How to check Mac for malware/virus, etc

theMacincheese wrote:

So, if there was some malicious program or something that shouldn't be, malwarebytes would just remove it?

You seem to believe that junk apps somehow materialize on your Mac.

Apps don’t materialize.

You—the user—acquires and downloads and installs the app.

Again: You install the app. Potentially, you get hacked.

So here, you are asking for a tool which either asks you “do you really want to install this?” (and Gatekeeper already asks that), or that somehow discerns whether an intentionally-installed app is sketchy or not—and various of free apps will incorporate telemetry and tracking, and some well-known add-on anti-malware packages have uploaded user browser history and purchase history—details around actions and intents which is effectively impossible for an app to differentiate.

How can an add-on app differentiate the intent of other add-on apps?

This also gets into a false-negative-false-positive mess.

And as was mentioned, it’s common to see folks with two or three add-on anti-malware packages, installed, sometimes warring, and all of those still missing add-on malware. And some lack any backups. And they’ve re-used their passwords, or exposed their credentials.

And various of the add-on dreck that does get installed does change its names and characteristics with each campaign, and quite possibly with each install, making it that much harder to identify.

There’s no magical answer here.

There’s set-up work. On-going maintenance. And skepticism.

What does that mean? Backups. Two-factor authentication. Don’t install junk. Don’t install stuff you didn’t go looking for. Don’t install cracked apps or torrented apps. Use unique passwords. Did I mention having backups? Stick to the Mac App Store, where you can. Otherwise, the vendor’s own site. Avoid app aggregators, other than Apple.

Few of these security considerations and factors are even in the purview of add-on anti-malware add-on apps.

Again:

Effective defenses against malware and other threats - Apple Community

Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support

Yes, it’s work. Not magic. But you’re going to want to (have to) do this work, even if you install add-on anti-malware.