Has anyone subscribed to mackeeper?

Stay way away from MacKeeper. It is malware/"crapware"

Stay away from any apps that claim to "clean" your Mac data, "Tune up" your Mac, etc.

All apps containing these terms are all malware/crapware and can cause more harm to your Mac and OS than the supposed "good" these types of apps portend to do.

DO NOT INSTALL MACKEPPER, It will cause you problems and can disrupt your Mac so stay clear of it.

Please carefully read Do not install MacKeeper

Also DO NOT treat your iMac like it's a MS Windows box that needs virus software or other utilities to keep it working OK. The best thing you can do to keep your computer in good shape is to leave OS X alone and to keep it up-to-date by running Software Update and installing all recommended updates. In the extremely rare event OS X needs some assistance just about all the tools you need are already installed on your Mac in Applications-Utilities.

MacKeeper is not the only such product, and it's not even the worst of them. It is merely the most notorious due to marketing strategies that are as aggressive as they are effective. Never install such junk on a Mac.

OS X already includes everything it needs to protect itself from viruses and malware. Keep it updated with software updates from Apple.

• Never install any product that claims to "speed up", "clean up", "optimize", or "accelerate" your Mac. Without exception, they will do the opposite.
• Never install pirated or "cracked" software, software obtained from dubious websites, or other questionable sources. Illegally obtained software is almost certain to contain malware.
• Don’t supply your password in response to a popup window requesting it, unless you know what it is and the reason your credentials are required.
• Don’t open email attachments from email addresses that you do not recognize, or click links contained in an email:
  • Most of these are scams that direct you to fraudulent sites that attempt to convince you to disclose personal information.
  • Such "phishing" attempts are the 21st century equivalent of a social exploit that has existed since the dawn of civilization. Don’t fall for it.
  • Apple will never ask you to reveal personal information in an email. If you receive an unexpected email from Apple saying your account will be closed unless you take immediate action, just ignore it. If your iTunes or App Store account becomes disabled for valid reasons, you will know when you try to buy something or log in to this support site, and are unable to.
• Don’t install browser extensions unless you understand their purpose. Go to the Safari menu > Preferences > Extensions. If you see any extensions that you do not recognize or understand, simply click the Uninstall button and they will be gone.
• Don’t install Java unless you are certain that you need it:
  • Java, a non-Apple product, is a potential vector for malware. If you are required to use Java, be mindful of that possibility.
  • Disable Java in Safari > Preferences > Security.
  • Despite its name JavaScript is unrelated to Java. No malware can infect your Mac through JavaScript. It’s OK to leave it enabled.
• Block browser popups: Safari menu > Preferences > Security > and check "Block popup windows":
  • Popup windows are useful and required for some websites, but popups have devolved to become a common means to deliver targeted advertising that you probably do not want.
  • Popups themselves cannot infect your Mac, but many contain resource-hungry code that will slow down Internet browsing.
  • If you ever see a popup indicating it detected registry errors, that your Mac is infected with some ick, or that you won some prize, it is 100% fraudulent. Ignore it.
• Ignore hyperventilating popular media outlets that thrive by promoting fear and discord with entertainment products arrogantly presented as "news". Learn what real threats actually exist and how to arm yourself against them:
  • The most serious threat to your data security is phishing. To date, most of these attempts have been pathetic and are easily recognized, but that is likely to change in the future as criminals become more clever.
  • OS X viruses do not exist, but intentionally malicious or poorly written code, created by either nefarious or inept individuals, is nothing new.
  • Never install something without first knowing what it is, what it does, how it works, and how to get rid of it when you don’t want it any more.
  • If you elect to use "anti-virus" software, familiarize yourself with its limitations and potential to cause adverse effects, and apply the principle immediately preceding this one.
  • Most such utilities will only slow down and destabilize your Mac while they look for viruses that do not exist, conveying no benefit whatsoever - other than to make you "feel good" about security, when you should actually be exercising sound judgment, derived from accurate knowledge, based on verifiable facts.
• Do install updates from Apple as they become available. No one knows more about Macs and how to protect them than the company that builds them.

Summary: Use common sense and caution when you use your Mac, just like you would in any social context. There is no product, utility, or magic talisman that can protect you from all the evils of mankind.

Hi John,

Have you added this post as a User Tip, it would be a good one.

Thanks but no, I considered doing that, but then the mercifully short-lived ASC site upgrade came about and I lost interest.

There are other considerations in addressing these types of questions. The user's apparent experience level, how they use their Macs, in what kind of computing environment, and their reasons for concern are all important factors for which a User Tip would be less than ideal.

Two nights ago my iMac (intel, late 2007) contracted a virus, identified by MacScan as: HTML/ExpKit. GEN3.

I did a MacScan system scan that found the file and deleted it. Symptoms disappeared and computer was fine. Next evening, my computer got sick again, did another system scan in MacScan this morning but no suspicious file found. Mysteriously, after that, computer behavior returned to normal.

This is when I turned on MacScan's option for 'Real-time virus scan' (duh!) which for some reason they recommend leaving off for most purposes.

As I spent the next few hours searching online for information about this type of file that basically disabled my computer return key or the ability to type, MacScan flagged a warning that a suspicious file had been received. It was the same culprit: Users/s------g-------/Library/C...ea.default/cache/9/2D/62020d01

I assume this program does something right. Any idea what's going on with this HTML/ExpKit. GEN3 junk? I've never had anything like this before. Thanks

Never mind. I finally tracked down the problem: Malware installed through a phishing scam. I traced this via Sophos, another virus tracker (free), that also detected it, and by digging around in their videos. I learned how to isolate the path of the bad booger to find its source in my Mail. Hopefully, it's been destroyed.

The moral is: Pay attention, folks, to all that junk coming in via the net. I usually do but apparently not that day.

The moral, if there is one, is that nothing can protect you from such scams other than your own common sense. I addressed that: The most serious threat to your data security is phishing. It's the 21st century implementation of a scam as old as civilization itself.

Anyone can create a halfway decent scam and send a mass email to millions of people in about fifteen minutes. Doing so takes almost no skill. When a new scam is eventually discovered, Sophos may add it to their definitions list, eventually, but by then millions of people will have already received it, creating many potential victims for the scam artists to rip off.

The particular one it identified is already over three years old.

The problem is some people have absolutely no common sense. 🙂

Do not install MacKeeper (and how to uninstall it if you have):

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6221

(Please note that references to the original developers, Zeobit, also now refer to Kromtech Alliance Corp, who acquired MacKeeper and PCKeeper from ZeoBit LLC in early 2013.)

Guily, as charged. I did something stupid, contrary to my instinct. All it took to make this mistake was a moment. Lesson learned the hard way. Still, the Sofos software clued me in on the problem files so I could delete them. I had to uninstall this 3rd party software, however, in order to forward this contaminated email to the authorities. Non-mac stuff is definitlely suspect. I have a lot to learn about Mac, even though I've been using it since 1998.

Hi Bouqies,
Can you tell me what you did? I have a Macbook Pro and just started receiving messages today about the HTML/ExpKit.Gen3. There isn't too much online about it, so I have no idea whether it is malware or a virus. It's really slowing down my computer.

How did you get rid of it?

Thanks so much.

I downloaded Sophos antivirus for free and ran the scan. I was able to track down the location of the bad file in my email from the scan results and delete it. That's when I realized I had carelessly clicked on a link to a fake PayPal, phishing email and infected my computer with this malware.