weinert

Q: i believe that i have malware on my mac, osx 10.9.4. accordingly, i've tried to run clamxav (on my mac HD) but just get a spinning wheel, then have to shut down. any advice on how to stop spinning wheel or get rid of malware? please help. :-).

i believe that i have malware (possible highjack of safari browser) on my mac, osx 10.9.4. accordingly, i've tried to run clamxav (on my mac HD) but just get a spinning wheel, then have to shut down. any advice on how to stop spinning wheel or get rid of malware? i have symnatic endpoint and, after scanning, it reveals nothing. please help. :-).

MacBook Pro with Retina display

Posted on Sep 3, 2014 7:00 PM

Close

Q: i believe that i have malware on my mac, osx 10.9.4. accordingly, i've tried to run clamxav (on my mac HD) but just get a spinning ... more

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by stevejobsfan0123,Helpful

    stevejobsfan0123 stevejobsfan0123 Sep 3, 2014 7:02 PM in response to weinert
    Level 8 (43,827 points)
    iPhone
    Sep 3, 2014 7:02 PM in response to weinert

    Please describe this "hijack." It doesn't sound like it's caused by malware, thus ClamXav will not help.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Sep 3, 2014 7:03 PM in response to weinert
    Level 10 (208,000 points)
    Applications
    Sep 3, 2014 7:03 PM in response to weinert

    Please describe the problem in more detail.

  • by weinert,

    weinert weinert Sep 3, 2014 7:10 PM in response to stevejobsfan0123
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 3, 2014 7:10 PM in response to stevejobsfan0123

    i got an unusual message saying that i should contact apple given suspicious activity on my safari browser.  one of the tabs in my safari browser keeps changing to another website....help.....:-)

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Sep 3, 2014 7:29 PM in response to weinert
    Level 10 (208,000 points)
    Applications
    Sep 3, 2014 7:29 PM in response to weinert

    1. This procedure is a diagnostic test. It changes nothing, for better or worse, and therefore will not, in itself, solve the problem. But with the aid of the test results, the solution may take a few minutes, instead of hours or days.

    Don't be put off merely by the seeming complexity of these instructions. The process is much less complicated than the description. You do harder tasks with the computer all the time.

    2. If you don't already have a current backup, back up all data before doing anything else. The backup is necessary on general principle, not because of anything in the test procedure. Backup is always a must, and when you're having any kind of trouble with the computer, you may be at higher than usual risk of losing data, whether you follow these instructions or not.

    There are ways to back up a computer that isn't fully functional. Ask if you need guidance.

    3. Below are instructions to run a UNIX shell script, a type of program. As I wrote above, it changes nothing. It doesn't send or receive any data on the network. All it does is to generate a human-readable report on the state of the computer. That report goes nowhere unless you choose to share it. If you prefer, you can read it yourself without disclosing the contents to me or anyone else.

    You should be wondering whether you can believe me, and whether it's safe to run a program at the behest of a stranger. In general, no, it's not safe and I don't encourage it.

    In this case, however, there are a couple of ways for you to decide whether the program is safe without having to trust me. First, you can read it. Unlike an application that you download and click to run, it's transparent, so anyone with the necessary skill can verify what it does.

    You may not be able to understand the script yourself. But variations of the script have been posted on this website thousands of times over a period of years. The site is hosted by Apple, which does not allow it to be used to distribute harmful software. Any one of the millions of registered users could have read the script and raised the alarm if it was harmful. Then I would not be here now and you would not be reading this message.

    Nevertheless, if you can't satisfy yourself that these instructions are safe, don't follow them. Ask for other options.

    4. Here's a summary of what you need to do, if you choose to proceed:

    ☞ Copy a line of text in this window to the Clipboard.

    ☞ Paste into the window of another application.

    ☞ Wait for the test to run. It usually takes a few minutes.

    ☞ Paste the results, which will have been copied automatically, back into a reply on this page.

    The sequence is: copy, paste, wait, paste again. You don't need to copy a second time. Details follow.

    5. You may have started the computer in "safe" mode. Preferably, these steps should be taken in “normal” mode, under the conditions in which the problem is reproduced. If the system is now in safe mode and works well enough in normal mode to run the test, restart as usual. If you can only test in safe mode, do that.

    6. If you have more than one user, and the one affected by the problem is not an administrator, then please run the test twice: once while logged in as the affected user, and once as an administrator. The results may be different. The user that is created automatically on a new computer when you start it for the first time is an administrator. If you can't log in as an administrator, test as the affected user. Most personal Macs have only one user, and in that case this section doesn’t apply. Don't log in as root.

    7. The script is a single long line, all of which must be selected. You can accomplish this easily by triple-clicking anywhere in the line. The whole line will highlight, though you may not see all of it in the browser window, and you can then copy it. If you try to select the line by dragging across the part you can see, you won't get all of it.

    Triple-click anywhere in the line of text below on this page to select it:

