My MacBook Pro is infected with malware.

That’s unfamiliarity with how the modern web works, not malware.

Cookies are data, and not executable code.

Cookies are used to tailor website access.

You're necessarily using cookies right now, to access and write to the Apple forums.

With current Safari, Apple automatically blocks third-party and tracking cookies, and automatically expunges old cookies.

Safari uses different approaches to make tracking more difficult.

It’s possible to remove first-party cookies without breaking the web.

Some reading:

https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/24/21192830/apple-safari-intelligent-tracking-privacy-full-third-party-cookie-blocking

https://webkit.org/blog/9661/preventing-tracking-prevention-tracking/

Clear the history and cookies from Safari on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

https://www.infoq.com/news/2018/06/safari-tracking-prevention/

Here’s Apple’s write-up on platform security:

https://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1902/en_US/apple-platform-security-guide.pdf

I've been using this MacBook Pro for many years and it just recently started doing this.

Unless you actually have Safari set to disable cookies, I guarantee your Mac has been doing this for as many years as you've owned it. Disabling cookies also causes many web sites to fail to work as expected.

It loads up the cache quickly , almost instantly, which interferes with my ability to use the touchpad. It is a problem.

Whatever is causing the problems with your touchpad, it has nothing to do with cookies.

Download and run EtreCheck. Post the final results (bottom icon in the left column) in a new post here. You'll have to use the Additional text icon as the report is too long for the standard response box.

WatereeMan wrote:

I've tried the obvious things to remove it but it will not get gone.

If you suspect you have installed adware/malware:

>System Preferences>Profiles. found next to Accessibility (click into it and then remove all the suspicious things from the list.) May or may not be present if no profiles found.

Adware Removal Guide—Manual removal of : http://www.thesafemac.com/arg-identification/

or

Try running this trusted utility https://www.malwarebytes.com/mac/

also Verify you are not using SOCKS proxy:

>System Preferences>Networks>Advanced>Proxy uncheck the box

Adware/malware launch daemons can set SOCKS proxies without user participation.

(SOCKS is an Internet protocol that exchanges network packets between a client and server through a proxy server.)

Anytime you go online, all kinds of cookies will be collected. Clearing them out won't make them go away, or stay away.

They're also not any kind of malware. Just ignore them.

And what is this particular malware doing?