mokantx

Q: How can I remove an email from apple's email once the contents have been removed (by virus scan software?)

Of late, I've received a spate of emails carrying malicious attachments.  I've not opened any of the attachments, and my antivirus software has picked up the malicious content and removed it from the email.  Thus, I'm left with an email on my system, with no content.  Alas, the system does not allow me to then remove the (shell of) the email that's left.  How can I removed these "empty" emails from my mailbox?

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X El Capitan (10.11.6), 16GB RAM, 5GB Solid state "drive"

Posted on Sep 27, 2016 5:19 PM

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Q: How can I remove an email from apple's email once the contents have been removed (by virus scan software?)

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  • by John Galt,Helpful

    John Galt John Galt Sep 27, 2016 7:19 PM in response to mokantx
    Level 9 (50,058 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 27, 2016 7:19 PM in response to mokantx

    ... my antivirus software has picked up the malicious content and removed it from the email.

     

    Allowing something to alter the Mail database will result in it becoming corrupted.

     

    If you use Time Machine, restore the email by "Entering Time Machine" from within Mail, and choosing an appropriate time to restore. Then, simply delete suspicious email messages in the usual manner. Exit full screen mode before entering Time Machine.

     

    You should not use non-Apple "anti-virus" software on a Mac, for this reason and many others. Identify the product are you using for uninstallation instructions.

  • by mokantx,

    mokantx mokantx Sep 27, 2016 7:18 PM in response to John Galt
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 27, 2016 7:18 PM in response to John Galt

    Hi John, and thank you: I truly appreciate the information.  Your answer however, also raises some pretty serious questions in my mind, so I'd like to follow up.

     

    The reason I could identify these particular emails, is that they purported to be transmittals of business invoices (from companies I've not done business with, or as "documents" from folks I don't recognize.  As long as I'm truly on my toes, so far I've been able to catch them.  But these guys are getting better and better at crafting messages that are enticing.  A day will come when I won't recognize one until after I've clicked...  As a self-employed attorney, I DO see a lot of emails, so it is quite possible I'll be getting messages at times from folks I don't know that are legitimate.  So if what you're telling me is that I cannot use any kind of "anti..." software as it will corrupt apple's mail platform/database, I'm genuinely worried.

     

    I know apple has an overall good record against malware, but I also know they are under ever more attack.  Are you suggesting we go without some kind of protection, at least as to email, if not other areas?  Is there some kind of software out there I could use in lieu of what I'm using now?  Is Apple working on this problem?

     

    I suspect that as an answer here, I could simply delete the email account, and reinstall it, and that would likely clear out those "empty" messages.  While cumbersome, that would at least give me some assurance that I'll be less likely to let one get through...

     

    Thoughts?   Again, thanks.  I appreciate your response, and your knowledge.

  • by John Galt,

    John Galt John Galt Sep 28, 2016 9:10 AM in response to mokantx
    Level 9 (50,058 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 28, 2016 9:10 AM in response to mokantx

    So if what you're telling me is that I cannot use any kind of "anti..." software as it will corrupt apple's mail platform/database, I'm genuinely worried.

     

    If you find installing a non-Apple "anti-virus" product to convey a benefit to you, you must always remain vigilant of its ability to cause adverse effects, which nearly all those products will do. In no case should you allow such software to delete or "quarantine" suspicious files including emails or their attachments.

     

    If it should identify something suspicious, stop there and investigate. Most of those products will do nothing other than identify Windows malware that has no effect on a Mac. If that malware is contained in an email attachment, and you forward the email (including that attachment) to a colleague with a Windows PC, the malware will certainly be forwarded along with it, but it's up to that Windows PC user to dispose of it. Or, you can elect to forward the email without the attachment.

     

    Otherwise, suspicious emails or spam should simply be deleted in the normal manner.

     

    You might be able to fix the empty email message by rebuilding the Mailbox, or all Mailboxes in your Mail app. To do that please read Mail for Mac: Rebuild mailboxes.

     

    It will take a few moments to complete, depending on the total number of messages in those Mailboxes. Until it finishes, it's normal for the message preview column's contents to flash repeatedly as it rebuilds the message database. Mail's operation will also be slow until it finishes.

     

    It would be prudent to back up your Mac prior to doing that, but if rebuilding a Mailbox causes any email messages to be deleted they were probably not recoverable anyway. I recommend backing up in this particular circumstance only in an abundance of caution, but it's something everyone ought to be doing.

     

    ... Is Apple working on this problem?

     

    I find iCloud Mail's server-side spam protection to be pretty effective. If you use email services other than iCloud Mail, look into your email provider's server-side options. Other than that, Apple isn't going to take an interest in Windows malware (which is probably what you encountered, given the overwhelming abundance of malware for that platform).