    PATH=/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/libexec;clear;cd;p=(Software Hardware Memory Diagnostics Power FireWire Thunderbolt USB Fonts SerialATA 4 1000 25 5120 KiB/s 1024 85 \\b%% 20480 1 MB/s 25000 ports ' com.clark.\* \*dropbox \*GoogleDr\* \*k.AutoCAD\* \*k.Maya\* vidinst\* ' DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES\ DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH -86 "` route -n get default|awk '/e:/{print $2}' `" 25 N\\/A down up 102400 25600 recvfrom sendto CFBundleIdentifier 25 25 25 1000 MB com.apple.AirPortBaseStationAgent 464843899 51 5120 files );N5=${#p[@]};p[N5]=` networksetup -listnetworkserviceorder|awk ' NR>1 { sub(/^\([0-9]+\) /,"");n=$0;getline;} $NF=="'${p[26]}')" { sub(/.$/,"",$NF);print n;exit;} ' `;f=('\n%s: %s\n' '\n%s\n\n%s\n' '\nRAM details\n%s\n' %s\ %s '%s\n-\t%s\n' );S0() { echo ' { q=$NF+0;$NF="";u=$(NF-1);$(NF-1)="";gsub(/^ +| +$/,"");if(q>='${p[$1]}') printf("%s (UID %s) is using %s '${p[$2]}'",$0,u,q);} ';};s=(' /^ *$|CSConfigDot/d;s/^ */   /;s/[-0-9A-Fa-f]{22,}/UUID/g;s/(ochat)\.[^.]+(\..+)/\1\2/;/Shared/!s/\/Users\/[^/]+/~/g ' ' s/^ +//;/de: S|[nst]:/p;' ' {sub(/^ +/,"")};/er:/;/y:/&&$2<'${p[10]} ' 1s/://;3,6d;/[my].+:/d;s/^ {4}//;H;${ g;s/\n$//;/s: [^EO]|x([^08]|02[^F]|8[^0])/p;} ' ' 5h;6{ H;g;/P/!p;} ' ' ($1~/^Cy/&&$3>'${p[11]}')||($1~/^Cond/&&$2!~/^N/) ' ' /:$/{ N;/:.+:/d;s/ *://;b0'$'\n'' };/^ *(V.+ [0N]|Man).+ /{ s/ 0x.... //;s/[()]//g;s/(.+: )(.+)/ (\2)/;H;};$b0'$'\n'' d;:0'$'\n'' x;s/\n\n//;/Apple[ ,]|Genesy|Intel|SMSC/d;s/\n.*//;/\)$/p;' ' s/^.*C/C/;H;${ g;/No th|pms/!p;} ' '/= [^GO]/p' '{$1=""};1' ' /Of/!{ s/^.+is |\.//g;p;} ' ' $0&&!/ / { n++;print;} END { if(n<200) print "com.apple.";} ' ' $3~/[0-9]:[0-9]{2}$/ { gsub(/:[0-9:a-f]{14}/,"");} { print|"tail -n'${p[12]}'";} ' ' NR==2&&$4<='${p[13]}' { print $4;} ' ' END { $2/=256;if($2>='${p[15]}') print int($2) } ' ' NR!=13{next};{sub(/[+-]$/,"",$NF)};'"`S0 21 22`" 'NR!=2{next}'"`S0 37 17`" ' NR!=5||$8!~/[RW]/{next};{ $(NF-1)=$1;$NF=int($NF/10000000);for(i=1;i<=3;i++){$i="";$(NF-1-i)="";};};'"`S0 19 20`" 's:^:/:p' '/\.kext\/(Contents\/)?Info\.plist$/p' 's/^.{52}(.+) <.+/\1/p' ' /Launch[AD].+\.plist$/ { n++;print;} END { print "'${p[41]}'";if(n<200) print "/System/";} ' '/\.xpc\/(Contents\/)?Info\.plist$/p' ' NR>1&&!/0x|\.[0-9]+$|com\.apple\.launchctl\.(Aqua|Background|System)$|'${p[41]}'/ { print $3;} ' ' /\.(framew|lproj)|\):/d;/plist:|:.+(Mach|scrip)/s/:[^:]+//p ' '/^root$/p' ' !/\/Contents\/.+\/Contents|Applic|Autom|Frameworks/&&/Lib.+\/Info.plist$/ { n++;print;} END { if(n<1100) print "/System/";} ' '/^\/usr\/lib\/.+dylib$/p' ' /Temp|emac/{next};/(etc|Preferences|Launch[AD].+)\// { sub(".(/private)?","");n++;print;} END { print "'${p[41]}'.plist\t'${p[42]}'";if(n<500) print "Launch";} ' ' /\/(Contents\/.+\/Contents|Frameworks)\/|\.wdgt\/.+\.([bw]|plu)/d;p;' 's/\/(Contents\/)?Info.plist$//;p' ' { gsub("^| |\n","\\|\\|kMDItem'${p[35]}'=");sub("^...."," ") };1 ' p '{print $3"\t"$1}' 's/\'$'\t''.+//p' 's/1/On/p' '/Prox.+: [^0]/p' '$2>'${p[43]}'{$2=$2-1;print}' ' BEGIN { i="'${p[26]}'";M1='${p[16]}';M2='${p[18]}';M3='${p[31]}';M4='${p[32]}';} !/^A/{next};/%/ { getline;if($5<M1) a="user "$2"%, system "$4"%";} /disk0/&&$4>M2 { b=$3" ops/s, "$4" blocks/s";} $2==i { if(c) { d=$3+$4+$5+$6;next;};if($4>M3||$6>M4) c=int($4/1024)" in, "int($6/1024)" out";} END { if(a) print "CPU: "a;if(b) print "I/O: "b;if(c) print "Net: "c" (KiB/s)";if(d) print "Net errors: "d" packets/s";} ' ' /r\[0\] /&&$NF!~/^1(0|72\.(1[6-9]|2[0-9]|3[0-1])|92\.168)\./ { print $NF;exit;} ' ' !/^T/ { printf "(static)";exit;} ' '/apsd|BKAg|OpenD/!s/:.+//p' ' (/k:/&&$3!~/(255\.){3}0/ )||(/v6:/&&$2!~/A/ ) ' ' $1~"lR"&&$2<='${p[25]}';$1~"li"&&$3!~"wpa2";' ' BEGIN { FS=":";p="uniq -c|sed -E '"'s/ +\\([0-9]+\\)\\(.+\\)/\\\2 x\\\1/;s/x1$//'"'";} { n=split($3,a,".");sub(/_2[01].+/,"",$3);print $2" "$3" "a[n]$1|p;b=b$1;} END { close(p) if(b) print("\n\t* Code injection");} ' ' NR!=4{next} {$NF/=10240} '"`S0 27 14`" ' END { if($3~/[0-9]/)print$3;} ' ' BEGIN { L='${p[36]}';} !/^[[:space:]]*(#.*)?$/ { l++;if(l<=L) f=f"\n   "$0;} END { F=FILENAME;if(!F) exit;if(!f) f="\n   [N/A]";"file -b "F|getline T;if(T!~/^(AS.+ (En.+ )?text$|(Bo|PO).+ sh.+ text ex)/) F=F" ("T")";printf("\nContents of %s\n%s\n",F,f);if(l>L) printf("\n   ...and %s more line(s)\n",l-L);} ' ' /^ +[NP].+ =/h;/^( +D.+[{]|[}])/{ g;s/.+= //p;};' 's/0/Off/p' ' END{print NR} ' ' /id: N|te: Y/{i++} END{print i} ' ' / / { print "'"${p[28]}"'";exit;};1;' '/ en/!s/\.//p' ' NR!=13{next};{sub(/[+-M]$/,"",$NF)};'"`S0 39 40`" ' $10~/\(L/&&$9!~"localhost" { sub(/.+:/,"",$9);print $1": "$9;} ' '/^ +r/s/.+"(.+)".+/\1/p' 's/(.+\.wdgt)\/(Contents\/)?Info\.plist$/\1/p' 's/^.+\/(.+)\.wdgt$/\1/p' ' /l: /{ /DVD/d;s/.+: //;b0'$'\n'' };/s: /{ /V/d;s/^ */- /;H;};$b0'$'\n'' d;:0'$'\n'' x;/APPLE [^:]+$/d;p;' ' /^find: /d;p;' "`S0 44 45`" );c1=(system_profiler pmset\ -g nvram fdesetup find syslog df vm_stat sar ps sudo\ crontab sudo\ iotop top pkgutil 'PlistBuddy 2>&1 -c "Print' whoami cksum kextstat launchctl sudo\ launchctl crontab 'sudo defaults read' stat lsbom mdfind ' for i in ${p[24]};do ${c1[18]} ${c2[27]} $i;done;' defaults\ read scutil sudo\ dtrace sudo\ profiles sed\ -En awk /S*/*/P*/*/*/C*/*/airport networksetup mdutil sudo\ lsof test );c2=(com.apple.loginwindow\ LoginHook '" /L*/P*/loginw*' '" L*/P*/*loginit*' 'L*/Ca*/com.ap*.Saf*/E*/* -d 1 -name In*t -exec '"${c1[14]}"' :CFBundleDisplayName" {} \;|sort|uniq' '~ $TMPDIR.. \( -flags +sappnd,schg,uappnd,uchg -o ! -user $UID -o ! -perm -600 \)' '.??