How do I scan for malware on my MacBook Pro?

Hello, maybe you can help me.

The E key on my MacBook does not work. When I touch keys R T U O, it'll take the letter I typed but include an E at the end. If I stroke T, the letters T and E appear together. Sometimes this "eeeeeee" is typed by itself in search boxes. I've taken the E key out and didn't discover anything unusual. Should I run a malware scan?

Samonee wrote:

I've taken the E key out and didn't discover anything unusual. Should I run a malware scan?

No, this is a hardware issue. Best to start a new discussion as this one is several years old, most contributors here are no longer following the discussion and nobody else is likely to stumble across your question. That's just the way this Forum works.

There is no Apple-approved anti-virus software, no. Why do you want to scan for malware? Are you seeing some behavior that you believe may be malware? If so, it's almost certainly not malware, as Mac malware is currently quite rare. If you describe the problem, we can help you solve it.

If you're just curious about malware, see my Mac Malware Guide for more information.

Apple releases Updates incase they found malware threats on mac. You need to check some updates regularly. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5242

Leo1heart wrote:

Is there Apple approved software for this?

Let's not get too hung up on this. There IS antivirus scan software approved by Apple, that is assuming that if it's in the App Store for purchase using Apple-ID, then de facto it's approved.

It's ClamXav.

Remember it's function is to scan documents and media for malware that may be passed onto Windoze users by email or file sharing, not to find malware that will attack Mac OS X (same if using AV software in Linux). That is taken care of by the system updates, as already stated and by taking care where you click your trackpad, as in Mr Reed's excellent article..

There IS antivirus scan software approved by Apple (Assuming that if it's in the App Store for purchase using Apple-ID, then de facto it's approved)

There is a big difference between approval of software for inclusion in the App Store and endorsement by Apple. To be clear, Apple does not endorse any anti-virus software. And there's a LOT of anti-virus software in the App Store, but I wouldn't recommend any of it except for ClamXav.

Remember it's function is to scan documents and media for malware that may be passed onto Windoze users by email or file sharing, not to find malware that will attack Mac OS X (same if using AV software in Linux). That is taken care of by the system updates, as already stated.

That is not entirely correct. Mac anti-virus software certainly should catch Mac malware, otherwise it's worthless. Further, system updates cannot protect you against all malware. Neither can anti-virus software, of course. Only a full awareness of the threats and careful online behavior can do that.

So...you are saying there is malware that could infect macs and could be caught, even though it's very rare, but even so apple dont endorse any malware protection?

And... Apple sell or provide apps that they don't necessarily endorse, but they are approved.

Ok. Thanks.

you are saying there is malware that could infect macs and could be caught, even though it's very rare, but even so apple dont endorse any malware protection?

That is what I'm saying. They don't get into the business of endorsing any third-party software officially.

And... Apple sell or provide apps that they don't necessarily endorse, but they are approved.

Apple doesn't sell third-party apps, they provide an online store as a service through which they act as an intermediary to sell those apps on behalf of the developers. The fact that the apps are in the App Store means that they were approved, which just means they aren't violating any of the rules of the App Store, but they are not recommended by or made by Apple.

Semantics. Even when I agree with you, you come back.

Leo1heart wrote:

Is there Apple approved software for this?

To take a slightly different slant, there is built in protection against malware in your OS X in the form of a Quarantine and an XProtect system. If you were to upgrade to Mountain Lion you would also receive GateKeeper protection. They aren't foolproof, in that you have to pay attention to the alerts they provide to you or disable them, but they are there to assist you with all currently known Mac malware.

The commercial A-V software available helps protect you against making mistakes in these matters and may be able to detect abnormal behavior which could be something new, although examples of the latter are rare. Using it sometimes result in performances issues that may not be acceptable to you.

my email account has been hacked and is sending out spurious emails which are then resulting in a bombardment of Undelivery notices (hundreds of them). My host has suspended my email account until I clean up my computers. I only use Macs, so how can my email have been hacked? I am being told that my computers have malware on them. My host does not know macs at all. He has worried me that one of my devices has got malware residing on it.

This isn't really related to the very old topic you've posted it on. You'd do better in the future to start your own topic, rather than piggy-backing on something old and only incidentally related.

However, you should find your answer here:

Someone is sending messages from my e-mail address!

A couple of mornings a found a bunch of programs open on my desktop that I had not opened. How could that happen?

Dickspix wrote:

A couple of mornings a found a bunch of programs open on my desktop that I had not opened. How could that happen?

Obviously, somebody else is using your computer.

How is this related to this very old topic?

so i have osx 10.9.4 and i also have malware on my computer. why do i know this? because on firefox i got this blocked message that looks like malware and i keep etting a pop up when i use firefox to download "finallyfast" to fix registry errors. help? what do i do about removing or scanning malware/adware?