Did I just infect my new Mac Mini 4?

Question

Level 1

4 points

Did I just infect my new Mac Mini 4?

I am new to MacOS and recently bought a Mac Mini 4. I have been making music with it and everything has been great. However, I downloaded the John Mayer Neural Plugin and the amp presets did not load correctly. I searched the web and found what I thought would be the solution, but I'm worried I infected my new Mac.

I found the below solution and downloaded the linked file(s) as it seemed legit. However, now I'm worried I may have infected my device. Please let me know if you believe I am at risk, and if I am, please give me the safest course of action to resolve this issue.

Again, this is what I found as the solution and the link I downloaded (which didn't fix the preset problem):

Neural DSP Archetype: John Mayer X presets not loading can be due to a known macOS installer issue where the Mayer-specific presets folder is missing.

The installer only creates the Artist folder, not a dedicated John Mayer folder.
To fix this, manually place the Mayer presets into the Artist folder.
Download the missing presets from the verified link provided by users: https://mega.nz/file/w34m1bxA#I756YljVjYzBBQjwUPUckPAeIRTxACh_08h9cgULW_M.
After placing the presets, restart your DAW and reload the plugin to see the John Mayer presets appear.

Ensure you’re using the correct plugin version and have not installed a cracked or modified version, as these may lack proper preset files or contain malware.

Mac mini, macOS 15.7

Posted on Mar 20, 2026 4:20 PM

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Answer 1

Mar 21, 2026 3:28 AM in response to WSR35

Download the FREE version of Malwarebytes and run it.

https://www.malwarebytes.com/

It is a trial version which runs for ever but the makers will constantly ask you to upgrade . . . just ignore the offer!

In any case, what makes you think your Mac is infected? Is it behaving strangely?

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Answer 2

Mar 21, 2026 5:32 AM in response to WSR35

General rule of thumb, if there is an issue installing some product, contact the vendor of that product only to find out their workaround solution directly from them or when they will have a corrected installer.

Never surf the web to find "backdoor" solutions to force an installer to work that require downloading something from a site that is not the original vendor. While sometimes there may be no problem, there is always a very good chance of some nefarious party to add in some malicious code!

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Answer 3

WSR35 Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 21, 2026 12:38 PM in response to MrHoffman

MrHoffman wrote:

I would check with the app vendor.

I wouldn’t choose an add-on security apps, and would continue to use the built-in anti-malware.

macOS directly provides for a migration to a new Mac and which incidentally makes a functionally-identical reset and reload directly available, assuming there are existing backups from prior to the who-knows-what-did-something-or-did-nothing event. There is the global credentials reset here, though..

But for those that intent to forage the ‘net for its warez, combinations including add-on security apps and torrent apps and malware apps have been seen. Put differently, there are things that go “bump in the ‘net” that are less than easily recoverable and can involve a global credentials reset.

I will look for the process to migrate in case I decide to wipe the system and start from scratch using the global credentials reset.

Also, I may be misunderstanding you, but if you are implying I tried to download illegal software, you are greatly mistaken. I have already deleted the trial version software, and installed it at the default location (internal HD rather than the external SSD) and all the presets appear as they should. Now I just need to figure out whether I need to decide whether (and how) to reset the machine to ensure I'm safe.

Malwarebytes did not find anything, but apparently I cannot direct it to scan the entire HD and the external SSD in the MacOS version.

Thanks again.

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Answer 4

WSR35 Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 21, 2026 4:27 PM in response to Ian R. Brown

Ian R. Brown wrote:

You are worrying unnecessarily. If Malwarebytes found nothing you are OK. It searches the only possible places for attacks. There is no need to scan the whole machine.

That is VERY reassuring. Thank you! I appreciate everyone's help.

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Answer 5

MrHoffman

Level 10

149,107 points

Mar 20, 2026 11:16 PM in response to WSR35

Again, contact whoever is maintaining this John Mayer Neural Plugin, and ask them about the issue and the error.

The word “virus” as commonly used means an unexpected or unfamiliar change, and quite commonly not malware. You are certainly using that definition here, too.: Something unexpected happened.

