affects Mac OS X since it was released 10 years ago. The handful of trojans that exist can be easily avoided with some education and common sense and care in what software you install:
Click to expand...

Exactly. It's just a trojan that tricked the user into installing it.
 
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