Habe ich Malware auf meinem Mac?

Macs don’t get viruses, right? Wrong, sadly. That’s one of the myths spread among users that we are about to debunk.

Lately, it’s becoming more and more common for Macs to be affected by malware, as the potential payoff is generally larger than on PCs, and very few Macs have installed protection in place. Don’t panic yet! It could be that a virus is not as malicious as you think. Also, you can be sure to know how you get rid of it quickly and efficiently by the time you finish this article.

How safe is your Mac from viruses?

Here is the thing, your Mac may be safer from malware than the average Windows PC, thanks to its Unix core and Apple’s default security settings. But it’s not 100% immune. All it takes is one thoughtless click on a link in a phishing email or a website, and your Mac gets infected.

So answering the Mac-virus question — YES, Mac can get a virus! But the great news is that performing a Mac virus scan is simple, so getting rid of viruses is not that big of a deal.

Before you scan Mac for viruses, here are a few things to check first. Below you can find the list with several tell-tale signs that your Mac has been infected. See if your Mac displayed any of these symptoms.

5 Obvious signs that your Mac is infected

#1. Mac behaving erratically

The most obvious sign that your Mac is infected is when it starts behaving not like it used to. This behavior can involve Mac suddenly freezing or restarting, browser redirecting, and overall performance slowing down.

#2. Browser changes a homepage

Another sign you’ll notice right away without running a virus scan is that your browser suddenly and continually changes the homepage. That is abnormal behavior, so watch out!

#3. Fake security alerts popping up on Mac

If you’re seeing fake pop-ups telling you your Mac needs an urgent update or your data is in danger, the chances are high that your Mac’s infected with scareware.

#4. Mac’s speed suddenly dropped

Some viruses run processes that hog CPU cycles and leave little capacity for the tasks you want to carry out.

#5. Adverts or pop-ups keep showing up

Adware viruses are explicitly designed to show adverts in the hope that you’ll click on them. Have you noticed software appearing on your Mac that you didn’t deliberately install? That’s what I’m talking about — the sign telling you a virus checkup is required.

Viruses come in all sizes and shapes. They appear in browser extensions, others run in the background, but some appear as applications in your Applications folder. Before explaining how to scan for viruses on Mac, check these five tell-tale signs.

If any of the above is true, it’s possible that your Mac has a virus, but remember not to panic! It may be relatively easy to remove.

How to run a virus scan on Mac (automatically and manually)

Some drivers prefer cars with manual and some with automatic transmissions. Same with Mac users: some prefer tracking viruses automatically with specialized tools, some manually.

How to check for viruses on Mac automatically

Several Mac virus scanners allow you to scan for malware. However, it’s vital that you don’t just google ’free Mac antivirus software.’ Many sites that claim to offer free antivirus tools host viruses themselves. And you can end up making the problem worse.

So, how to check for malware safely? I recommend using reputable tools. My personal favorite is CleanMyMac X. CleanMyMac X detects thousands of malware threats, including adware, spyware, worms, ransomware, cryptocurrency miners, etc. When it finds something suspicious, it offers immediate removal.

Here’s how to scan MacBook for malware and viruses:

1. Download CleanMyMac X (free edition here) and launch the app.
2. Click on the Malware Removal tab.
3. Click Scan and then click Remove.

Malware monitor in CleanMyMac’s Menu is another thing I love about the app. With its help, I can easily see if my Mac is under malware attack. You can enable it from the Protection tab in CleanMyMac’s Menu preferences.

How to get rid of suspicious apps

I hope my simple tutorial on how to check viruses on Mac was handy. The next logical step is to remove them! Again, If you find an application 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 several different places in your Mac’s Library folders. You could track them down and remove them manually, but it’s quicker and easier to use a dedicated uninstaller I mentioned earlier, CleanMyMac X. That way, you can remove every application trace, and no stray files will be left behind.

1. Download CleanMyMac for free here.
2. Launch it from your Applications folder.
3. In the Applications section, click on Uninstaller.
4. Look through the list of applications until you see the one you want to get rid of. Check the box next to it.
5. Press the Uninstall button.

If you want to use built-in tools to check your Mac for malware, viruses, or suspicious apps, I’ve fetched a list right here that you can use.

XProtect

Apple protects its macOS users with a unique built-in technology called XProtect. It has an extensive database of virus signatures that scan Macs for malware. Since it’s already built into your system, it runs by default without your involvement. But remember, this is only a basic level of protection that won’t help with serious threats.

How to scan Mac for viruses manually

Activity Monitor

Application or process can stop your system from being responsive. When that is the case, Activity Monitor comes in handy. It allows you to track down troublesome apps or processes, check for the most significant energy consumers, and monitor CPU disk usage. You can also use it to detect malware.

Follow these steps to run Activity Monitor:

1. Go to Applications > Utilities.
2. Open Activity Monitor and click % CPU column to see processes and apps with high CPU use. Quit those by pressing the X button in the upper-left corner.
3. Find any other suspicious process and simply google it to see if it’s malware.

