Viruses on Mac: What to do if I have been infected by them

viruses on mac

Although macOS has earned a reputation for being more secure than other operating systems, such as Windows, the reality is that there is an increasing increase in virus incidents on Mac and we cannot ignore it.

In this article, we will explore the reality of viruses on Mac: how to detect, prevent and deal with them, in addition to recommending some antivirus so that you have them “just in case.”

How do I know if I have a virus on my Mac?

How do I know if I have a virus on my Mac?

With the time I have been using the platform, from my experience detecting if a Mac has a virus can be a bit complicated, since viruses for macOS are less common compared to Windows, which is the majority operating system on the market.

But there are viruses for Mac, even though there are rumors that there are none, and we can find certain signs that could indicate the presence of malware on your computer:

Your Mac's performance has changed, already worse

If your Mac starts running slower than usual or if you notice unusual behavior, such as frequent pop-ups that are irrelevant, or files that become corrupted and cannot be opened, could be a sign of virus infection.

It is not that it is something universal that indicates that there is a virus, since we could find ourselves in the circumstance of having old hardware that has a bit of a hard time moving the latest versions of macOS, but even so, if overnight you start to have lower performance, you probably have a virus on your Mac.

Use Activity Monitor

You can open Activity Monitor from the Utilities folder inside the Applications folder, like this You will be able to examine the running processes and look for anything suspicious that you see that it consumes a lot of system resources.

Generally, viruses and malware in general tend to make intensive use of internal resources, so the monitor is a great ally for finding viruses on a Mac.

Check installed applications

Review the list of applications installed on your Mac and look for those that you don't remember installing or that seem suspicious, since the virus may be camouflaged with the name of an application that seems trustworthy.

To access the apps, you can see them in the Applications folder or through System preferences, in the options Security and Privacy > General and then clicking «Open anyway.

Run an antivirus

This advice is quite logical, really. If you suspect you have a virus, The same thing would be to pass some of the security tools available for macOS that can help you detect and remove malware by performing a system scan.

We'll give you free options later if you don't feel like spending money on antivirus software.

Keep your operating system and applications updated

This is more than a way of detection, it is one of the most useful prevention measures there is. Software updates often include security patches that can protect your Mac against new threats and therefore It is important that you always have the latest versions available.

Activate Gatekeeper: your ally against viruses on Mac

Gatekeeper is a security feature built into macOS that helps prevent the installation of malicious software and that is part of the system.

If you don't have it active, you can configure it by going to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General and selecting the "Mac App Store and identified developers" option.

What to do if I suspect my Mac has a virus?

What are the best antivirus for Mac 1

In this scenario we are already sold: we believe almost 100% that we are infected by a virus and our information and the integrity of our team is in danger. In these cases, in our opinion the steps you should follow are the following:

Disconnect your Mac from the Internet

If you suspect your Mac is infected, Disconnecting it from the Internet can help prevent malware from communicating with your command and control server or download more malware, or the hacker can access your information if you are infected by a Trojan.

Back up your important files

Before taking any action to remove the virus, It is important to back up your important files in case something goes wrong during the malware removal process.

Of course, remember that it is advisable to analyze that copy with an antivirus since there is no point in eliminating a virus if you are going to reinstall it again through the copy.

If you are an “advanced” computer user, making the copy through another operating system such as a Linux LiveCD could be a fairly safe way to do it without compromising the data you have.

Consider restarting in Safe Mode

Restarting your Mac in Safe Mode can help prevent malware from running during system startup, since only the “bare” system will be loaded in this type of secure boot.

To boot into Safe Mode, hold down the Shift key while you turn on or restart your Mac and hold down until you see the Apple logo. Once you are inside the system in Safe Mode, you can perform an antivirus scan or try to manually remove the malware.

Run a scan with a reliable and up-to-date antivirus tool

For this you will need reliable antivirus or antimalware software to perform a full scan of your system for threats, make sure it is from a reputable manufacturer and that you know it has the latest updates installed.

The copy of that Norton 2002 that you keep on a CD in the drawer just in case, to make us understand better, is of no use.

If you don't understand any of this, seek professional help.

If you are not sure how to proceed or if the problem persists, consider hiring an IT professional or help desk specialized in computer security.

In almost every neighborhood there is a computer store where an expert can advise you on the best way you can to fix the problem you are experiencing with that virus.

Are there free antiviruses for Mac?

free antivirus for mac

Fortunately, you don't have to spend the money to have a basic security layer in macOS. And although we have talked about paid antivirus in the past, we will now emphasize the free options.

And I want to qualify my words: basic security. That is, eliminate known viruses and malware through antivirus definitions and little else, since for the most advanced security options you will have to resort to paid options.

Even so, we recommend these free and reliable programs to eliminate viruses on Mac:

Malwarebytes for Mac

Malwarebytes

Malwarebytes is a popular option that offers a free version for macOS in addition to its paid version, which will allow us perform fast and complete scans for malware in its free version, but you won't have any of the real-time protection options that prevent viruses from entering.

Avast Security for Mac

avast

Avast is a very famous free antivirus software for Windows on the Internet, which also offers a free version of its security software for Mac.

This antivirus does include real-time protection against malware and other threats, as well as scheduled and on-demand scans, but you lose the card purchase protection and anti-ransomware software that the Pro version does have.

But still, because it is a very complete program to eliminate viruses on Mac in its free version, it is totally advisable.

ClamAV

clamxav

ClamAV is a free and open source antivirus software for Mac, which is mostly known as

Although it does not offer real-time protection, you can use ClamAV to perform on-demand scans for malware and other threats since its database is updated thanks to the contributions of experts and cybersecurity lovers, with a community of thousands of users making reports so that this app works very well.

Conclusions: although macOs is very good, it doesn't hurt to be protected

protect yourself on macOS

It has always been said that Macs were safer than PCs because they had less exposure to viruses, and this is true... although it is not all thanks to the robustness of the system.

The choice of one system or another to attack depends on the number of its users, and macOS has been increasing its popularity and market share. Which is great because that attracts the interest of application developers… but also cybercriminals.

Having an antivirus on your Mac can provide an extra layer of protection against online threats and is more than valuable, but don't forget that It is also important to adopt other security measures, such as keeping the operating system and applications up-to-date, being cautious when downloading software from untrustworthy sources, and practicing good online browsing habits.

My best advice is to follow the phrase that a co-worker said, which perfectly illustrates the message we want to give: "the best antivirus is common sense." 


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