How To Run A Virus Scan On Macbook Pro

You may have heard it's said that Macs don't get viruses. That there's no Apple virus. You may even have said it yourself. Sadly, it's not true. The latest State of Malware Report by Malwarebytes describes a significant rise of Mac threats of over 400% in 2019. The report claims that cybercriminals now target Macs severely, due to increasing market share. So, do you still believe that Macs don't get viruses? Continue reading to discover how to remove a virus from your Mac and protect your files from getting infected.

• How To Run A Virus Scan On Macbook Pro Max
• How To Run A Virus Scan On Macbook Pro Max

Can Macs get viruses?

Lots of malware tries to bog down your browser, but Google Chrome isn't defenseless—on Windows there's a built-in scanner called Cleanup. This software runs in the background periodically, but you can manually run a scan right now by heading to the URL chrome://settings/cleanup in your browser, or by going to Settings Reset and clean up. Select the type of scan you want to run. The scan options are: Full - Scans your entire computer for known threats. Quick - Scans only the most susceptible parts of your computer for known threats. After the scan completes, check the message for the details of the scan. NOTE: To see the results for any suspicious files, click View. Although there is Mac malware, there's none that you are likely to be infected with at the moment. See my Mac Malware Guide. Most likely that answer was simply a catch-all answer from someone used to dealing with Windows machines. However, if you really want to run a scan, use ClamXav. If it finds any malware, post the details here before.

Macs have been considered safer than Windows PC for a long time. Macs are indeed secure, thanks to various built-in features, such as GateKeeper, that doesn't allow installing anything not approved by Apple. But, as the Apple security features have improved, so is malware. According to the State of Malware report mentioned before, Macs are mostly attacked by adware and potentially unwanted programs (PUP), which macOS has no counteraction against. So, answering the question, yes, Macs do get viruses, and they may impact your sensitive file and data seriously.

How do I know if my Mac has a virus?

Before you remove a virus from a Mac, you need to be sure it actually has one. We've covered that in more detail in this article but here are a few pointers.

• Your Mac starts behaving erratically and doing things you don't expect;
• Your Mac starts running very slowly as if something is hogging the processor;
• You start seeing adverts on your desktop;
• You find software or applications you didn't install.
• An app asks for your administrator password

These symptoms may mean your Mac has a virus, although there could be other explanations.

How to remove a virus from a Mac manually

Thankfully, there are lots of ways to do it. And Mac virus removal doesn't have to cost money.

1. Delete browser extensions

One of the most common types of malware comes in the form of browser extensions. Even extensions that aren't particularly malicious can be annoying, and if you didn't deliberately install them, they're malware. Here's how to get rid of unwanted browser extensions.

Safari

1. Launch Safari.
2. Click Safari in the top menu, then choose Safari Extensions.
3. Look down the list and click on any extensions that look suspicious. Read the description of the extension. If you don't remember installing it, click Uninstall.
4. Repeat until you've removed all the extensions you don't want.

Chrome

1. Launch Chrome.
2. Click on the 3-dot icon in the upper right corner.
3. Select More Tools and choose Extensions from the menu that appears.
4. Look over the extensions in the browser window and click Remove on any that you don't recognize.

Firefox

1. Launch Firefox.
2. Click the 3-line (hamburger) icon at the top right corner.
3. Choose Add-ons.
4. Click the Extensions tab and remove any you don't recognize.

2. Uninstall apps

How To Run A Virus Scan On Macbook Pro Max

Malware comes in lots of different forms. And it even comes disguised as security software to help you get rid of viruses! Devious, huh?

If you've inadvertently downloaded an app that turns out to be a virus, you need to uninstall it immediately. There are a couple of ways to do this. Here's the hard way.

1. Go to your Applications folder and drag the app to the Trash.
2. Go to ~/Library folder and look in the Application Support folder for any files related to the app and drag those to the Trash.
3. Look in the other folders in ~/Library, especially Launch Agents and Launch Daemons and remove any files related to the app from there. But be careful, if you remove files used by legitimate apps you could cause lots of problems.
4. Repeat Step 3 for your Mac's main Library folder.

