Macs don’t get viruses, right? Wrong, sadly. Your Mac may be safer from malware than the average Windows PC, thanks to its Unix core and Apple’s default security settings in the OS, but it’s not immune. All it takes is one thoughtless click on a link in an email or on a website, and your Mac could be infected.
The good news is that performing a Mac virus scan is very easy and if it finds anything, getting rid of the virus is very straightforward, too.
Checking your Mac for viruses. OS X does a pretty good job of stopping viruses and malware from attacking your computer. But there are steps you can take to further protect yourself. How to Check for Malware. There are two primary ways you can check for the presence of malware on your computer: Manually; Through the use of anti-virus software; As long as you’re careful about how you browse the Internet and have discretion when using email applications, you shouldn’t run into any issues.
How to check your Mac for a virus
There are a number of tell-tale signs that your Mac has a virus. If it’s not displaying any of those, there’s probably nothing to worry about. So, before you scan your Mac for a virus, here are a few things to check.
1. Is your Mac behaving erratically?
This could include applications crashing, web browsers loading pages you didn’t ask for, and unusually high traffic on your network.
2. Has it started running very slowly all of a sudden?
Some viruses run processes that hog CPU cycles and leave little capacity for the tasks you want to carry out.
3. Are you seeing adverts or pop-ups for things you would never normally see?
Adware viruses are designed specifically to show adverts in the hope that you’ll click on them.
4. Have you noticed software appear on your Mac that you didn’t deliberately install?
Some viruses appear in the form of browser extensions, others run in the background, but some may appear as applications in your Applications folder. Before we'll explain how to scan Mac for malware, check these 5 tell-tale signs.
If any of the above are true, it’s possible that your Mac has a virus, but don’t panic, it may be relatively easy to remove.
How to run a malware scanner on Mac
So how to check for malware on Mac? There are several Mac virus scanners that allow you to scan your system. However, it’s very important that you don’t just google ‘free Mac antivirus software.’ Many sites that claim to offer free antivirus tools in fact host viruses themselves. So, you go to the site looking for a solution and end up making the problem worse. It’s important to use a reputable tool. We recommend using CleanMyMac X.
CleanMyMac X detects thousands of malware threats, including adware, spyware, worms, ransomware, cryptocurrency miners, and if it finds something suspicious, it offers immediate removal. Here’s how to scan your Mac for malware:
- Download CleanMyMac X (free edition here) and launch the app.
- Click on the Malware Removal tab.
- Click Scan.
- Click Remove.
Malware Monitor is another thing I love about CleanMyMac X. And this Mac malware scanner works in real-time. Whenever an adware attempts to enter some protected areas on your Mac, you’ll get instantly notified.
How to get rid of suspicious apps
If you find an application that you didn’t intend to install, you should get rid of it. But don’t just drag it from your Applications folder to the Trash, that won’t remove every trace of it from your Mac. Applications store files in a number of different places in your Mac’s Library folders. You could hunt them down and remove them manually, but it’s quicker and easier to use a dedicated uninstaller like CleanMyMac X. That way, you can be sure you will remove every trace of the application and no stray files will be left behind.
- Download CleanMyMac for free here.
- Launch it from your Applications folder.
- In the Utilities section, click on Uninstaller.
- Look through the list of applications until you see the one you want to get rid of.
- Check the box next to it.
- Press the Uninstall button.
How to prevent your Mac from getting a virus
Scanning Mac for malware is one thing. But prevention is always better than cure. So, if you want to make sure that every virus scan returns a clean bill of health, here’s what to do.
- Never click a link in an email unless you’re 100% sure where the email has come from and where the link will take you. Reputable companies and banks won’t ask you to click a link to log into an account, for example.
- Never download anything unless you’re certain what it is. That includes movie files, software updates, games, and anything else you’re not absolutely certain about.
- Keep your Mac updated with the latest version of macOS. That doesn’t mean you have to be running the very latest OS, but if you’re running, say, Sierra, make sure you install the latest updates when they become available.
Scanning your Mac for threats is very easy. To check Mac for malware, you can download the free version of CleanMyMac X which is an Apple notarized app. With its help, you get rid of any applications you didn’t intend to download and scan your whole system for malware very quick and easy. Give it a go.
These might also interest you:
Viruses, we all hate them. They are very destructive and frustrating. Due to a wide range of reasons that include surfing the net and information transfer from one system to another, we are all vulnerable to virus attack.
If you are a Mac user, you probably think that your Mac computer has the perfect immunity to viruses.
Well, you can’t be too sure because such attacks do happen in spite of what confidence you may have in the Mac OS. It is safe to be concerned about your personal computer’s safety, especially with regards to viruses.
