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I seem to be under constant Phishing and Virus attack I have Mackeeper and ClamxAV but they are throwing up twenty to thrity viruses every day even when I have cleaned them they just keep coming back. What can I do?

I am under constant phishing and trojan attack. I have both Mackeeper and ClamXav and they keep throwing up viruses and quaratnining them but they keep on coming back. Can anyone help?

MacBook Air, OS X Mountain Lion

Posted on Aug 17, 2012 8:55 AM

Reply
5 replies

Aug 17, 2012 1:04 PM in response to Paddy Ashdown

I'm presuming the messages are from MacKeeper and not from ClamAV. While I have no experience with it and don't have an opinion, I'd remove the MacKeeper tool strictly as a test here, and see if issues and reports of malware problems persist. I have run with ClamAV (that's part of OS X Server, among other uses around the 'net), and haven't had particular issues with that tool.


See this thread, or this thread, or this thread, or some of the other discussions around, for some discussions of the removal of the MacKeeper tool. Do read those entire threads before starting, and do some further research. Do have a backup of your disk before starting any removal process, too.


If your box really is infested with malware and it's not an error arising from something odd within the MacKeeper tool, then you may end up wiping and reinstalling from known-good distributions.

Aug 17, 2012 3:09 PM in response to Paddy Ashdown

Remove the "MacKeeper" crapware as follows.

Note: These instructions apply to the version of the product that I downloaded and tested in early 2012. I can't be sure that they apply to other versions, nor do I intend to repeat the test.

IMPORTANT: "MacKeeper" has what the developer calls an “encryption” feature. In my tests, I didn't try to verify what this feature really does. If you used it to “encrypt” any of your files, “decrypt” them before you uninstall, or (preferably) restore the files from backups made before they were “encrypted.” As the developer is not trustworthy, you should assume that the "decrypted" files are corrupt unless proven otherwise.

In the Finder, select Go Applications from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-A. The "MacKeeper" application is in the folder that opens. Drag it to the Trash. A dialog will pop up asking why you want to uninstall it. You don't have to provide that information. Enter anything you like in the text box, then click the Uninstall button. All the functional components of the software will be deleted. That's the only useful feature of "MacKeeper:" it deletes itself. Reboot.

Do not try to uninstall by dragging the MacKeeper icon from the Dock to the Trash.

Here are some general suggestions. If you want your computer to be usable, don't install crapware, such as “themes,” "haxies," “add-ons,” “toolbars,” “enhancers," “optimizers,” “accelerators,” “extenders,” “cleaners,” “defragmenters,” “firewalls,” "barriers," “guardians,” “defenders,” “protectors,” most “plugins,” commercial "virus scanners,” or "utilities." With very few exceptions, this kind of material is useless, or worse than useless.

The more actively promoted the product, the more likely it is to be garbage. The most extreme example is the “MacKeeper” scam.

The only software you should install is that which directly enables you to do the things you use a computer for — such as creating, communicating, and playing — and does not modify the way other software works. Never install any third-party software unless you know how to uninstall it.

I seem to be under constant Phishing and Virus attack I have Mackeeper and ClamxAV but they are throwing up twenty to thrity viruses every day even when I have cleaned them they just keep coming back. What can I do?

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