The easy way: Uninstall apps in a few clicks

1. Download and launch CleanMyMac X.
2. Click Uninstaller.
3. Check the box next to the application name.
4. Click Uninstall.

If you don't know the name of the application, it's more difficult. But if you use CleanMyMac X, all you have to do is scroll through the list of applications and look for any you don't recognize or don't need and remove them. CleanMyMac X removes every trace of an app, including files that you may overlook when you remove applications manually. This is particularly important for viruses, so it's much better to use CleanMyMac X.
What makes this method even better, is that CleanMyMac X also shows you app leftovers that remained after the main app is gone.

3. Escape the virus: Create a new user profile

Usually, viruses are attached to a particular user profile on your computer. In this way, they are able to seize control of your admin profile. But you can start if from scratch and create a new user on your Mac. Don't worry, you will be able to transfer all your important data from one user to another.

Go to Apple menu > System Preferences, click Users & Groups.

1. Click the lock icon , then type in your admin password.
2. Use the plus sign to add a new user profile.

To move your important information from one user to another, you will need to access the Shared folder.

1. Click on the Finder > Go to Folder.
2. Paste in this: /Users

Can you see the Shared folder? Here you can copy the needed files from your old user account. Hurray, you've started a clean, virus-free life!

Bonus tip: Clean up your login items

Login items are apps that launch automatically upon startup. Malware programs would often sneak into your login items without you knowing. How to prevent them from launching?

1. Go to Apple Menu > System Preferences.
2. Click Users & Groups.
3. Click on the Login Items tab
   

From here you can manage them using the [+] and [—] buttons.

How to remove a virus from Mac automatically

While the above steps work very well in lots of cases, sometimes the Mac virus removal means using a dedicated application to scan and remove malware from your Mac.

Scan your Mac for viruses

There are lots of these applications available, and many of them are either free or allow you to at the very least scan your Mac for free to find out whether you need to take action. Be careful, however. It's important to choose a tool from a reputable vendor. If you just google ‘Mac antivirus tool' some of the results may well be for tools that are themselves malicious and instead of removing viruses from your Mac will infect it. We recommend using CleanMyMac X.

It can identify thousands of malware threats, including adware, spyware, ransomware, worms, cryptocurrency miners. And if CleanMyMac finds something suspicious, it will offer immediate removal. Besides, it ensures real-time Mac virus protection, informing you when you're about to install something harmful. Here's how to perform a full system scan:

1. Download CleanMyMac X (free download) and launch the app.
2. Click on the Malware Removal tab.
3. Click Scan.
4. Click Remove.

Disable the invisible agents

Some small supporting applications never show up in the Login items. They are called the Launch agents and may as well be hacked by viruses. You can find them with the universal Mac cleaner, CleanMyMac. This app is notarized by Apple, so you are safe using it.

1. Launch the app and go to the Optimization tab.
2. Click Launch agents

How many apps do you see there? Remove any flash players, automatic updaters, or everything else that you find suspicious. Even if you deleted the main app itself, its launch agents may still occupy your drive. Here is what I have:

How to get rid of a virus on a MacBook Pro (or any other Mac) if all else fails

If you've run through all the steps above and are still having problems trying to remove a virus from a Mac, the next step is to restore from a Time Machine backup. The benefit of restoring from Time Machine is that you can do it quickly and easily by booting into the recovery partition and you can choose to backup to a state just before your Mac started behaving erratically.

The downside of this option is that any work you've done since the backup you restore from will be lost. You could manually copy files from your Mac to another drive or cloud storage service before you restore and then copy them back afterward. However, if one of those files is infected, you risk contaminating your Mac all over again. If there are documents you really need and that aren't backed up elsewhere, use one of the antivirus tools above to run a scan on them before you copy them to another disk. That way you'll know they're safe.

Here's how to restore from a Time Machine backup

How To Run A Virus Scan On Macbook Pro Max

1. Make sure you're connected to your Time Machine backup drive.
2. Restart your Mac, holding down the Command and R keys until you see the Apple logo. When the macOS Utilities screen appears, choose Restore from a Time Machine Backup. Click Continue.
3. Choose the last backup before your Mac started misbehaving or you suspect you were infected with a virus.

