HT202225: How to avoid or remove Mac Defender malware in Mac OS X v10.6 or earlier

Learn about How to avoid or remove Mac Defender malware in Mac OS X v10.6 or earlier
judithfromalbuquerque
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Q: If I don't get a message, how do I know if malware has been installed?

If I don't get a message, how do I know if malware has been installed?

iPad 2, iOS 4.3.3

Posted on Mar 20, 2012 8:54 PM

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judithfromalbuquerque

Q: If I don't get a message, how do I know if malware has been installed?

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  • by RT11 guru,Helpful

    RT11 guru RT11 guru Mar 20, 2012 9:32 PM in response to judithfromalbuquerque
    Level 2 (183 points)
    Mar 20, 2012 9:32 PM in response to judithfromalbuquerque

    Well, if you haven't noticed anything you are probably fine. As that support article (HT4650) indicates, Apple put out a security update that should remove it. Hopefully your Snow Leopard installation is fully up to date but you can run Software Update to make sure. If you still have questions, follow the instructions in the article to see if there are any relevant processes running, as viewed in Activity Monitor, and check your Applications folder for the malware.

  • by X423424X,

    X423424X X423424X Mar 20, 2012 9:35 PM in response to judithfromalbuquerque
    Level 6 (14,237 points)
    Mar 20, 2012 9:35 PM in response to judithfromalbuquerque

    If you don't get a message how do you know you got a message?

     

    If you mean a message without a body it may be someone searching for valid email addesses.  If the sender doesn't get a bounce email message they know the email address is valid somewhere.

  • by judithfromalbuquerque,

    judithfromalbuquerque judithfromalbuquerque Mar 20, 2012 10:35 PM in response to X423424X
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 20, 2012 10:35 PM in response to X423424X

    guess I should say if I don't get a warning from my computer?

  • by judithfromalbuquerque,

    judithfromalbuquerque judithfromalbuquerque Mar 20, 2012 10:36 PM in response to RT11 guru
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 20, 2012 10:36 PM in response to RT11 guru

    thanks.  My software is fully up to date...I did check out the activity monitor, but didn't really know what I was looking for.

  • by RT11 guru,Helpful

    RT11 guru RT11 guru Mar 21, 2012 6:18 AM in response to judithfromalbuquerque
    Level 2 (183 points)
    Mar 21, 2012 6:18 AM in response to judithfromalbuquerque

    Seriously, you are probably fine but for peace of mind, I see from the support article describing what to expect in the Activity Monitor:

    "Under the Process Name column, look for the name of the app and click to select it; common app names include: MacDefender, MacSecurity or MacProtector."

    You need to make sure that "all processes" is selected in the menu at the top right of the Activity Monitor window.

    I think you can sleep soundly now.

  • by judithfromalbuquerque,

    judithfromalbuquerque judithfromalbuquerque Mar 21, 2012 9:15 AM in response to RT11 guru
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 21, 2012 9:15 AM in response to RT11 guru

    Thank you.  I read that in the article, too, tried it & didn't find any of those things. Ran a ClamXav & found a couple of phishing things (they called it something other than virus), which I deleted.  Looks like we're all clear now.