Although 2020 will surely go down as “virus year,” viruses on Mac are not going anywhere. Just recently, a fake Adobe Flash Player updater named Shlayer has infected 10% of all Macs in the world (according to Kaspersky’s lab).

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Even newer malware type, Tarmac, is increasingly sweeping the Mac world. All it takes to contract it is to open a pirated website or even click a link on Wikipedia. At least that’s been the case with Shlayer, which had its malicious links planted inside Wikipedia’s external resources.

In this Mac Malware removal guide, we’ll tell you how to get rid of malware on your Mac. We’ll also cover how to tell apart different viruses on Mac: adware, scareware, and others. We’ll be using the manual methods as well as some respected antivirus tools for Mac. Let’s go.

What is malware

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First off, let’s point out that the term “malware” is a broad term for all unwanted intrusions. It’s also not synonymous with the term “virus” because the latter is only a model of distribution i.e. how an app self-replicates. Here are common types of malware you can encounter on Mac:

Download managers — download unauthorized objects
Spyware and keyloggers — steal users’ personal data
Backdoor infections — apps that remotely seize control of your computer
Rootkit — infiltrate admin privileges
Botnet — turn your Mac into a shadow bot
Trojan horses — apps disguised as legit software
Ransomware — lock your Mac’s screen
PUP — potentially unwanted programs

Among these, PUPs are the most numerous type. According to Malwarebytes, Windows platform is no longer a hotbed for viruses — the macOS is. The has been a 400% spike in macOS-specific malware infections with an average of 11 threats per number of Mac devices — the same figure for Windows is only 5.8.

Mac malware: The symptoms

Oftentimes a malware app would trick you into believing it’s perfectly harmless. Such apps are known to disguise themselves as antiviruses, extractors or video players. But how to check your Mac for viruses? Here are some of the tell-tale signs:

A sudden drop in Mac’s performance or frequent freeze-ups.
Pages that you visit get obscured with ads.
Unexpected Mac reboots or apps starting for no reason.
Your browser installs suspicious updates automatically.

How Mac can get infected with malware

By clicking on fake Flash Player updater. Or by installing a seemingly useful browser extension. As of 2020, a trojan browser extension NewTab infected 30 million Mac computers. This malware disguised itself as a parcel tracking helper but was in fact spreading ads. So how to protect your Mac from malware? You can start by studying typical infection gateways.

How to remove a virus from Mac

Just as with any disease, to doctor a virus you need to remove the infected part of your software — as simple as that.

1.Remove malware from Mac manually:
The Activity Monitor

If you know which app on your Mac is malicious, you’re half-way through the problem. First of all, you need to close the app and then root it out from the system processes.

Open Activity Monitor (type its name in the Launchpad).
Locate the problematic app in the Processes.
Use [x] button to quit the process

Now go back to your Applications and move the app to the Trash bin. Immediately empty the Trash.

This method is simple, but for the best malware removal results, you’d have to invest a bit more time. There are still parts and pieces of the virus app scattered around your system folders. It’s a bit like killing a dragon that re-grows its head after you’ve chopped it off. To remove malware from your Mac completely, it’s better to use a powerful uninstaller.

Tip
Do a quick search for virus-infected .DMG files within your Downloads. The potential culprits could be recently downloaded files, especially media-related ones. Delete them and empty the Trash bin.

2. Get rid of malware using CleanMyMac X

CleanMyMac X has a 10-year reputation of guarding Macs around the world. The app will scan your Mac for any vulnerabilities and offer immediate removal if it finds something suspicious. CleanMyMac detects thousands of malware threats, including viruses, adware, spyware, ransomware, cryptocurrency miners, and more. The app’s database is regularly updated to keep all those “-wares” away from your Mac.

Here’s how to remove malware from your Mac:

Download CleanMyMac X — it’s free to download.
Click Malware Removal tab.
Click Scan.
Click Remove.
Done!

3. Remove Mac malware from your Login Items

Most adware or spyware will try to sneak inside the bootup process. Good news, you don’t have to be Kaspersky to prevent this.

Go to the Apple menu > System Preferences.
Choose Users & Groups section.
Make sure if your username is highlighted.
Open Login Items tab.

Now use the “—” sign to disable all the suspicious apps (like Mac Defenders) that you’ll find. Restart your Mac for the changes to take place.

4. Get rid of pop-up ads on Mac

Advertising pop-ups are browser-related, so whatever browser you are using, be prepared for a thorough cleanup. First off, don’t buy into whatever the ad is telling you. Some scary alerts would mention 343 viruses found on your Mac forcing you to immediately install a “Mac Defender” or “Mac Security” tool. Just ignore it and don’t click anywhere on the pop-up. Use [x] button and if it doesn’t close the ad, Ctrl + click the browser icon to quit the browser completely.

Tip
Hold the Shift key when starting a new Safari session. This way all your previous tabs (including the ad pop-up) will not be reopened.

How to block pop-up ads in Safari

Open Safari preferences (in the top menu).
Go to the Security tab.
Tick “Block pop-up windows”.

How to get rid of pop-ups in Chrome

Open Chrome Settings (a three-dot icon)
Click Privacy and security
Go to Site settings > Pop-ups and redirects
Locate the Popups tab and block them from appearing

Additionally, make sure your browser’s homepage is set to standard Google page or other trusted source.

5. Clean up extensions to remove adware from Mac

Apple lists several browser extensions as potentially malicious. The list includes:

Amazon Shopping Assistant by Spigot Inc.
Slick Savings by Spigot Inc.
FlashMall
Cinema-Plus

This is just to give you an idea of how different these adware extensions could be. But if you’re looking at how to remove malware from the Mac Safari browser, follow this path.

Advanced features exist, but they're hard to find, and even when you do find them, it's not always clear how to use them. ConsUnder the surface: While this surface interface is clear enough, things are not so smooth once you get below the surface. This makes the media player a good option for users of all experience levels and ensures that even beginning users can play their files with ease.

Remove extensions in Safari

Go to Safari Preferences
Choose the Extensions tab
Select an extension and click Uninstall

Disable browser extensions in Chrome

And here’s how to remove malware from Mac Chrome. Open Chrome and click Window in the top menu. In the bottom of the list choose Exten

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