Your Mac will now return to the state it was in when you made that backup.

If you don't have a Time Machine backup to restore from, the last resort is to reinstall macOS. This is a ground-zero approach. You'll need to wipe your startup drive completely clean and start again. That means reinstalling all your applications and copying all your data back to your Mac afterward. If you have a recent backup of your data, from before your Mac became infected, you can use that to copy data from after you re-install. If not, you'll need to back up important files now — but scan them with an antivirus tool first to make sure they're not infected.

To perform a clean install of macOS, you'll need a bootable installer disk. Creating one is beyond the scope of this article, but there is a comprehensive guide here.

Once you've made your bootable installer, plug it into your Mac, go to System Preferences, choose Startup Disk and select the disk you just plugged in. Restart your Mac, holding down Command-R and do the following:

1. When the macOS Utilities screen appears, select Reinstall a new copy of macOS. Click Continue and then Continue again when the next window appears.
2. Agree to the terms and conditions and select your Mac's internal disk.
3. Click Install. Wait for your Mac to restart.
4. Your Mac will start up as if it's a new Mac and you'll need to go through the process of setting it up from scratch.
5. Once you've set it up, copy back the files you need from the backup and that you know aren't infected.

As you can see, there are many different ways to remove a virus from a Mac, depending on how badly infected it is and what kind of virus it is. The main thing to remember is if you suspect your Mac is infected, don't worry. It can be fixed! Move on to our little Q&A section to find answers to questions many users ask.

FAQ

Do you need an antivirus for Mac?

Most of the antiviruses protect your Mac in real-time, making it apparent for you when an intruder appears. So, with antivirus software, you can be sure no PUP or adware can infect your computer. Antivirus is not a must-have software, but it indeed adds up a layer of protection if you use it.

Can you get a virus from opening an email?

Email viruses do exist, but you can't catch one just by opening an email. What you need to be cautious with are email attachments. If you don't know who that email comes from, avoid opening the attachment. It can contain PUP and other things you don't need on your computer.

How to do a virus scan on Mac?

To do a quick virus scan, inspect your Mac for the software you didn't intentionally install. Some apps can come in bundles hiding malicious programs that end up appearing on your Mac. For a more thorough virus scan, get CleanMyMac X. All you need to do, is to install the app, go to Malware Removal, and hit the Scan button.

How to remove fake 'Update Adobe Flash Player' pop-ups on Mac?

Try to find and delete the last app you installed before you started seeing such fake alerts. Also, remove browser extensions from the web-browser where you see such pop-up ads. Some malicious extensions can be responsible for this. If nothing helps, scan your Mac for viruses using the antivirus of your choice.

These might also interest you:

How to remove 'Your MacOS 10.14 Mojave Is Infected With 3 Viruses!' from Mac?

What is 'Your MacOS 10.14 Mojave Is Infected With 3 Viruses!'?

'Your MacOS 10.14 Mojave Is Infected With 3 Viruses!' is a fake virus alert message that is displayed for MacOS users who visit untrustworthy and deceptive websites. In most cases, users do not visit these websites intentionally - potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) cause these redirects. PUAs are installed without direct permission, cause unwanted redirects, deliver intrusive ads, and record browsing-related and other data.

The message in the 'Your MacOS 10.14 Mojave Is Infected With 3 Viruses!' pop-up window states that the Mac operating system is infected with a trojan virus (e.tre456_worm_osx) and immediate action is required. According to the claims, the system is infected with three viruses: two malware and one spyware infection. It goes on to state that if no action is taken, data such as apps, photos, and other files might be in danger and could be lost. The scammers behind this fake virus alert use it to promote software that, according to the message, will remove the viruses that were detected. At time of research, scammers promoted the Mac Cleanup Pro software. This is typical behaviour of scammers who use various fake messages. Generally, they claim to be 'technicians' (in this case, representatives of Apple) and either offer purchase of a product that will fix the problem (in this case, the virus infection) or attempt to trick people into paying for technical guidance or other services. Note that Apple has nothing to do with the 'Your MacOS 10.14 Mojave Is Infected With 3 Viruses!' virus alert. Do not download the software offered, and certainly do not pay for it. Ignore these fake alerts. Simply close the deceptive website and avoid returning to it in future. If it cannot be closed normally, use Activity Monitor and 'force quit' the entire browser. Do not restore the previous session.