* -path .Trash -prune -o -type d -name *.app -print -prune' :${p[35]}\" :Label\" '{/,}L*/{Con,Pref}* -type f ! -size 0 -name *.plist -exec plutil -s {} \;' "-f'%N: %l' Desktop L*/Keyc*" therm sysload boot-args status " -F '\$Time \$Message' -k Sender kernel -k Message Req 'bad |Beac|caug|dead[^bl]|FAIL|fail|GPU |hfs: Ru|inval|jnl:|last value [1-9]|n Cause: -|NVDA\(|pagin|proc: t|Roamed|rror|ssert|Thrott|tim(ed? ?|ing )o|WARN' -k Message Rne 'Goog|ksadm|SMC:| VALI|xpma' -o -k Sender fseventsd -k Message Req 'SL' " '-du -n DEV -n EDEV 1 10' 'acrx -o comm,ruid,%cpu' '-t1 10 1' '-f -pfc /var/db/r*/com.apple.*.{BS,Bas,Es,J,OSXU,Rem,up}*.bom' '{/,}L*/Lo*/Diag* -type f -regex .\*[cgh] ! -name *ag \( -exec grep -lq "^Thread c" {} \; -exec printf \* \; -o -true \) -execdir stat -f:%Sc:%N -t%F {} \;|sort -t: -k2 |tail -n'${p[38]} '-L {/{S*/,},}L*/Lau* -type f' '-L /{S*/,}L*/StartupItems -type f -exec file {} +' '-L /S*/L*/{C*/Sec*A,E}* {/,}L*/{A*d,Ca*/*/Ex,Co{mpon,reM},Ex,Inter,iTu*/*P,Keyb,Mail/B,Pr*P,Qu*T,Scripti,Sec,Servi,Spo,Widg}* -path \\*s/Resources -prune -o -type f -name Info.plist' '/usr/lib -type f -name *.dylib' `awk "${s[31]}"<<<${p[23]}` "/e*/{auto,{cron,fs}tab,hosts,{[lp],sy}*.conf,pam.d/*,ssh{,d}_config,*.local} {,/usr/local}/etc/periodic/*/* /L*/P*{,/*}/com.a*.{Bo,sec*.ap}*t /S*/L*/Lau*/*t .launchd.conf" list getenv /Library/Preferences/com.apple.alf\ globalstate --proxy '-n get default' -I --dns -getdnsservers\ "${p[N5]}" -getinfo\ "${p[N5]}" -P -m\ / '' -n1 '-R -l1 -n1 -o prt -stats command,uid,prt' '--regexp --only-files --files com.apple.pkg.*|sort|uniq' -kl -l -s\ / '-R -l1 -n1 -o mem -stats command,uid,mem' '+c0 -i4TCP:0-1023' com.apple.dashboard\ layer-gadgets '-d /L*/Mana*/$USER&&echo On' '-app Safari WebKitDNSPrefetchingEnabled' "+c0 -l|awk '{print(\$1,\$3)}'|sort|uniq -c|sort -n|tail -1|awk '{print(\$2,\$3,\$1)}'" );N1=${#c2[@]};for j in {0..9};do c2[N1+j]=SP${p[j]}DataType;done;N2=${#c2[@]};for j in 0 1;do c2[N2+j]="-n ' syscall::'${p[33+j]}':return { @out[execname,uid]=sum(arg0) } tick-10sec { trunc(@out,1);exit(0);} '";done;l=(Restricted\ files Hidden\ apps 'Elapsed time (s)' POST Battery Safari\ extensions Bad\ plists 'High file counts' User Heat System\ load boot\ args FileVault Diagnostic\ reports Log 'Free space (MiB)' 'Swap (MiB)' Activity 'CPU per process' Login\ hook 'I/O per process' Mach\ ports kexts Daemons Agents launchd Startup\ items Admin\ access Root\ access Bundles dylibs Apps Font\ issues Inserted\ dylibs Firewall Proxies DNS TCP/IP Wi-Fi Profiles Root\ crontab User\ crontab 'Global login items' 'User login items' Spotlight Memory Listeners Widgets Parental\ Controls Prefetching SATA Descriptors );N3=${#l[@]};for i in 0 1 2;do l[N3+i]=${p[5+i]};done;N4=${#l[@]};for j in 0 1;do l[N4+j]="Current ${p[29+j]}stream data";done;A0() { id -G|grep -qw 80;v[1]=$?;((v[1]==0))&&sudo true;v[2]=$?;v[3]=`date +%s`;clear >&-;date '+Start time: %T %D%n';};for i in 0 1;do eval ' A'$((1+i))'() { v=` eval "${c1[$1]} ${c2[$2]}"|'${c1[30+i]}' "${s[$3]}" `;[[ "$v" ]];};A'$((3+i))'() { v=` while read i;do [[ "$i" ]]&&eval "${c1[$1]} ${c2[$2]}" \"$i\"|'${c1[30+i]}' "${s[$3]}";done<<<"${v[$4]}" `;[[ "$v" ]];};A'$((5+i))'() { v=` while read i;do '${c1[30+i]}' "${s[$1]}" "$i";done<<<"${v[$2]}" `;[[ "$v" ]];};';done;A7(){ v=$((`date +%s`-v[3]));};B2(){ v[$1]="$v";};for i in 0 1;do eval ' B'$i'() { v=;((v['$((i+1))']==0))||{ v=No;false;};};B'$((3+i))'() { v[$2]=`'${c1[30+i]}' "${s[$3]}"<<<"${v[$1]}"`;} ';done;B5(){ v[$1]="${v[$1]}"$'\n'"${v[$2]}";};B6() { v=` paste -d: <(printf "${v[$1]}") <(printf "${v[$2]}")|awk -F: ' {printf("'"${f[$3]}"'",$1,$2)} ' `;};B7(){ v=`grep -Fv "${v[$1]}"<<<"$v"`;};C0(){ [[ "$v" ]]&&echo "$v";};C1() { [[ "$v" ]]&&printf "${f[$1]}" "${l[$2]}" "$v";};C2() { v=`echo $v`;[[ "$v" != 0 ]]&&C1 0 $1;};C3() { v=`sed -E "$s"<<<"$v"`&&C1 1 $1;};for i in 1 2;do for j in 0 2 3;do eval D$i$j'(){ A'$i' $1 $2 $3; C'$j' $4;};';done;done;{ A0;D20 0 $((N1+1)) 2;D10 0 $N1 1;B0;C2 27;B0&&! B1&&C2 28;D12 15 37 25 8;A1 0 $((N1+2)) 3;C0;D13 0 $((N1+3)) 4 3;D23 0 $((N1+4)) 5 4;D13 0 $((N1+9)) 59 50;for i in 0 1 2;do D13 0 $((N1+5+i)) 6 $((N3+i));done;D13 1 10 7 9;D13 1 11 8 10;D22 2 12 9 11;D12 3 13 10 12;D23 4 19 44 13;D23 5 14 12 14;D22 6 36 13 15;D22 7 37 14 16;D23 8 15 38 17;D22 9 16 16 18;B1&&{ D22 35 49 61 51;D22 11 17 17 20;for i in 0 1;do D22 28 $((N2+i)) 45 $((N4+i));done;};D22 12 44 54 45;D22 12 39 15 21;A1 13 40 18;B2 4;B3 4 0 19;A3 14 6 32 0;B4 0 5 11;A1 17 41 20;B7 5;C3 22;B4 4 6 21;A3 14 7 32 6;B4 0 7 11;B3 4 0 22;A3 14 6 32 0;B4 0 8 11;B5 7 8;B1&&{ A2 19 26 23;B7 7;C3 23;};A2 18 26 23;B7 7;C3 24;A2 4 20 21;B7 6;B2 9;A4 14 7 52 9;B2 10;B6 9 10 4;C3 25;D13 4 21 24 26;B4 4 12 26;B3 4 13 27;A1 4 22 29;B7 12;B2 14;A4 14 6 52 14;B2 15;B6 14 15 4;B3 0 0 30;C3 29;A1 4 23 27;B7 13;C3 30;D13 24 24 32 31;D13 25 37 32 33;A2 23 18 28;B2 16;A2 16 25 33;B7 16;B3 0 0 34;B2 21;A6 47 21&&C0;B1&&{ D13 21 0 32 19;D13 10 42 32 40;D22 29 35 46 39;};D13 14 1 48 42;D12 34 43 53 44;D22 0 $((N1+8)) 51 32;D13 4 8 41 6;D12 26 28 35 34;D13 27 29 36 35;A2 27 32 39&&{ B2 19;A2 33 33 40;B2 20;B6 19 20 3;};C2 36;D23 33 34 42 37;B1&&D23 35 45 55 46;D23 32 31 43 38;D12 36 47 32 48;D13 20 42 32 41;D13 14 2 48 43;D13 4 5 32 1;D13 4 3 60 5;D12 26 48 49 49;B3 4 22 57;A1 26 46 56;B7 22;B3 0 0 58;C3 47;D22 4 4 50 0;D23 22 9 37 7;A7;C2 2;} 2>/dev/null|pbcopy;exit 2>&-

    Copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C.

    8. Launch the built-in Terminal application in any of the following ways:

    ☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)

    ☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.

    ☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.

    Click anywhere in the Terminal window and paste by pressing command-V. The text you pasted should vanish immediately. If it doesn't, press the return key.

    9. If you see an error message in the Terminal window such as "Syntax error" or "Event not found," enter

    exec bash

    and press return. Then paste the script again.

    10. If you're logged in as an administrator, you'll be prompted for your login password. Nothing will be displayed when you type it. You will not see the usual dots in place of typed characters. Make sure caps lock is off. Type carefully and then press return. You may get a one-time warning to be careful. If you make three failed attempts to enter the password, the test will run anyway, but it will produce less information. In most cases, the difference is not important. If you don't know the password, or if you prefer not to enter it, press the key combination control-C or just press return  three times at the password prompt. Again, the script will still run.

    If you're not logged in as an administrator, you won't be prompted for a password. The test will still run. It just won't do anything that requires administrator privileges.

    11. The test may take a few minutes to run, depending on how many files you have and the speed of the computer. A computer that's abnormally slow may take longer to run the test. While it's running, there will be nothing in the Terminal window and no indication of progress. Wait for the line

    [Process completed]

    to appear. If you don't see it within half an hour or so, the test probably won't complete in a reasonable time. In that case, close the Terminal window and report what happened. No harm will be done.

    12. When the test is complete, quit Terminal. The results will have been copied to the Clipboard automatically. They are not shown in the Terminal window. Please don't copy anything from there. All you have to do is start a reply to this comment and then paste by pressing command-V again.

    At the top of the results, there will be a line that begins with the words "Start time." If you don't see that, but instead see a mass of gibberish, you didn't wait for the "Process completed" message to appear in the Terminal window. Please wait for it and try again.

    If any private information, such as your name or email address, appears in the results, anonymize it before posting. Usually that won't be necessary.

    13. When you post the results, you might see an error message on the web page: "You have included content in your post that is not permitted," or "You are not authorized to post." That's a bug in the forum software. Please post the test results on Pastebin, then post a link here to the page you created.

    14. This is a public forum, and others may give you advice based on the results of the test. They speak only for themselves, and I don't necessarily agree with them.

