How to Prevent Mac from Malware – Guide
Malwarebytes says it has detected more threats targeting Macs than Windows computers in 2020. If you want to keep your data safe, here’s how to whether your Mac contains malware and how to prevent your Mac from being infected.
Scareware window? Use safe mode to loosen up
Some people fall for a scam where they are told they need to call a number or click on a link in order to get Safari working again. The first thing that may happen is that the ad won’t go away and the window may claim that you are being watched by the FBI. If this happens, don’t fall for it and try to fix Safari yourself. First, you need to force Safari to quit.
Force Exit Safari
Safari is configured to reopen the last window that was active before closing, so you will face the same problem again. To fix this in Safari, hold down the shift key while opening up Safari. This prevents any previous window from reaching up.
With Firefox, holding down the option key opens in safe mode and disables the home screen. With Chrome, you need to start in incognito mode, but you may need a program to help with that. You can then move on to removal.
Download Adware Medic to remove infections
Remove adware from your Mac with Adware Medic. This program was designed to remove browser plug-ins that redirect search results and inject ads. It is free, and requires Mac OS X Lion 10.7 or higher.
Snow Leopard users will need to perform a manual removal in order to protect themselves from malware. The Adware Medic website has a great guide for manual removal, while Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac Home Edition does a good job of removing malware and is also free.
Prevent future infections with smart browsing
Macs are less likely to be infected with malware than PCs. Malware that targets PCs is more likely to be attached to an email or embedded in a PDF. It is also more likely to be part of what appears to be a legitimate download or otherwise trick a user downloads the payload with an ad. Software that is installed automatically just by accessing a website is much more common on PCs than on Macs. ..
Adobe Flash Player is not as up-to-date as it seems. Mac users have been warning people about this for a while now.
If you need to download software for your Mac that is not available on the App store, find the manufacturer’s website and look for the product on its website.
Apple’s antivirus is integrated into macOS. It updates itself when Apple updates macOS, and it prevents most infections.
Install blocking software
Scamzapper is a Safari extension designed to prevent ad blocking on the browser. If you or someone you know is still being hit by these ads, Scamzapper will keep you clean. Otherwise, blocking ads and Flash whenever possible reduces the risk of being tricked into downloading something you didn’t want to. Two extensions I recommend are ClickToFlash and Adblock Plus. They prevent annoying ads from reaching out, including infected ads.
Final note
This guide is designed to help you prevent malware from infecting your Mac. If you have any questions or concerns about this article, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Additionally, please share this guide with your friends and family so they can also be protected from malware.