PUAs mentioned in our introduction also deliver coupons, banners, and other similar intrusive ads. These are usually displayed via tools that enable placement of third party graphical content on any site. When displayed, they conceal underlying content of visited websites. If clicked, they might redirect to untrustworthy websites or even execute scripts designed to download/install other unwanted apps. Another downside of PUAs is that they gather browsing-related and other data. Typically, these unwanted apps record IP addresses, keystrokes, search engines, URLs of visited websites and other similar data. They also collect personal or sensitive data that PUA developers share with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who misuse it to generate revenue. Thus, PUAs can cause various problems relating to browsing safety, privacy, or even identity theft.

There are many fake virus, error, and other similar alert messages online, including Your OS High Sierra Is Infected With (3) Viruses!, Your Computer Was Locked, Mac OS Support Alert, and so on. Generally, scammers use these alerts to trick people into paying for services or products that will supposedly solve the 'problem'. PUAs are promoted as 'useful tools', however, these are only attempts to trick people into downloading and installing rogue software. These apps provide none of the functionality promised and are designed only to generate revenue for their developers.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

Some potentially unwanted applications can be found on their official websites and downloaded from there, however, in most cases PUAs are installed through intrusive ads, third party software downloaders/installers, or when software developers use a deceptive marketing method called 'bundling'. Bundling is stealth installation of third party apps with regular (usually, free) software. Developers do not properly disclose information about the presence of bundled apps in installation set-ups - they hide them in 'Custom', 'Advanced' and other similar settings (options) of the download/installation processes. Developers are aware that many users skip installation steps without checking these settings, and they use this behaviour to their advantage.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Do not use software downloaders, torrents or untrustworthy websites to download software. Use official websites or other sources, and direct links only. When installing, check all available 'Advanced', 'Custom' and other sections. Deselect unwanted offers (such as potentially unwanted programs) and only then finish the installation process. Be cautious when browsing the web and avoid clicking on intrusive ads. Most malicious advertisements seem legitimate, since developers invest time and money into their design, however, if clicked, they often redirect to untrustworthy websites (gambling, pornography, adult dating, and other similar sites). If you encounter these ads, or redirects caused by them, check for unwanted extensions, plug-ins, and add-ons installed on your browser, or unwanted programs installed on your computer. Focus matrix 1 3 3 cylinder. Remove any unwanted entries immediately. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.

Appearance of 'Your MacOS 10.14 Mojave Is Infected With 3 Viruses!' scam (GIF):

Text presented in 'Your MacOS 10.14 Mojave Is Infected With 3 Viruses!' fake virus alert pop-up window:

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED

We have detected a trojan virus (e.tre456_worm_osx) on your Mac.

Press OK to begin the repair process.

Text presented in 'Your MacOS 10.14 Mojave Is Infected With 3 Viruses!' fake virus alert website:

Your MacOS 10.14 Mojave is infected with 3 viruses!
Monday November 12, 2018 12:49 PM

Your Mac is infected with 3 viruses. Our security check found traces of 2 malware and 1 phishing/spyware. System damage: 28.1% - Immediate removal required!

The immediate removal of the viruses is required to prevent further system damage, loss of Apps, Photos or other files. Traces of 1 phishing/spyware were found on your Mac with OSX.

To avoid more damage click on 'Scan Now' immediately. Our deep scan will provide help immediately!

4 minute and 30 seconds remaining before damage is permanent.

Screenshot of the 'Mac Cleanup Pro' app installer:

Screenshot of the 'Mac Cleanup Pro' app:

Instant automatic Mac malware removal:Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced computer skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of Mac malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner for MacBy downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited three days free trial available.

Quick menu:

• STEP 1. Remove PUA related files and folders from OSX.
• STEP 2. Remove rogue extensions from Safari.
• STEP 3. Remove rogue add-ons from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove potentially unwanted plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox.

