I.want to migrate contents from my old IMac to the new iMac. I am concerned that viruses that may be in the old iMac be transferred also to the new IMac.
What to do?
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
iMac 27″, 11.6
This user tip describes what you need to know and do in order to protect your Mac: Effective defenses against malware and other threats - Apple Community.
There are no known viruses, i.e. self propagating, for Macs. There are, however, adware and malware which require the user to install although unwittingly most of the time thru sneaky links, etc.
Anti Virus developers try to group all types as viruses into their ad campaigns of fear. They do a poor job of the detecting and isolating the adware and malware. Since there are no viruses these apps use up a lot of system resources searching for what is non-existent and adversely affect system and app performance.
There is one app, Malwarebytes, which was developed by a long time contributor to these forums and a highly respected member of the computer security community, that is desshoigned solely to seek out adware and known malware and remove it. The free version is more than adequate for most users.
This user tip describes what you need to know and do in order to protect your Mac: Effective defenses against malware and other threats - Apple Community.
There are no known viruses, i.e. self propagating, for Macs. There are, however, adware and malware which require the user to install although unwittingly most of the time thru sneaky links, etc.
Anti Virus developers try to group all types as viruses into their ad campaigns of fear. They do a poor job of the detecting and isolating the adware and malware. Since there are no viruses these apps use up a lot of system resources searching for what is non-existent and adversely affect system and app performance.
There is one app, Malwarebytes, which was developed by a long time contributor to these forums and a highly respected member of the computer security community, that is desshoigned solely to seek out adware and known malware and remove it. The free version is more than adequate for most users.
generally, you should be safe transferring that content. If you are worried, then you should transfer all except executables, and redownload those after the fact. Just using common sense is quite the effective defense against most malware.
get malwarebytes dont need to use the purchased version the free version works perfectly for regular home use theat will clean your out if you picked something up
+1 on Ronasara's comments.
To migrate from the 2015 to the 2021 PLEASE follow the steps in Setup Assistant and Migration Assistant . If you have already run Setup Assistant on the 2021 then jump to the Migration Assistant section and follow it to the letter!!!
malwarebytes is a big company which makes software targeting windows, not made by a "long time contributor"
in my experience, the windows and mac versions of malwarebytes are not that great, and other software is far better
I use the cli version of clamd, but what is good for you really depends on your precise needs, and you should do your own research to see which antimalware you should get. for example, clamd is Free and Open Source, is extremely configurable, has detailed documentation, but has issues with it needing to keep the database in memory taking up 1-2gb of RAM when your computer is on. Other solutions probably don't have that issue but also might be less configurable, or proprietary, etc.
Also, in that same article you linked to it says this:
1 You can mitigate those threats by following commonsense practices
2 Delegating that responsibility to software is an ineffective defense
3 Assuming that any product will protect you from those threats is a hazardous attitude that is likely to result in neglecting point #1 above.
tl;dr don't get malwarebytes, do your own research
However, Malwarebytes is the ONLY anti-malware that is OK to use on your Mac.
No cleaner or other anti-virus/anti-malware is good for your Mac.
ok now you are definitely a spam bot;
if malwarebytes suits your personal needs, go for it. for most use cases that I have seen however, malwarebytes doesn't suit me that well. also, malwarebytes comes preinstalled with it's own adware in the form of popups nagging you to upgrade. generally, stay away from antimalware made by large corporations (i. e. norton, mcafee, malwarebytes, etc)
5ynt4x_3rr0r_ wrote:
Im sorry? that's like saying Jeeps are the only off-road vehicles that are ok to use for rough terrain. I use clamd, there is Kaspersky, ClamXAV, any of the many open source solutions, Malwarebytes is not the only antimalware that can be used for macs. Maybe do some research before replying to a discussion here.
In theory, they could be used, but they are all junk and completely ruin macOS. Except for Malwarebytes.
a virus is malware but malware isnt strictly a virus. malware is a 'blanket term' for a bunch of different types of software, i. e.
viruses, which replicate on their own
worms, which transfer themselves to other systems
trojans, which are backdoors and often include other malware
ransomware, which locks your computer and requests payment
badware, which is intended to cause as much damage as possible
adware, which fills your system with ads
among other types of software
malwarebytes is a big company which makes software targeting windows, not made by a "long time contributor"
Incorrect. Malwarebytes for Mac purchased AdwareMedic, which was made by a long time contributor of the Apple Support Communities. The roots of Malwarebytes for Mac today are the same as AdwareMedic.
Jack
Im sorry? that's like saying Jeeps are the only off-road vehicles that are ok to use for rough terrain. I use clamd, there is Kaspersky, ClamXAV, any of the many open source solutions, Malwarebytes is not the only antimalware that can be used for macs. Maybe do some research before replying to a discussion here.
No matter how you try to split them up, there are still only three. Viruses. Trojans. Worms. That's it.
Even though I already explained why, do you not understand that ransomware, spyware, adware and the other junk you posted links for are all Trojans? They all require the user to download and install them. That's the very definition of a Trojan. All other names are just subheadings of the same category. The only exception is scareware, which is nothing but a con to try and get you to do something you shouldn't. Though the purpose many times is to try and convince the user to download and install a Trojan.
And did you even read the list you linked to in your last line? Did you not notice none of them are classified as a virus? Do you understand the difference between a virus and a Trojan or worm? It doesn't seem so.
Your welcome.
You have asked a good question. Here is the answer. Macs do not get viruses. So you can not transfer one. They can get malware, which is different. That can be easily cleared with the free app MalwareBytes. Macs have built in antivirus protection and their operating system is write protected, so nothing can be added that might cause a problem. The best thing you can do is to clean up your old computer prior to doing the transfer. Many of us install junk apps which cause conflicts and other problems. Sometimes our settings and preferences cause problems. When doing the migration, you will have the option of transferring your settings and preferences, or not. That's up to you. Enjoy your new Mac.
With due respect your allegation that Malwarebytes is NOT made by a large company and was not developed by a long time and extremely trusted member of these forums is completely incorrect. Malwarebytes does handle malware including trojans and adware that user who not follow safe computing can download and install.
Sorry but your allegations are just false.
Can my iMac get viruses from transferring files into it?