Applications folder

If you want to look for viruses hidden within apps, then try auditing your Applications folder:

1. Go to the Applications folder.
2. Find any suspicious app you don’t recognize.
3. Check it with Google and delete it if necessary.

How to scan your Mac for viruses online?

There are lots of ads and websites that promise free online virus scan and removal for Mac. But most of them are ironically also affiliated with malware players trying to get into your Mac for their malicious purposes and make things even worse. There are a few ways to substitute the online virus scan that macOS needs and protect your Mac so no malware can get in.

1. Update your software

As searching for “online virus scan Mac” doesn’t help much, the first thing to do to really protect your Mac is to update to the latest macOS version and turn on auto-updates for all your apps. The latest versions of the software include all the necessary security patches known to developers, so it’s a good starting place.

1. Check the App Store for software updates and install them.
2. In System Preferences (System Settings in macOS Ventura) > Software Update, check the box to “Automatically keep my Mac up to date.”
3. Click Advanced and select all the options there.

2. Back up your Mac

Another precaution against viruses you can take is backing up your documents. You can use your Mac’s built-in Time Machine utility to save your backup to an external hard drive. That way, frequent backups will allow you to restore recent versions of your documents should they get deleted or encrypted by a virus.

1. Connect an external hard drive.
2. Go to System Preferences (System Settings in macOS Ventura) > Select Backup Disk and turn it on.
3. Choose Back Up Automatically.
   

3. Turn on Mac’s built-in protection

If you’ve ever got a warning on your computer asking whether you’re sure you want to download something, you’ve seen File Quarantine in action. It lets you decline to download an item in case you don’t completely trust the source it’s coming from.

Another built-in utility, Gatekeeper, checks that there’s an electronic signature from an approved Mac supplier on any item you attempt to download. So making sure it’s turned on is a great way to protect yourself from downloading something malicious.

1. Go to System Preferences (System Settings in macOS Ventura) > Security & Privacy.
2. Under “Allow apps downloaded from,” ensure that “App Store and identified developers” or “App Store” is selected.

4. Examine your Disk Utility

Navigating to Disk Utility will give you a sense of what’s taking up space on your hard drive. You can also click on First Aid to run a scan of the hard drive and repair any errors. Make a note of the types of things taking up space, especially if any category is unusually large — this would be a good one to target directly or to check on later to see if it became smaller through the measures you are undertaking.

5. Clean up your hard drive

Unused apps, redundant copies of documents, and old media files — getting rid of these is likely to help with deleting any existing viruses and also free up space and speed up your Mac at the same time.

In general, cleaning up your computer will improve your day-to-day experience and ultimately mean you won’t have to buy a new one too soon, saving you money.

1. Launch the Applications folder (Cmd + Shift + A).
2. Go through the list and uninstall any programs you’re no longer using.
3. Then check your Documents, Pictures, Movies, and Music folders for files you haven’t been using in a long time.
4. Empty the Trash when you’re done.

Here is an ultimate tutorial on how to clean up your hard drive.

It’s easy to forget about keeping your files tidy (sort of like your apartment), so periodic cleanups are a must.

6. Check if your email has been compromised

You hear daily that millions of user emails have been leaked due to the careless policies of Facebook or other corporations. Could your account be one of those? The security expert Troy Hunt created a website that allows you to see if your email has been hacked. 

Check out this website https://haveibeenpwned.com/

You can even get a clue as to which company leaked your email.

7. Encrypt your Mac

It might come as a surprise, but files on your Mac are easily readable to anyone who can gain unauthorized access. They will be able to read your documents, apps, messages, etc. To prevent this, you need to turn on Mac’s built-in encryption engine called FileVault.

1. Go to System Preferences (System Settings in macOS Ventura) > Security & Privacy.
2. Turn On FileVault and wait for the encryption to finish. Done!

8. Protect and optimize your Mac in one click

If you have the time and are willing to be methodical about the cleanups you need to do and how often you need to do them — ideally once a month — you can go through the above checklist every time.

However, why not save some time and make sure you do it the right way? The truth is there is no online virus scan macOS would be happy about, but there definitely is some pro software like CleanMyMac X that can do it better. It’s fast, automatic, and vigilant — saving you time and doing a more thorough and complete job of taking care of your Mac than you can.

After you finish scanning for malware, as described earlier in the article, don’t forget to perform additional scans for Optimization, Maintenance, Junk, and an overall Smart Scan. In each case, CleanMyMac X takes care of all the tasks necessary to protect and optimize your Mac. Repeat the process every week or so, and you are set.

CleanMyMac X is notarized by Apple, which confirms its safe status for using on Mac computers.

You’ve just learned how to scan for malware on Mac. Hopefully, they will encourage you to study the built-in protection layers of your Mac. In case you did find malware on your Mac, that’s not the end of the world, as we’ve shown you some antidotes you can try.

Stay tuned for more Mac tips!