Mac Hack Prevention + Antivirus

I am among the many here that advise against using ANY antivirus apps, as well as any so called "clean up" or "optomizer" apps. all they are good at is causing serious issues within macOS while providing ZERO protection or benefit.

I would recommend that you read Effective defenses against malware and other threats - Apple Community. it's a long article, but worth your time to read every word.

CleanMyMac is an absolute no go. You will find that piece of software referred to as BrickMyMac in these forums. You are also able to view the problems other users have encountered with it by using the Search option on the top of this screen and enter "CleanMyMac".

As for MalwareBytes, I would only recommend using the free scan of your computer when Malware is present. You will know when you have Malware because it is not something that will hide itself. The purpose is to get you to install additional software and can also redirect web searches. This is very noticeable when using your computer.

If you are digging around in the /private/var/ or /etc/ folders, then you will not have permission to alter those files even if you are an admin. It is completely normal to have a bunch of files that you cannot access. System files are locked to prevent any changes, which is also why viruses are not able to alter those system files.

If you have wiped your computer and set it up as new, then you already have a clean system. The link provided for Essential Defenses against Malware is very informative. The only thing you will need to concern yourself with is protections your Passwords. That is the most likely case where an account will be compromised and is usually done through a phishing attempt.

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

You didn't say how you were hacked but I believe that the best protection we can use is to use passwords that are complex and varied. Do not simply use the same few passwords over and over. I have an Excel spreadsheet I print out where I keep my site information, IDs and passwords for quick reference when needed. It is also password protected. This has served me well.

TheOtherKat wrote:

if you don't mind me asking

how do you clean your device then ?

It cleans itself. It doesn't need my help.

What about CleanmyMac ?

Bad, very bad.

Objective See seems very "Mac" centric in terms of delivering a lean software and they support cleanmymac

Is your Mac being managed by Objective See? If it isn't, I'm not sure how this is relevant. They appear to be a company that sells services. People have been told they need to "clean" their computers. Apparently, this company is using that perception to sell things.

I've noticed people praise Malwarebytes for being "the only" type of malware protection to use, if anything.

Objective see supports Malwarebytes and Cleanmymac

Again, why is Objective See relevant?

Still a no go ?

Most of the experienced people in this forum will recommend Malwarebytes under limited circumstances. I really can't recall anyone ever recommending buying the paid version and keeping it running all the time. Download the free version, run it, take any necessary actions, delete it.

Try this...

Disabling and Enabling System Integrity Protection | Apple Developer Documentation

You will know when you have Malware because it is not something that will hide itself.

This is not true. Malware is not a specific type of unwanted software. It's a generic term that means malicious software. It covers anything, whether that's a virus, Trojan or worm.

There is plenty of malware that will do anything it can to hide itself from the user. Adware (a type of Trojan), does everything it can to be in your face as its entire purpose is to flood your web browser with ads.

Kurt Lang wrote:

This is not true. Malware is not a specific type of unwanted software. It's a generic term that means malicious software. It covers anything, whether that's a virus, Trojan or worm.

You are correct, I was specifically talking about Adware, since that is what we see most often on our devices. We are not seeing widespread Viruses, Worms, or even Keyloggers that do hide themselves. Malware is a generic term that covers many other categories, the same as a Trojan is simply something that is downloaded that poses as a legitimate piece of software and is quite broad and can cover many things as well. As you said, Adware is a Trojan, because nobody is going to download something called Adware. The semantic of each type of Malware was less important in my post and focused more on what users are most likely to encounter.

Okay, I was just making sure users understood that malware is not a specific type of unwanted software. I often see users on these forums say things like, "You may have a virus or malware on your Mac." Which is redundant since a virus is malware. But they say it as if they are two entirely separate things.

I concur with jeffreythefrog. The article they linked to is one of the best references I know of on the subject.