iMac
I have an iMac Desktop with the serial number W8******B9U.
Where can I find my Virus Software currently running.
I know I updated but can't remember where to look to find it.
Thanks!
<Edited By Host>
I have an iMac Desktop with the serial number W8******B9U.
Where can I find my Virus Software currently running.
I know I updated but can't remember where to look to find it.
Thanks!
<Edited By Host>
Do you know the name of the AV app you are running?
There may a Preference panel for it in System Preferences. Or you could launch Activity Monitor in Utilities which will show you all the processes/apps currently running (you'll need to recognise its name 😉).
The application itself is likely residing in the Applications folder.
Please read this whole message before doing anything.
Triple-click the line of text below to select it:
kextstat -kl | awk '!/com\.apple/{printf "%s %s\n", $6, $7}'
Repeat with this line:
sudo launchctl list | sed 1d | awk '!/0x|com\.(apple|openssh|vix)|edu\.mit|org\.(amavis|apache|cups|isc|ntp|postfix|x)/{print $3}'
launchctl list | sed 1d | awk '!/0x|com\.apple|edu\.mit|org\.(x|openbsd)/{print $3}'
ls -1A /e*/mach* {,/}L*/{Ad,Compon,Ex,Fram,In,Keyb,La,Mail/Bu,P*P,Priv,Qu,Scripti,Servi,Spo,Sta}* L*/Fonts 2> /dev/null
osascript -e 'tell application "System Events" to get name of every login item' 2> /dev/null
You can then quit Terminal.
Whatever virus software you are running, get rid of it!
If you know the name of the Antivirus software, type it into the spotlight search in the top right of the main OS X menu. This will tell you where the software was installed.
OS X doesn't need antivirus software and, typically, it interferes with normal OS X operation.
If the software has a dedicated uninstaller, use it to completely uninstall the Antivirus software.
If the software doesn't have an uninstaller app, you need to go to the antivirus' developer site and see if there is an uninstaller on the website that you can download, install and run.
Get rid of it? What protects my computer without the software?
2. All versions of OS X since 10.6.7 have been able to detect known Mac malware in downloaded files, and to block insecure web plugins. This feature is transparent to the user, but internally Apple calls it "XProtect." The malware recognition database is automatically checked for updates once a day; however, you shouldn't rely on it, because the attackers are always at least a day ahead of the defenders.
The following caveats apply to XProtect:
Gatekeeper doesn't depend on a database of known malware. It has, however, the same limitations as XProtect, and in addition the following:
4. Starting with OS X 10.8.3, a third layer of protection has been added: a "Malware Removal Tool" (MRT). MRT runs automatically in the background when you update the OS. It checks for, and removes, malware that may have evaded the other protections via a Java exploit (see below.) MRT also runs when you install or update the Apple-supplied Java runtime (but not the Oracle runtime.) Like XProtect, MRT is presumably effective against known attacks, but maybe not against unknown attacks. It notifies you if it finds malware, but otherwise there's no user interface to MRT.
5. Beyond XProtect, Gatekeeper, and MRT, there’s no evidence of any benefit from other automated protection against malware. The first and best line of defense is always your own intelligence. With the possible exception of Java exploits, all known malware circulating on the Internet that affects a fully-updated installation of OS X 10.6 or later takes the form of so-called "trojan horses," which can only have an effect if the victim is duped into running them. The threat therefore amounts to a battle of wits between you and the malware attacker. If you're smarter than he thinks you are, you'll win.
That means, in practice, that you never use software that comes from an untrustworthy source. How do you know whether a source is trustworthy?
7. Never install any commercial "anti-virus" or "Internet security" products for the Mac, as they all do more harm than good, if they do any good at all. If you need to be able to detect Windows malware in your files, use the free software ClamXav — nothing else.
8. ClamXav doesn't have these drawbacks. That doesn't mean it's entirely safe. It may report email messages that have "phishing" links in the body, or Windows malware in attachments, as infected files, and offer to delete or move them. Doing so will corrupt the Mail database. The messages should be deleted from within the Mail application.
A Windows malware attachment in email is usually easy to recognize. The file name will often be targeted at people who aren't very bright; for example:
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥!!!!!!!H0TBABEZ4U!!!!!!!.AVI♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.exe
ClamXav may be able to tell you which particular virus or trojan it is, but do you care? In practice, there's seldom a reason to use ClamXav unless a network administrator requires you to run an anti-virus application.
Deb M3 wrote:
Get rid of it? What protects my computer without the software?
The protection already built into OS X.
You may find this User Tip on Viruses, Trojan Detection and Removal, as well as general Internet Security and Privacy, useful: The User Tip seeks to offer guidance on the main security threats and how to avoid them.
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-2435
More useful information can also be found here:
www.thesafemac.com/mmg
You are saying I shouldn't be running any virus software whatsoever?
Did you bother reading the article I linked to?
Yes. A little hard for me to believe. Cllarrifying might help
Yes, you do not need any antivirus software at all with OS X.
If you run Windows on your iMac, if you want, you can install Antivirus software from within Windows.
This won't affect OS X.
OS X, itself, doesn't need any Antivirus software at all.
Uninstall it per my previous instructions.
Wow! I never knew that. I'll have to call support
Everyone here has given you info as to why you do not need Antivirus software in OS X.
OS X has many built-in features that will identify any malware or Trojans without the need of additonal Antivirus software. The additonal antivirus software only makes for contradictory and incompatible behaviour of OS X.'s antivirus services and the other intervening software. It, also,interferes with the normal and smooth operation of OS X.
Macs and OS X are not PCs with Windows.
You have had info and advice supplied to you by more experienced users than I.
They are telling the same things.
Uninstall the antivirus software you are using on OS X, it conflicts with the ordinary operation of OS X and its own virus tracking services.
Yes. A little hard for me to believe. Cllarrifying might help
Try reading my Mac Malware Guide.
Note that many people here tend to have very black-and-white views of anti-virus software. Although it is still, at this point, easily possible to stay safe with no anti-virus software at all, there are also certain basic things that many people do without thinking about it that can end up infecting a machine without the user knowing about it. You need to learn what those things are and not do them (my guide will help with that), and you need to decide for yourself whether or not anti-virus software is appropriate for you. My guide will also help with that decision, and will recommend some software if you decide to use it.
One thing in particular you should be aware of is that having Java enabled in your web browser is extremely dangerous at this time. If you have Java installed and enabled in the web browser, you may want to at least run a one-time scan with some good anti-virus software, even if you end up uninstalling it afterwards.
iMac