Stupid me. Opened email attachment, need scan for trojan or virus. Which one to use? iMac osx
I had Tech Tool Deluxe, Sophos. Need to update whatever I use, so what's recommended.
iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.3)
I had Tech Tool Deluxe, Sophos. Need to update whatever I use, so what's recommended.
iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.3)
First of all, if the mail you opened has got a virus, it's probably a Windows virus, so it won't affect to OS X. However, you should run a scan. To do it, you can use Sophos.
As it's probably a Windows virus, this won't do anything, but open > Software Update, and install all available updates for your computer. If you want more information about OS X and malware, see this Thomas A Reed's site > http://www.thesafemac.com/mmg
First of all, if the mail you opened has got a virus, it's probably a Windows virus, so it won't affect to OS X. However, you should run a scan. To do it, you can use Sophos.
As it's probably a Windows virus, this won't do anything, but open > Software Update, and install all available updates for your computer. If you want more information about OS X and malware, see this Thomas A Reed's site > http://www.thesafemac.com/mmg
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, or that does something inherently untrustworthy. How do you know what is trustworthy?
Fortunately, client-side Java on the Web is obsolete and mostly extinct. Only a few outmoded sites still use it. Try to hasten the process of extinction by avoiding those sites, if you have a choice. Forget about playing games or other non-essential uses of Java.
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.
For scanning incoming emails ClamXav does a great job.
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
CindyRoss wrote:
Stupid me. Opened email attachment, need scan for trojan or virus.
Unless you are a known Tibetan sympathizer or use Windows on your Mac, there is nothing to worry about. What kind of attachment was it? What did it open in?
CindyRoss wrote:
I had Tech Tool Deluxe, Sophos.
TechTool Deluxe would not help you with any type of malware issue. Sophos should be able to tell you what the attachment is if malware.
Be cautious with regard to potentially infected e-mail. Never use A-V software to move (quarantine) or delete e-mail. It will corrupt the mailbox index which could cause loss of other e-mail and other issues with functions such as searching. It may also leave the original e-mail on your ISP's e-mail server and will be re-downloaded to your hard drive the next time you check for new mail. Use your e-mail reader's delete function to prevent these issues.
If you've got Sophos installed, and haven't disabled its On Access scanning, then it wouldn't have allowed you to open a malicious attachment. You would have been prevented from doing so. Unless, of course, you're the lucky discoverer of something brand new, but that's fairly unlikely. The Mac malware world has been fairly quiet lately, except for a few things that are specifically targeting the Uyghur people of Asia.
Stupid me. Opened email attachment, need scan for trojan or virus. Which one to use? iMac osx