    ______________________________________________________________

    Copyright © 2014 by Linc Davis. As the sole author of this work, I reserve all rights to it except as provided in the Use Agreement for the Apple Support Communities website ("ASC"). Readers of ASC may copy it for their own personal use. Neither the whole nor any part may be redistributed.

  • by weinert,

    weinert weinert Sep 3, 2014 7:50 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 3, 2014 7:50 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Start time: 22:44:34 09/03/14

     

     

    Model Identifier: MacBookPro10,1

    System Version: OS X 10.9.4 (13E28)

    Kernel Version: Darwin 13.3.0

    Time since boot: 52 minutes

     

     

    USB

     

     

       MFP Laser 3115cn (Dell Inc.)

       Storage Media (Sony Corporation)

     

     

    Log

     

     

       Sep  3 21:14:56 IOPPF: Sent cpu-plimit-notification last value 2 (rounded time weighted average 1)

       Sep  3 21:15:09 IOPPF: Sent cpu-plimit-notification last value 2 (rounded time weighted average 1)

       Sep  3 21:15:25 IOPPF: Sent cpu-plimit-notification last value 3 (rounded time weighted average 2)

       Sep  3 21:15:37 IOPPF: Sent cpu-plimit-notification last value 2 (rounded time weighted average 3)

       Sep  3 21:15:50 IOPPF: Sent cpu-plimit-notification last value 2 (rounded time weighted average 2)

       Sep  3 21:16:03 IOPPF: Sent cpu-plimit-notification last value 3 (rounded time weighted average 3)

       Sep  3 21:16:14 IOPPF: Sent cpu-plimit-notification last value 1 (rounded time weighted average 3)

       Sep  3 21:16:37 IOPPF: Sent cpu-plimit-notification last value 1 (rounded time weighted average 1)

       Sep  3 21:16:49 IOPPF: Sent cpu-plimit-notification last value 2 (rounded time weighted average 3)

       Sep  3 21:17:01 IOPPF: Sent cpu-plimit-notification last value 3 (rounded time weighted average 3)

       Sep  3 21:20:15 IOPPF: Sent cpu-plimit-notification last value 1 (rounded time weighted average 1)

       Sep  3 21:20:35 IOPPF: Sent cpu-plimit-notification last value 1 (rounded time weighted average 2)

       Sep  3 21:26:13 jnl: b(1, 2): replay_journal: from: 9037824 to: 20686848 (joffset 0x12ada000)

       Sep  3 21:26:13 jnl: b(1, 2): examining extra transactions starting @ 20686848 / 0x13ba800

       Sep  3 21:26:13 jnl: b(1, 2): Extra txn replay stopped @ 21608448 / 0x149b800

       Sep  3 21:26:13 jnl: b(1, 2): journal replay done.

       Sep  3 21:37:07 Vendor ID 0xffff is not validprocess Dock[259] thread 2231 caught burning CPU! It used more than 50% CPU (Actual recent usage: 51%) over 180 seconds. thread lifetime cpu usage 91.149383 seconds, (82.896514 user, 8.252869 system) ledger info: balance: 90037166633 credit: 90799543615 debit: 762376982 limit: 90000000000 (50%) period: 180000000000 time since last refill (ns): 174271745610

       Sep  3 21:42:15 IOHIDSystem: Seize of IOHIDPointing failed.

       Sep  3 21:42:15 IOHIDSystem: Seize of AppleMultitouchHIDEventDriver failed.

       Sep  3 21:45:16 process ClamXav[280] thread 4785 caught burning CPU! It used more than 50% CPU (Actual recent usage: 76%) over 180 seconds. thread lifetime cpu usage 91.666381 seconds, (31.671462 user, 59.994919 system) ledger info: balance: 90006983522 credit: 90006983522 debit: 0 limit: 90000000000 (50%) period: 180000000000 time since last refill (ns): 117844465463

       Sep  3 21:47:18 process Dock[225] thread 2111 caught burning CPU! It used more than 50% CPU (Actual recent usage: 85%) over 180 seconds. thread lifetime cpu usage 179.308900 seconds, (164.746441 user, 14.562459 system) ledger info: balance: 90008776073 credit: 178575468912 debit: 88566692839 limit: 90000000000 (50%) period: 180000000000 time since last refill (ns): 104702762277

       Sep  3 21:52:15 jnl: b(1, 2): replay_journal: from: 20903424 to: 29816320 (joffset 0x12ada000)

       Sep  3 21:52:15 jnl: b(1, 2): journal replay done.

       Sep  3 21:52:19 IOHIDSystem: Seize of AppleMultitouchHIDEventDriver failed.

       Sep  3 21:52:19 IOHIDSystem: Seize of IOHIDPointing failed.

     

     

    Memory: kernel_task (UID 0) is using 1059 MB

     

     

    kexts

     

     

       com.Symantec.kext.SAVAPComm (12.1)

     

     

    Daemons

     

     

       com.oracle.java.JavaUpdateHelper

       com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool

       com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper

       com.google.keystone.daemon

       com.adobe.fpsaud

     

     

    Agents

     

     

       2BUA8C4S2C.com.agilebits.onepassword-osx-helper

       com.symantec.symsecondarylaunch.application

       com.symantec.scannotification.application

       com.symantec.savdiskmountnotify.application

       com.symantec.quickmenusa.application

       com.oracle.java.Java-Updater

       com.google.keystone.system.agent

       uk.co.markallan.clamxav.freshclam

       com.adobe.ARM.UUID

     

     

    launchd

     

     

       /Library/LaunchAgents/com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist

       - com.adobe.AAM.Startup-1.0

       /Library/LaunchAgents/com.google.keystone.agent.plist

       - com.google.keystone.system.agent

       /Library/LaunchAgents/com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist

       - com.oracle.java.Java-Updater

       /Library/LaunchAgents/com.symantec.quickmenusa.application.plist

       - com.symantec.quickmenusa.application

       /Library/LaunchAgents/com.symantec.savdiskmountnotify.application.plist

       - com.symantec.savdiskmountnotify.application

       /Library/LaunchAgents/com.symantec.scannotification.application.plist

       - com.symantec.scannotification.application

       /Library/LaunchAgents/com.symantec.symsecondarylaunch.application.plist

       - com.symantec.symsecondarylaunch.application

       /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.adobe.fpsaud.plist

       - com.adobe.fpsaud

       /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.google.keystone.daemon.plist

       - com.google.keystone.daemon

       /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist

       - com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper

       /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist

       - com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool

       /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.oracle.java.JavaUpdateHelper.plist

