Q: is it safe to download the mackeeper?

I believe, like a lot of others, that Mackeeper would solve my problems. What I have found is that Mackeeper is my problem. I really don't know if I have completely removed it but I do know that this is not something you want to download to your computer. Not only does it have all kinds of popup ads but I think it also changed my homepage to one of there own. I am having to reset the homepage, of which I never agreed to change. This Mackeeper gave me more headaches than a little bit. STAY AWAY FROM IT!!!

Amen

Hi guys,  this is my first time using this forum and I'm not the best with computers.  But long story short I tried to stream a football game, Google Chrome then told me I may have received viruses from the website.  I googled a free anti-virus and it came up with MacKeeper.  It analyzed all the files on my computer and then put me to chat with an operator who I'm unsure if they were a bot or a person.

I should have stopped it as soon as it started analyzing my files but I didn't.  The whole thing has made me very uncomfortable.  I'm concerned I may have given access to some random person/group who may now have access to passwords etc.

Linc Davis, I saw several comments from you and you seem to know your stuff.  So two questions if you have a minute:

1. Do I need to be concerned that it analyzed all my stuff and is there anything I need to do?

2. Can you recommend any virus protection for Macs?

Cheers

In all likelihood what your first receives was Spam.

Now that you have downloaded MacKeeper, you have actually install real crapware on your Mac. You need to uninstall MacKeeper as quickly as possible.

To answer your questions;

1, No. You do not need any software to analyze your Mac. Mac OS X, unlike Windows, is able to take care of itself.

2, No. Don't install any software which claim it will clean your Mac, enhance the performance or increase the security. They are all lying to you.

Thanks for that mate.  I think I've gotten rid of it.  I dragged the application to the trash 'ejecting' it and then I emptied trash.  It looks like it's all gone which is a relief.

I just hope that when they analyzed my files they aren't retaining any of it or planning to use any of it.

And yeah you're probably correct that those first messages saying I have viruses were probably spam.  I've heard Apple is generally less susceptible to viruses.

Once again, I appreciate the help.

Please download and install EtreCheck from http://etrecheck.com/

Run it and post the report here. After analyzing the EtreCheck report we can tell if you managed to get rid of MacKeeper.

Unfortunately, dragging Mackeeper to the trash and emptying it probably didn't remove all of the insidious Mackeeper files that it installed on your machine.

Just one thing: when you put the Mackeeper app in the trash, did you get a pop up window offering you to uninstall Mackeeper? If not, then much of it probably remains.

Have a look at this link to be sure you remove all the remaining bits:

http://www.macworld.com/article/2861435/software-utilities/how-to-uninstall-mack eeper-from-your-mac.html

In particular, note the suggestion to run Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Detection and Removal. This free app will detect and identify Mackeeper as malware, and then remove all traces of it.

When I first switched over from Windows, I downloaded and used MacKeeper software.  I believe it was $40.

I guess it did OK, I could never really tell.  I did some research on the net, and got very different views.  Many revile it, some professionals said that it just did things that were already performed by OS, and a few seemed to think it was OK.

When I got my second MacBook Pro, I took MacKeeper OFF my first one, now used by my wife.  I did not load it onto my current MBP, and it runs fine.  Neither my wife (primarily a WINDOWS user) nor I miss it. 

I do not think that it is needed.  Especially if you pay attention to what websites you visit, and what links you click on.

bkb

"Many revile it, some professionals said that it just did things that were already performed by OS, and a few seemed to think it was OK."

I think I fall into first category after the number of time that I have to remove it from Macs and they would magically start running correctly.

I also concur with the second group you speak about who say everything it does the operating system can do. Or at least there are far safer solutions for the couple things that OS X can't do.

As to the third group who speak glowingly of MacKeeper, I always suspect them of being shills for Kromtech.

It's certainly not needed at all and has been proven to be an outright scam. It claims that every system it's installed on is "infected," and lost a lawsuit on that premise: http://www.thesafemac.com/ongoing-mackeeper-fraud/.

I was well aware of the "shills".  The research I did was a few years ago, so I no longer remember specifics.  But I disregarded shills.  The few "pro" reviews, assuming that they were real, seemed to be from valid publications.  Sure, they could have been shills, but they had remained online for over a year by the time I got to them.

I never had any problems with MK, but I could never tell that it affected my MBP one way or the other.  Like I said, I no longer use it, and I don't miss it.

bkb

IMHO how someone decides to sell their product,  what website they decide to use,  how they decide to coax users into paying for the product is irrelevant and quite honestly none of your business and unethical in the least for you to even mention such on a forum.  Its about if the product is safe or not.  I do not use it but with many years of experience in very low level firmware software authoring I took a look at it and so far I have found nothing to suggest its malware or designed to do anything untoward.  The onus is on you to show us otherwise as you have taken a stance against someone from the company who informed us that it is safe.

NicW

Your logic would allow pharmaceutical companies to bring on the market their drugs and then it would be up to the FDA to prove them ineffective or dangerous.  I suggest that the onus is on the developer to test and prove that their application works as intended with no adverse effect on the OSX.

Ciao.

So the single post defenders of MacKeeper have turned up on this thread?

Apparently the way in which Zeobit/Chromtech have coaxed and tricked users into buying MacKeeper was judged as significant by the courts. Significant enough that they awarded $2M as part of a class action lawsuit against them affirming that the Mackeeper developer employed deceptive and false claims. I believe that is reason to consider whether to install what has been called "malware" by many sources and it most certainly is our business.

Your answer is no its not safe period.