Wish I hadn't!! Tried download from Vuze (eeekkk!) In a mess now!

Peer 2 Peer software such as Vuze are the only real credible security threat to Macs running Mac OS X. The problem, especially if it asks you to do something to the Terminal, or use an administrator password, is that it could install something malicious. This is a classic example of a Trojan Horse. Change your administrator password to one your son doesn't know and doesn't have access to. Erase your system and make a parental controls only account for them. Until they know better not ot use Peer 2 Peer software they should have no administrative rights on the computer.

And this is a credible security threat to all operating systems. So be careful. Many of these Peer 2 Peer sites hold illegal copies of software, music, and videos, some of them are untested development software that may have the same version as final release software, with no way to tell apart until you end up installing it on your system. So unless your son has a legitimate reason to access such sites, he should shouldn't use them.

Unfortunately you don't know the nature of it. You can try some anti-virus software for the Mac, but without knowing the nature of exactly what was done, it may not be visible at all. If you had been making clone backups all along, you could have just restored your clone. That just takes an hour or two at most.

Clam Anti-virus and Sophos are probably the best regarded anti-virus for the Mac.

http://www.clamav.net/
http://www.sophos.com/products/free-tools/free-mac-anti-virus/

If neither detects anything, I'm afraid it is a restore from the best backup you have available.

See my backup FAQ* for some options:

http://www.macmaps.com/backup.html

- * Links to my pages may give me compensation.

First, consider a backup strategy such that you always have one set off line, that means two backup sets minimum.

A combination for some is to clone their system weekly and use TimeMachine (though I am more inclined to change backup schedule to one or twice a day, only when the system is idle, and other things).

And keep all the original software installers on a non-system drive too.

You should have with a clean install of the OS not had any 3rd party or issues unless on backup drives.

I don't know if you can selectively restore with what you have or used. Carbon Copy Cloner backups are very flexible.

http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/13635/vuze

One thing to remember, P2P means your IP was/is out there, and there are going to be more denial of service, rlogin and other queries at your front door (modem or router firewall).

It uses Java, has a Firefox plug-in. To use all its features, you do need to do some configuring, nothing as bad as RedRyder or White Knight even use to be, but more than average for most.

http://azureus.sourceforge.net/

http://wiki.vuze.com/w/User_Guide

Anti-virus is not necessary for those who do not engage in risky activities such as Peer-2-peer software, or running applications under administrative mode without regard for what is being run. Peer-2-peer software is a totally different ball game. At least on a Mac, an attachment on its own is innocuous, since it can't self-replicate. But it is a much different world when you give someone keys to the system's own under the hood data. First look at the possibility of eradicating the Trojan with those two software. Don't be stressed. Just let this be a good learning experience. Kids should not be allowed access to under the hood items unless they know what risks they are getting themselves into.

If you have restored your machine to a backup from before all this happened, all should be fine. If it isn't, you probably have something else going on, though you never know what else your son might have installed. There aren't many threats for the Mac, but there are some... see my [Mac Virus guide|http://www.reedcorner.net/guides/macvirus>. You may want to consider a scan with [ClamXav|http://www.clamxav.com> just to set your mind at ease.

Note that, although peer-to-peer (P2P) software is risky - akin to trying to buy a Rolex from a guy in a trenchcoat standing on the corner using your credit card - there are other ways to get a trojan on your Mac. Avoiding P2P software, and not allowing your son to use an admin account on the household Mac(s), is important, but will not ensure safety if care is not taken elsewhere.

A clean install of OS X would get you back up and running properly.

And having done so, make a backup clone of the system also for doing repairs and such.

With P2P you do want to pay attention to firewall settings, best done @ router, not software firewall really. It just uses its own TCP/UDP ports and services is all, and to make sure you have your router and SL firewall active and in place, and disable services and sharing. No one wants any more SYN flooding or DDoS if it can be avoided.

There were instances of illegal software on P2P, everything under the sun, and some had malware inserted into the applications.

It sounded, to me, like maybe the backup and restore wasn't good. And you can restore but better to wipe the drive. And start with a new system before restoring.

A clean install and update of all of OS X alone should not take more than 45 minutes to an hour. Depends on how large or how much you need to restore. By keeping all the data and media files off the system drive should be easy to handle.

Don't understand though what was done, or why not just let him 'undo' and make whatever changes necessary to clean it up.

A clean install is just booting from OS X DVD as you did only doing the install.

http://www.bing.com/search?q=cleaninstall+macos

http://manuals.info.apple.com/enUS/Snow_Leopard_InstallationInstructions.pdf

http://www.apple.com/support/snowleopard/

Mac OS X The Missing Manual, Snow Leopard Edition. By David Pogue. 950 pages $24 should be on any bookshelf with wealth of information for any user.

The Help menu in applications.

If you or your son could point at the download, or roughly describe any of the terminal commands - we might have a stab at guessing what happened.

Vuze itself, like any torrent/sharing application is fine enough (although Vuze does make it too easy to install a crappy toolbar add-on, which you really don't want)

Like any of them, or downloads from any source you've no reason to trust... handing over an admin password or running Terminal commands that aren't understood or trusted - is where you can come unstuck, through either malice or ignorance, or just user mis-typing.

There's a free trial of photoshop for most current versions at Adobe's site, I believe.