How can I verify the security of my MacBook after an Apple tech remained remotely logged in?

Did you initiate the Support call from the number here:

Contact Apple Support - Apple Support

Clicking a link in a Google search for Apple support has been seen as problematic as scammers will pay Google to have their link appear closer to the top of the search.

At this moment, I would recommend to post the free EtreCheck report using the Additional Text option when posting to see if there has been any software installed on your computer that may have been used for this Remote Connection or other purpose.No personal information is included in this report. Do you know what app was used to share your screen?

How to use the Add Text Feature When Post… - Apple Community

You would want to make sure the changes to your Login and Apple Account password occurred AFTER the connection was closed and if not, change them again. There is not a specific log that will track what changes that occurred in those 2 hours.

Tamlouie wrote:

I realize I may be asking too much, and I want to end the thread, but can anyone:

1. offer a reason as to why the tech would "remove" XProtect from the Files & Folders and Full Disc Access when it would appear there was a good reason for it being there, ...

Yes. The reason was so that the criminal can bypass XProtect to install something on that Mac. Since there are no valid reasons to bypass XProtect under any circumstances, it can be assumed that something was malicious.

EtreCheck is a wonderful tool but it cannot provide absolute assurance that malware had not been installed and activated to do whatever the criminals intended to do. Nothing can do that. That presumed malware may remain active, or it may not, but in any event the damage is done, and it may be ongoing.

Erase the Mac.

I don't consider myself a hacker by any stretch of the imagination, and I'm certainly no criminal. I'm not even a particularly good programmer. But given remote access to a Mac it would be a trivial matter to install malicious software right under someone's nose — assuming of course the user is not particularly sophisticated.

For what it's worth contacting Apple Support should only be initiated using the Support link on these pages. If you are fortunate enough to eventually speak to a legitimate Apple Support representative, he or she will be limited to remotely viewing your Mac (with your explicit consent) in an innocuous manner by positioning a pointer on the screen and asking you to perform certain actions so indicated.

Erase the Mac.

2. what has caused the issues following his remote online access even though the Etrecheck report seems clean?

The cause may never be known.

Erase the Mac. There is no practicable alternative to assuring it is completely free of malware.

Given the extent of the intrusion your problems may have just begun. MrHoffman touched upon the reasons in the earlier thread.

Erase the Mac.

Tamlouie wrote:

If he was a true Apple tech (which I did hear other agents in the background, but I suppose that could be recorded chatter?) why wouldn't he disconnect remote access when he ended the call or at the very least be disconnected when starting another support call?

People who talk to scammers often hear other scammers in the background. Hearing other people talking in the background just suggests that you were talking to someone working in a call center, whether that call center was one belonging to Apple Support, or one belonging to a scam "business".

The whole point for the call was with security issues and now I am unsettled and not sure if I compromised my security further. Is there any way to know for sure? Where could I look to see if his specific access during those two hours did or changed anything? Are there any specific ways or guidance suggestions for this?

At a minimum, you would want to take Mac Jim ID's advice:

"You would want to make sure the changes to your Login and Apple Account password occurred AFTER the connection was closed and if not, change them again. There is not a specific log that will track what changes that occurred in those 2 hours."

The question would be whether the session left unwanted stuff behind, like a key logger or other spyware to steal sensitive information and relay it back to a scammer.

You may also want to check Settings > General > Sharing and make sure that any sharing options that you aren't using and don't want to use are turned OFF. But without knowing whether you called a legitimate Support person, or a scammer, it is impossible to give any absolute assurances as to what might have happened.

XProtect is but one aspect of this compromise, and it was presumably disabled because of other changes.

There’s no reason to disable XProtect unless there are other system changes being made, and some of which might be detected by XProtect. But quite possibly not all of the other changes being made will be detected.

What to do? Restore your most recent backup from immediately prior to the breach, and reset all passwords, all passkeys, and enable two-factor authentication where that’s both available and not already enabled. Unique and robust passwords, too.

Payment cards and other sensitive data that may have been recorded in local files are also all at risk.

Your circle of contacts can also now be receiving targeted phishing messages too, along with other fallout.

”Nuke and Pave”, in the vernacular.

The other thread: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256232055

Tamlouie wrote:

Unfortunately he was not who he pretended to be and my system isn’t working as normal. As I stated to Jim, the pretender Matthew removed Xprotect as a security precaution and now I know that removed protection which I need to get back somehow.

As also stated in your other post, you can verify if you have the latest XProtect update. XProtect Updates are performed with the XProtectPlistConfigData installation. Yours should be version 5326, although version 5327 is in the works. You can verify the version currently installed on your device by going to the Terminal app in your Utilities Folder. Enter this exact command and you will then be required to enter your computer password. When you enter the password, nothing appears on the screen so just enter it and hit Return:

sudo xprotect check

I suspect yours will look something like this showing that version number:

Current update: date: 2026-01-22 19:13:41 +0000 version: 5326

Tamlouie wrote:

How do I run Etrecheck?

The download link is included in this user tip. You can then launch the app to produce the report and follow the rest of the instructions here to copy the report and paste it into a reply here using the Additional Text option to avoid the character limit of a post.

How to use the Add Text Feature When Post… - Apple Community

Tamlouie wrote:

<Etrecheck.log>

The date spoken to "agent" was 2026-01-26

You have no nefarious files that have been installed on your computer.

You are running low on Free Disk Space and should be looking for ways to delete unused data. Start with your Desktop, Downloads, and Documents Folders and any third party Applications that you are no longer using should be deleted from your Applications folder.

Did the "tech" ask for payment in cryptocurrency or gift cards? If so, you were chatting with a criminal,

Tamlouie wrote:

Are there any specific ways or guidance suggestions for this?

Recognize and avoid social engineering schemes including phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support

Tamlouie wrote:

The number I used was in my contacts which is 800-MYAPPLE, which is not any of the numbers listed in the link you provided.

Just so you know,

800-MYAPPLE (800-692-7753) is a valid number for the Apple Online Store. Contact - How to Contact Us - Apple

800-275-2273 is the standard number for Apple Support Contact Apple Support - Apple Support

Tamlouie wrote:

Thank you. Unfortunately the young lady I spoke with at the beginning transferred me to a "more advanced tech", so I am not sure if he was really who he represented to be.

If you called Apple at the number presented by MartinR above, why would you think you had your call transferred outside the Apple ecosystem?

Tamlouie wrote:

Unfortunately he was not who he pretended to be and my system isn’t working as normal. As I stated to Jim, the pretender Matthew removed Xprotect as a security precaution and now I know that removed protection which I need to get back somehow.

I am not convinced that XProtect was either disabled or removed. The OP has been participating in another thread about XProtect and the evidence there and in the Etrecheck report points to it running as it should. I have advised the OP to use this thread exclusively.