       - com.oracle.java.JavaUpdateHelper

       Library/LaunchAgents/com.adobe.ARM.UUID.plist

       - com.adobe.ARM.UUID

       Library/LaunchAgents/uk.co.markallan.clamxav.freshclam.plist

       - uk.co.markallan.clamxav.freshclam

     

     

    Startup items

     

     

       /Library/StartupItems/NortonMissedTasks/NortonMissedTasks

       /Library/StartupItems/NortonMissedTasks/StartupParameters.plist

       /Library/StartupItems/SMC/SMC

       /Library/StartupItems/SMC/smcdaemon

       /Library/StartupItems/SMC/smclient

       /Library/StartupItems/SMC/StartupParameters.plist

       /Library/StartupItems/SMC/syguard

       /Library/StartupItems/SMC/SymantecALS

       /Library/StartupItems/SymAutoProtect/SAVAPComm.kext/Contents/Info.plist

       /Library/StartupItems/SymAutoProtect/SAVAPComm.kext/Contents/MacOS/SAVAPComm

       /Library/StartupItems/SymAutoProtect/StartupParameters.plist

       /Library/StartupItems/SymAutoProtect/SymAutoProtect

     

     

    Bundles

     

     

       /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/AdobeAAMDetect.plugin

       - com.AdobeAAMDetectLib.AdobeAAMDetect

       /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/AdobePDFViewer.plugin

       - com.adobe.acrobat.pdfviewer

       /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/AdobePDFViewerNPAPI.plugin

       - com.adobe.acrobat.pdfviewerNPAPI

       /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/Flash Player.plugin

       - N/A

       /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin

       - com.oracle.java.JavaAppletPlugin

       /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/SharePointBrowserPlugin.plugin

       - com.microsoft.sharepoint.browserplugin

       /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/SharePointWebKitPlugin.webplugin

       - com.microsoft.sharepoint.webkitplugin

       /Library/PreferencePanes/Flash Player.prefPane

       - com.adobe.flashplayerpreferences

       /Library/PreferencePanes/JavaControlPanel.prefPane

       - com.oracle.java.JavaControlPanel

       /Library/PreferencePanes/OSXFUSE.prefPane

       - com.github.osxfuse.OSXFUSEPrefPane

       /Library/PreferencePanes/SymantecSAQuickMenu.prefPane

       - com.symantec.quickmenusa.prefpane

       /Library/PreferencePanes/SymAutoProtect.prefPane

       - SymAutoProtect

       /Library/Services/ScanService.service

       - com.symantec.ScanService

       Library/Address Book Plug-Ins/SkypeABDialer.bundle

       - com.skype.skypeabdialer

       Library/Address Book Plug-Ins/SkypeABSMS.bundle

       - com.skype.skypeabsms

       Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Extensions/1Password.safariextension

       - com.agilebits.onepassword4-safari

       Library/Internet Plug-Ins/Google Earth Web Plug-in.plugin

       - com.Google.GoogleEarthPlugin.plugin

       Library/Widgets/TWCi.wdgt

       - com.weather.widget.Forecast

     

     

    dylibs

     

     

       /usr/lib/libsymsea.1.1.0.dylib

     

     

    Root crontab

     

     

       #SqzS VERSION = 1.0.0

       #SYMANTEC SCHEDULER CRON ENTRIES.  THESE ENTRIES ARE AUTOMATICALLY GENERATED

       #PLEASE DO NOT EDIT.

       # Enc=1 Name=DefaultLiveUpdateSchedule  EvType1=1 EvType2=1 Sched=5

       21 */4 * * * "/Library/Application Support/Symantec/Scheduler/SymSecondaryLaunch.app/Contents/schedLauncher" -u  1 "/Library/Application Support/Norton Solutions Support/LiveUpdate/LiveUpdate.app/Contents/MacOS/LiveUpdate" "    "  "oapp"  "aevt"  "exAG" "-update LUal -liveupdatequiet YES -liveupdateautoquit YES"

       #SqzS END SYMANTEC CRON ENTRIES

     

     

    Profiles: 1

     

     

    Font issues: 37

     

     

    Firewall: On

     

     

    DNS: 75.75.76.76 (static)

     

     

    Safari extensions

     

     

       1Password

     

     

    Widgets

     

     

       TWCi

     

     

    Restricted files: 359

     

     

    Elapsed time (s): 177

  • by Linc Davis,Solvedanswer

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Sep 3, 2014 8:26 PM in response to weinert
    Level 10 (208,000 points)
    Applications
    Sep 3, 2014 8:26 PM in response to weinert

    A.

    Remove the Norton/Symantec product by following the instructions on either of these pages:

    Uninstalling your Norton product for Mac

    Removing Symantec programs for Macintosh

    If you have a different version of the product, the procedure may be different. Back up all data before making any changes.

    B.

    Some of your user files (not system files) have incorrect permissions or are locked. This procedure will unlock those files and reset their ownership, permissions, and access controls to the default. If you've intentionally set special values for those attributes, they will be reverted. In that case, either stop here, or be prepared to recreate the settings if necessary. Do so only after verifying that those settings didn't cause the problem. If none of this is meaningful to you, you don't need to worry about it, but you do need to follow the instructions below.

    Step 1

    If you have more than one user, and the one in question is not an administrator, then go to Step 2.

    Enter the following command in the Terminal window in the same way as before (triple-click, copy, and paste):

    sudo find ~ $TMPDIR.. -exec chflags -h nouchg,nouappnd,noschg,nosappnd {} + -exec chown -h $UID {} + -exec chmod +rw {} + -exec chmod -h -N {} + -type d -exec chmod -h +x {} + 2>&-

    You'll be prompted for your login password, which won't be displayed when you type it. Type carefully and then press return. You may get a one-time warning to be careful. If you don’t have a login password, you’ll need to set one before you can run the command. If you see a message that your username "is not in the sudoers file," then you're not logged in as an administrator.

    The command may take several minutes to run, depending on how many files you have. Wait for a new line ending in a dollar sign ($) to appear, then quit Terminal.

    Step 2 (optional)

    Take this step only if you have trouble with Step 1, if you prefer not to take it, or if it doesn't solve the problem.

    Start up in Recovery mode. When the OS X Utilities screen appears, select

              Utilities Terminal

    from the menu bar. A Terminal window will open. In that window, type this:

    res

    Press the tab key. The partial command you typed will automatically be completed to this:

    resetpassword

    Press return. A Reset Password window will open. You’re not going to reset a password.