Video showing how to remove potentially unwanted applications distributed using 'Your MacOS 10.14 Mojave Is Infected With 3 Viruses!' pop-up scam:

Potentially unwanted applications removal:

Remove potentially unwanted applications from your 'Applications' folder:

Click the Finder icon. In the Finder window, select 'Applications'. In the applications folder, look for 'MPlayerX', 'NicePlayer', or other suspicious applications and drag them to the Trash. After removing the potentially unwanted application(s) that cause online ads, scan your Mac for any remaining unwanted components.

Combo Cleaner checks if your computer is infected with malware. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited three days free trial available.

Remove 'your macos 10.14 mojave is infected with 3 viruses!' virus related files and folders:

Click the Finder icon, from the menu bar. Choose Go, and click Go to Folder.

Check for adware-generated files in the /Library/LaunchAgents folder:

In the Go to Folder. bar, type: /Library/LaunchAgents

In the 'LaunchAgents' folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - 'installmac.AppRemoval.plist', 'myppes.download.plist', 'mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist', 'kuklorest.update.plist', etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the same string.

Check for adware generated files in the /Library/Application Support folder:
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In the Go to Folder. bar, type: /Library/Application Support

In the 'Application Support' folder, look for any recently-added suspicious folders. For example, 'MplayerX' or 'NicePlayer', and move these folders to the Trash.

Check for adware-generated files in the ~/Library/LaunchAgents folder:

In the Go to Folder bar, type: ~/Library/LaunchAgents

In the 'LaunchAgents' folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - 'installmac.AppRemoval.plist', 'myppes.download.plist', 'mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist', 'kuklorest.update.plist', etc. How do i screen capture on my macbook pro. Adware commonly installs several files with the same string.

Check for adware-generated files in the /Library/LaunchDaemons folder:

In the Go to Folder. bar, type: /Library/LaunchDaemons

In the 'LaunchDaemons' folder, look for recently-added suspicious files. For example 'com.aoudad.net-preferences.plist', 'com.myppes.net-preferences.plist', 'com.kuklorest.net-preferences.plist', 'com.avickUpd.plist', etc., and move them to the Trash.

Scan your Mac with Combo Cleaner:

If you have followed all the steps in the correct order you Mac should be clean of infections. To be sure your system is not infected run a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus. Download it HERE. After downloading the file double click combocleaner.dmg installer, in the opened window drag and drop Combo Cleaner icon on top of the Applications icon. Now open your launchpad and click on the Combo Cleaner icon. Wait until Combo Cleaner updates it's virus definition database and click 'Start Combo Scan' button.

Combo Cleaner will scan your Mac for malware infections. If the antivirus scan displays 'no threats found' - this means that you can continue with the removal guide, otherwise it's recommended to remove any found infections before continuing.

After removing files and folders generated by the adware, continue to remove rogue extensions from your Internet browsers.

'Your MacOS 10.14 Mojave Is Infected With 3 Viruses!' virus removal from Internet browsers:

Remove malicious extensions from Safari:

Remove 'your macos 10.14 mojave is infected with 3 viruses!' virus related Safari extensions:

Open Safari browser, from the menu bar, select 'Safari' and click 'Preferences.'.

In the preferences window, select 'Extensions' and look for any recently-installed suspicious extensions. When located, click the 'Uninstall' button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Safari browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Safari.

Remove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:

Remove 'your macos 10.14 mojave is infected with 3 viruses!' virus related Mozilla Firefox add-ons:

Open your Mozilla Firefox browser. At the top right corner of the screen, click the 'Open Menu' (three horizontal lines) button. From the opened menu, choose 'Add-ons'.

Choose the 'Extensions' tab and look for any recently-installed suspicious add-ons. When located, click the 'Remove' button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Mozilla Firefox browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Mozilla Firefox.

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Remove 'your macos 10.14 mojave is infected with 3 viruses!' virus related Google Chrome add-ons:

Open Google Chrome and click the 'Chrome menu' (three horizontal lines) button located in the top-right corner of the browser window. From the drop-down menu, choose 'More Tools' and select 'Extensions'.

In the 'Extensions' window, look for any recently-installed suspicious add-ons. When located, click the 'Trash' button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Google Chrome browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Google Chrome.