Want to learn more about what happened and what it means? Check with the app vendor support organization.

I mean, you’re also in the fourteen day trial period, and the app is pretty clearly not working except maybe with some sort of heroic third-party measures, and you seem reticent to contact the app vendor, so…. Is it an app worth buying?

As for “safe”, donno. Nobody here knows what was loaded, and I’m not keen on loading random files from file-sharing sites. This is likely fine. But a system administration strategy based on load-first-and-worry-later can backfire.

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Answer 6

MrHoffman

Level 10

149,107 points

Mar 21, 2026 12:32 PM in response to WSR35

I would check with the app vendor.

I wouldn’t choose an add-on security apps, and would continue to use the built-in anti-malware.

macOS directly provides for a migration to a new Mac and which incidentally makes a functionally-identical reset and reload directly available, assuming there are existing backups from prior to the who-knows-what-did-something-or-did-nothing event. There is the global credentials reset here, though..

But for those that intent to forage the ‘net for its warez, combinations including add-on security apps and torrent apps and malware apps have been seen. Put differently, there are things that go “bump in the ‘net” that are less than easily recoverable and can involve a global credentials reset.

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Answer 7

MrHoffman

Level 10

149,107 points

Mar 20, 2026 4:46 PM in response to WSR35

Assuming the plug-in was directly from the vendor and not from some crack site, contact whole er is maintaining this John Mayer Neural Plugin and ask them about the error.

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Answer 8

Mar 21, 2026 3:13 PM in response to WSR35

You are worrying unnecessarily. If Malwarebytes found nothing you are OK. It searches the only possible places for attacks. There is no need to scan the whole machine.

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Answer 9

WSR35 Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 20, 2026 9:45 PM in response to MrHoffman

Thank you for the response.

This is a 14-Day Trial version I d/l directly from the vendor (Neuraldsp.com) but I followed a link to a third party site to fix the "pre-sets" issue, and that site may have included a virus. I'm unsure if it is a crack site, but I will look into that further.

If it appears to be suspicious at all, I just want to start fresh and reload everything. Being knew to MacOS, I'm not sure how deep I need to go during that process to ensure I'm safe.

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Answer 10

WSR35 Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 21, 2026 11:18 AM in response to Ian R. Brown

Thank you for the response. I will give Malwarebytes a try.

The Mac is not behaving strangely at all. I'm just concerned I will be locked out of the system at some point, or that it is logging my keystrokes. Again, I am new to MacOS and I am presuming these are threats like they are on Windows. I had to reformat my Windows 11 laptop a couple months ago to ensure I didn't have such malware or virus on that machine.

Thank you again. I truly appreciate the feedback and advice.

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Answer 11

WSR35 Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 21, 2026 11:25 AM in response to MrHoffman

Thank you again for your responses.

I agree with you; I should have contacted the vendor. I am usually very careful about NOT downloading and loading random files off the internet. In this case, I searched in the Brave browser (and I believe search engine) what the problem was, and the AI summary provided the link that the "community" found as a solution. I don't know why I clicked on it, given my usually cautious approach, but I did.

I am not reticent to contact the vendor about the problem; I just thought it would be an easy fix I could resolve immediately rather than waiting for a response from customer service. But, you are correct in that I don't like that the presets did not load up properly when I downloaded and installed the program. (I presume this may be because I changed the standard installation location to an external SSD.)

Thank you again. Being new to MacOS I truly appreciate the help.

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Answer 12

WSR35 Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 21, 2026 11:30 AM in response to woodmeister50

This is my approach 99% of the time; I can't explain why I didn't follow it this time . . .

I will try Malwarebytes as suggested by Ian Brown. And I may just want to wipe everything and start fresh. Since the machine is relatively new, there is not much I cannot live without if I lose. Plus, I can always just reload the programs/apps I have currently.

But, I am unsure how "deep" i need to wipe everything in MacOS. I know the process in Windows, but being new to MacOS, I am not sure what the best approach is to ensure I clean any malicious code that may be on the machine as a result of being dumb . . .

Thank you again for the response.

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