How can you check Mac for viruses?
Read on as I give you some practical tips that can assist you in running a check on your computer for possible attacks and detecting them before they wreak havoc on your PC.
Tips To Check Your Mac device For Malware
Following are ways to execute the Mac virus scan. You may choose any method for your Mac Malware protection.
1. Use An Antivirus Software
As indicated by the name, an antivirus program is a software design to protect a computer against the virus as well as identify viruses in an already infected system.
Several powerful antivirus software programs are highly efficient and can quickly identify the virus on a computer.
You can download any of these programs from the manufacturer’s website and install them on your computer. Then, after the installation, perform a scan on your PC with the antivirus program.
If the system is already infected, the antivirus program will identify the virus and give you an option to delete it.
Some of the best antivirus programs you can consider installing on your Mac computer are:
- AVAST security for Mac
- Malwarebytes anti-malware for Mac
- Sophos antivirus Mac home edition
- Avira free antivirus for Mac
- BitDefender virus scanner and a host of others
- ClamXav
How To Scan For Viruses On Mac
Most of these antivirus programs for Mac are paid. Nevertheless, you can download the free version as well, although that comes with fewer features than the paid ones.
Most of these antivirus programs come in this format. Click the “Buy Now” button to activate the purchasing and downloading process.
After making the payment, you can easily download the software, install it on your system, and launch it for scanning when you suspect virus attack on the network.
Before you run a virus scan on your system, it is advisable that you run virus definitions first. There are two ways you can do this. You can open the program and click on the “Update” menu or right click on the taskbar icon.
Some tech sites such as Internet Security Level of Trend Micro, Virus Information Center from McAfee, and Threat Explorer site from Norton may contain information about current viruses that Mac systems are vulnerable to.
During the scanning, you can check Mac for viruses to make sure that you are not exposed to threats by these viruses.
2. Run A Malware Scanner
Mac can boast of a couple of virus scanners that are designed to allow a user to scan your personal computer.
While there are tons of sites that offer free virus scan for Mac, you must be careful lest you accidentally download a virus on your system, the last thing you will ever want to happen to you.
One of the most reputable antivirus tools for Mac is CleanMyMac X. you can download this efficient tool on your Mac computer and run it to check for any sign of a virus on the system.
This is how to go about it:
- Download CleanMyMac X on your system.
- After a successful downloading, launch the app on your system.
- You will see the “Malware Removal” tab, click on it.
- Click “Scan” for a comprehensive scanning of your computer. During the scanning, any virus on the computer will be identified.
You will get the result of the scan when it has been successfully done. Then, you can choose to do the Mac virus removal process.
How To Check Your Mac For Viruses Free
This tool has both free and paid version; you may go with the free download before buying the product.
3. Look For Virus Signs
Apart from the software programs that can scan your personal computer and give you a feedback if there is any virus on the system, you can manually check theinternet security for Mac.
There are some telltale signs you can look out for in your system. The presence of one or some of these signs is proof that your system is already infected.
Check the following on your Mac to get rid of the malware.
List Of Mac Viruses
#1. Is the system behaving erratically? After using your personal computer for a couple of months or years, you obviously can predict its operation. You can predict its speed of service, efficiency, and other attributes. However, if you suddenly notice a change in its activity without a justifiable excuse, you probably are dealing with a virus.
For instance, you may start experiencing strange things like unsolicited messages, applications crashing, and web browser autoloading. Your PC may be freezing unexpectedly, or the system may begin shutting down and restarting without any explanation, and other erratic behavior.
#2. Do you see some random pop-ups or adverts that you don’t expect to see? For instance, if you don’t subscribe to a porn website and don’t sign up on any, it will be quite unusual for you to receive adverts from such sites on your computer.
If you start seeing them, you may also begin seeing unsolicited ads where they didn’t show previously or having ads displayed when you are offline. That should be a source of concern.
#3. Has the system suddenly lost speed? If your system was previously very efficient and run at high speed but suddenly slows down without any apparent cause, a virus may be the culprit. Some viruses have the natural tendency to slow the Mac down, and if you accidentally have one on your system, the system will run slowly.
Wrapping Up
As a rule of thumb, don’t leave things to chances. Be a very good observant and don’t miss any strange thing that happens to your Mac PC. You may spare yourself a lot of stress if you can quickly identify potential issues before they go out of hand.
While Mac has good immunity to viruses than its counterpart, the Windows Operating system, you should cultivate the culture of scanning your PC occasionally whenever you notice any abnormality in its operations.
With any of the suggested techniques above, you may check mac for virus and keep your device and data safe. So, which method of Mac security would you like to follow? Share your view in the comment section!