    Select your startup volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name) if not already selected.

    Select your username from the menu labeled Select the user account if not already selected.

    Under Reset Home Directory Permissions and ACLs, click the Reset button

    Select

               Restart

    from the menu bar.

  • by weinert,

    weinert weinert Sep 3, 2014 8:51 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 3, 2014 8:51 PM in response to Linc Davis

    hi linc:  thx for your response and help.  before i do this second task, it might be helpful to know your assessment of the first test i ran.  next, why am i removing symantec?  finally, are locked user files or that have incorrect permission a bad thing?  please help me understand.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Sep 3, 2014 9:17 PM in response to weinert
    Level 10 (208,000 points)
    Applications
    Sep 3, 2014 9:17 PM in response to weinert
    are locked user files or that have incorrect permission a bad thing?

    Yes.

    why am i removing symantec?

    Short answer: Because it's worse than useless and worse than the imaginary "viruses" you're afraid of would be if they really existed. For the long answer, see below.

    1. This is a comment on what you should—and should not—do to protect yourself from malicious software ("malware") that circulates on the Internet and gets onto a computer as an unintended consequence of the user's actions. It does not apply to software, such as keystroke loggers, that may be installed deliberately by an intruder who has hands-on access to the computer, or who has been able to log in to it remotely. That threat is in a different category, and there's no easy way to defend against it.

    The comment is long because the issue is complex. The key points are in sections 5, 6, and 10.

    OS X now implements three layers of built-in protection specifically against malware, not counting runtime protections such as execute disable, sandboxing, system library randomization, and address space layout randomization that may also guard against other kinds of exploits.

    2. All versions of OS X since 10.6.7 have been able to detect known Mac malware in downloaded files, and to block insecure web plugins. This feature is transparent to the user. Internally Apple calls it "XProtect."

    The malware recognition database used by XProtect is automatically updated; however, you shouldn't rely on it, because the attackers are always at least a day ahead of the defenders.

    The following caveats apply to XProtect:

    ☞ It can be bypassed by some third-party networking software, such as BitTorrent clients and Java applets.

    ☞ It only applies to software downloaded from the network. Software installed from a CD or other media is not checked.

    As new versions of OS X are released, it's not clear whether Apple will indefinitely continue to maintain the XProtect database of older versions such as 10.6. The security of obsolete system versions may eventually be degraded. Security updates to the code of obsolete systems will stop being released at some point, and that may leave them open to other kinds of attack besides malware.

    3. Starting with OS X 10.7.5, there has been a second layer of built-in malware protection, designated "Gatekeeper" by Apple. By default, applications and Installer packages downloaded from the network will only run if they're digitally signed by a developer with a certificate issued by Apple. Software certified in this way hasn't necessarily been tested by Apple, but you can be reasonably sure that it hasn't been modified by anyone other than the developer. His identity is known to Apple, so he could be held legally responsible if he distributed malware. That may not mean much if the developer lives in a country with a weak legal system (see below.)

    Gatekeeper doesn't depend on a database of known malware. It has, however, the same limitations as XProtect, and in addition the following:

    ☞ It can easily be disabled or overridden by the user.

    ☞ A malware attacker could get control of a code-signing certificate under false pretenses, or could simply ignore the consequences of distributing codesigned malware.

    ☞ An App Store developer could find a way to bypass Apple's oversight, or the oversight could fail due to human error.

    Apple has so far failed to revoke the codesigning certificates of some known abusers, thereby diluting the value of Gatekeeper and the Developer ID program. These failures don't involve App Store products, however.

    For the reasons given, App Store products, and—to a lesser extent—other applications recognized by Gatekeeper as signed, are safer than others, but they can't be considered absolutely safe. "Sandboxed" applications may prompt for access to private data, such as your contacts, or for access to the network. Think before granting that access. Sandbox security is based on user input. Never click through any request for authorization without thinking.

    4. Starting with OS X 10.8.3, a third layer of protection has been added: a "Malware Removal Tool" (MRT). MRT runs automatically in the background when you update the OS. It checks for, and removes, malware that may have evaded the other protections via a Java exploit (see below.) MRT also runs when you install or update the Apple-supplied Java runtime (but not the Oracle runtime.) Like XProtect, MRT is effective against known threats, but not against unknown ones. It notifies you if it finds malware, but otherwise there's no user interface to MRT.

    5. The built-in security features of OS X reduce the risk of malware attack, but they are not, and never will be, complete protection. Malware is a problem of human behavior, and a technological fix is not going to solve it. Trusting software to protect you will only make you more vulnerable.

    The best defense is always going to be your own intelligence. With the possible exception of Java exploits, all known malware circulating on the Internet that affects a fully-updated installation of OS X 10.6 or later takes the form of so-called "Trojan horses," which can only have an effect if the victim is duped into running them. The threat therefore amounts to a battle of wits between you and the scam artists. If you're smarter than they think you are, you'll win. That means, in practice, that you always stay within a safe harbor of computing practices. How do you know when you're leaving the safe harbor? Below are some warning signs of danger.

    Software from an untrustworthy source

    ☞ Software of any kind is distributed via BitTorrent, or Usenet, or on a website that also distributes pirated music or movies.

    ☞ Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, doesn't come directly from the developer’s website. Do not trust an alert from any website to update Flash, or your browser, or any other software.

    ☞ Rogue websites such as Softonic and CNET Download distribute free applications that have been packaged in a superfluous "installer."

    ☞ The software is advertised by means of spam or intrusive web ads. Any ad, on any site, that includes a direct link to a download should be ignored.

    Software that is plainly illegal or does something illegal

    ☞ High-priced commercial software such as Photoshop is "cracked" or "free."

    ☞ An application helps you to infringe copyright, for instance by circumventing the copy protection on commercial software, or saving streamed media for reuse without permission.

    Conditional or unsolicited offers from strangers

    ☞ A telephone caller or a web page tells you that you have a “virus” and offers to help you remove it. (Some reputable websites did legitimately warn visitors who were infected with the "DNSChanger" malware. That exception to this rule no longer applies.)

    ☞ A web site offers free content such as video or music, but to use it you must install a “codec,” “plug-in,” "player," "downloader," "extractor," or “certificate” that comes from that same site, or an unknown one.

    ☞ You win a prize in a contest you never entered.

    ☞ Someone on a message board such as this one is eager to help you, but only if you download an application of his choosing.

    ☞ A "FREE WI-FI !!!" network advertises itself in a public place such as an airport, but is not provided by the management.

    ☞ Anything online that you would expect to pay for is "free."

    Unexpected events

    ☞ A file is downloaded automatically when you visit a web page, with no other action on your part. Delete any such file without opening it.

    ☞ You open what you think is a document and get an alert that it's "an application downloaded from the Internet." Click Cancel and delete the file. Even if you don't get the alert, you should still delete any file that isn't what you expected it to be.

    ☞ An application does something you don't expect, such as asking for permission to access your contacts, your location, or the Internet for no obvious reason.

    ☞ Software is attached to email that you didn't request, even if it comes (or seems to come) from someone you trust.

    I don't say that leaving the safe harbor just once will necessarily result in disaster, but making a habit of it will weaken your defenses against malware attack. Any of the above scenarios should, at the very least, make you uncomfortable.

    6. Java on the Web (not to be confused with JavaScript, to which it's not related, despite the similarity of the names) is a weak point in the security of any system. Java is, among other things, a platform for running complex applications in a web page, on the client. That was always a bad idea, and Java's developers have proven themselves incapable of implementing it without also creating a portal for malware to enter. Past Java exploits are the closest thing there has ever been to a Windows-style virus affecting OS X. Merely loading a page with malicious Java content could be harmful.

    Fortunately, client-side Java on the Web is obsolete and mostly extinct. Only a few outmoded sites still use it. Try to hasten the process of extinction by avoiding those sites, if you have a choice. Forget about playing games or other non-essential uses of Java.

    Java is not included in OS X 10.7 and later. Discrete Java installers are distributed by Apple and by Oracle (the developer of Java.) Don't use either one unless you need it. Most people don't. If Java is installed, disable itnot JavaScript—in your browsers.

    Regardless of version, experience has shown that Java on the Web can't be trusted. If you must use a Java applet for a task on a specific site, enable Java only for that site in Safari. Never enable Java for a public website that carries third-party advertising. Use it only on well-known, login-protected, secure websites without ads. In Safari 6 or later, you'll see a lock icon in the address bar with the abbreviation "https" when visiting a secure site.

    Stay within the safe harbor, and you’ll be as safe from malware as you can practically be. The rest of this comment concerns what you should not do to protect yourself.

    7. Never install any commercial "anti-virus" (AV) or "Internet security" products for the Mac, as they are all worse than useless. If you need to be able to detect Windows malware in your files, use one of the free security apps in the Mac App Store—nothing else.

    Why shouldn't you use commercial AV products?

    ☞ To recognize malware, the software depends on a database of known threats, which is always at least a day out of date. This technique is a proven failure, as a major AV software vendor has admitted. Most attacks are "zero-day"—that is, previously unknown. Recognition-based AV does not defend against such attacks, and the enterprise IT industry is coming to the realization that traditional AV software is worthless.

    ☞ Its design is predicated on the nonexistent threat that malware may be injected at any time, anywhere in the file system. Malware is downloaded from the network; it doesn't materialize from nowhere. In order to meet that nonexistent threat, commercial AV software modifies or duplicates low-level functions of the operating system, which is a waste of resources and a common cause of instability, bugs, and poor performance.

    ☞ By modifying the operating system, the software may also create weaknesses that could be exploited by malware attackers.

    ☞ Most importantly, a false sense of security is dangerous.

    8. An AV product from the App Store, such as "ClamXav," has the same drawback as the commercial suites of being always out of date, but it does not inject low-level code into the operating system. That doesn't mean it's entirely harmless. It may report email messages that have "phishing" links in the body, or Windows malware in attachments, as infected files, and offer to delete or move them. Doing so will corrupt the Mail database. The messages should be deleted from within the Mail application.

    An AV app is not needed, and cannot be relied upon, for protection against OS X malware. It's useful, if at all, only for detecting Windows malware, and even for that use it's not really effective, because new Windows malware is emerging much faster than OS X malware.

    Windows malware can't harm you directly (unless, of course, you use Windows.) Just don't pass it on to anyone else. A malicious attachment in email is usually easy to recognize by the name alone. An actual example:

    London Terror Moovie.avi [124 spaces] Checked By Norton Antivirus.exe

    You don't need software to tell you that's a Windows trojan. Software may be able to tell you which trojan it is, but who cares? In practice, there's no reason to use recognition software unless an organizational policy requires it. Windows malware is so widespread that you should assume it's in everyemail attachment until proven otherwise. Nevertheless, ClamXav or a similar product from the App Store may serve a purpose if it satisfies an ill-informed network administrator who says you must run some kind of AV application. It's free and it won't handicap the system.

    The ClamXav developer won't try to "upsell" you to a paid version of the product. Other developers may do that. Don't be upsold. For one thing, you should not pay to protect Windows users from the consequences of their choice of computing platform. For another, a paid upgrade from a free app will probably have all the disadvantages mentioned in section 7.

    9. It seems to be a common belief that the built-in Application Firewall acts as a barrier to infection, or prevents malware from functioning. It does neither. It blocks inbound connections to certain network services you're running, such as file sharing. It's disabled by default and you should leave it that way if you're behind a router on a private home or office network. Activate it only when you're on an untrusted network, for instance a public Wi-Fi hotspot, where you don't want to provide services. Disable any services you don't use in the Sharing preference pane. All are disabled by default.

    10. As a Mac user, you don't have to live in fear that your computer may be infected every time you install software, read email, or visit a web page. But neither can you assume that you will always be safe from exploitation, no matter what you do. Navigating the Internet is like walking the streets of a big city. It's as safe or as dangerous as you choose to make it. The greatest harm done by security software is precisely its selling point: it makes people feel safe. They may then feel safe enough to take risks from which the software doesn't protect them. Nothing can lessen the need for safe computing practices.

  • by weinert,

    weinert weinert Sep 3, 2014 10:09 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 3, 2014 10:09 PM in response to Linc Davis

    done. now what? :-)

  • by weinert,

    weinert weinert Sep 3, 2014 10:13 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 3, 2014 10:13 PM in response to Linc Davis

    how do i know that the user files that may have had incorrect permissions or were locked are now ok? thx!  :-)

  • by Linc Davis,Helpful

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Sep 3, 2014 10:51 PM in response to weinert
    Level 10 (208,000 points)
    Applications
    Sep 3, 2014 10:51 PM in response to weinert

    Now use the computer and see whether there's an improvement.