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How do I remove Backdoor.wirenet.2 from my Mac. DrWeb has detected it but can not remove.

DrWeb has detected Backdoor.wirenet.2 on my Mac.

The Location is /Users/grazia/.Install?Host.app/Contents/MacOs

but when I go there I can not find it.

Any help??

Posted on Mar 25, 2014 4:31 AM

Reply
38 replies

Mar 25, 2014 5:39 AM in response to grazgar

Hi Thanks for the answer but unfortunately it is a serious matter !!! 😟


when I try to use safari to look at any web site (JavaScript are enabled)

I suddenly have a window with advertisment popping out from the left side corner of the screen.

some words in the web page become green and underlined with a double line and if roll over with the mouse there is another window with advertisement popping out.


I can not sign-in in any site including facebook. I get an error message saying cookies are not enable on your browser.

Everything goes away if I disable JavaScript!

Some web site simply don't download and the mac seems to go in a sort of loop.


So I scanned the mac using Dr Web and it founds few problems. I deleted all the threats but I can not delete Backdoor.Wirenet.2 and I can not find it in the users.


So I don't know what to do but surely my internet connection has serious issues!

Mar 25, 2014 6:50 AM in response to WZZZ

Note what the author of DrWeb says:


There is similar file on torents "MS Office 2011 Volume license.rar" size about 107KB.


I would never install Microsoft office from a torent source. That's not how Microsoft distributes their software.

Anyone getting Office from such sources is asking for trouble. Peer2peer users are at much higher risk for trojans than not. If you can't afford Office, use an office open source clone such as LibreOffice, NeoOffice, OpenOffice, Zoho Docs, Google Docs, or Apple's iWork (not quite a clone as it is more designed to take advantage of features Apple finds essential in office programs).


Edit: mind you, if you only install programs from vendor websites, and the Apple Mac App Store, please disregard what I say earlier on this posting, as it obviously would not apply to you. And it also says there might be a distribution that was infected from the get go,

that the vendor needs to be made aware of. I would check all your installed software to find out where something like this might have been sent from.

Mar 25, 2014 7:49 AM in response to grazgar

1. This procedure is a diagnostic test. It changes nothing, for better or worse, and therefore will not, in itself, solve the problem.

2. If you don't already have a current backup, back up all data before doing anything else. The backup is necessary on general principle, not because of anything in the test procedure. There are ways to back up a computer that isn't fully functional. Ask if you need guidance.

3. Below are instructions to run a UNIX shell script, a type of program. All it does is to collect information about the state of the computer. That information goes nowhere unless you choose to share it. However, you should be cautious about running any kind of program (not just a shell script) at the request of a stranger on a public message board. If you have doubts, search this site for other discussions in which this procedure has been followed without any report of ill effects. If you can't satisfy yourself that the instructions are safe, don't follow them. Ask for other options.

Here's a summary of what you need to do, if you choose to proceed: Copy a line of text from this web page into the window of another application. Wait for the script to run. It usually takes a few minutes. Then paste the results, which will have been copied automatically, back into a reply on this page. The sequence is: copy, paste, wait, paste again. Details follow.

4. You may have started the computer in "safe" mode. Preferably, these steps should be taken in “normal” mode. If the system is now in safe mode and works well enough in normal mode to run the test, restart as usual. If you can only test in safe mode, do that.

5. If you have more than one user, and the one affected by the problem is not an administrator, then please run the test twice: once while logged in as the affected user, and once as an administrator. The results may be different. The user that is created automatically on a new computer when you start it for the first time is an administrator. If you can't log in as an administrator, test as the affected user. Most personal Macs have only one user, and in that case this section doesn’t apply. Don't log in as root.

6. The script is a single long line, all of which must be selected. You can accomplish this easily by triple-clicking anywhere in the line. The whole line will highlight, though you may not see all of it in the browser window, and you can then copy it. If you try to select the line by dragging across the part you can see, you won't get all of it.

Triple-click anywhere in the line of text below on this page to select it:

PATH=/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin; clear; Fb='%s\n\t(%s)\n'; Fm='\n%s\n\n%s\n'; Fr='\nRAM details\n%s\n'; Fs='\n%s: %s\n'; Fu='user %s%%, system %s%%'; AC="com.autodesk.AutoCAD com.google.GoogleDrive"; H='^[[:space:]]*((127\.0\.0\.1|::1|fe80::1%lo0)[[:space:]]+local|(255\.){3}255[[:space:]]*broadcast)host[[:space:]]*$'; NS=networksetup; PB="/usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c Print"; A () { [[ a -eq 0 ]]; }; M () { find -L "$d" -type f | while read f; do file -b "$f" | egrep -lq XML\|exec && echo $f; done; }; AT () { o=`file -b "$1" | egrep -v '^(A.{16}t$|cann)'`; Ps "${1##*/} format"; }; Pc () { o=`grep -v '^ *#' "$2"`; l=`wc -l <<< "$o"`; [[ l -gt 25 ]] && o=`head -n25 <<< "$o"`$'\n'"[$((l-25)) more line(s)]"; Pm "$1"; AT "$1"; }; Pm () { [[ "$o" ]] && o=`sed -E '/^ *$/d;s/^ */ /;s/[-0-9A-Fa-f]{22,}/UUID/g;s/(ochat)\.[^.]+(\..+)/\1\2/;/Shared/!s/(\/Users\/)[^/]+/\1-/g' <<< "$o"` && printf "$Fm" "$1" "$o"; }; Pp () { o=`$PB "$2" | awk -F'= ' \/$3'/{print $2}'`; Pm "$1"; }; Ps () { o=`echo $o`; [[ ! "$o" =~ ^0?$ ]] && printf "$Fs" "$1" "$o"; }; R () { o=; [[ r -eq 0 ]]; }; SP () { system_profiler SP${1}DataType; }; id -G | grep -qw 80; a=$?; A && sudo true; r=$?; t=`date +%s`; clear; { A || echo $'No admin access\n'; A && ! R && echo $'No root access\n'; SP Software | sed -n 's/^ *//;5p;6p;8p'; h=(`SP Hardware | awk '/ Id/{print $3}; /Mem/{print $2}'`); o=$h; Ps "Model"; o=$((h[1]<4?h[1]:0)); Ps "Total RAM (GB)"; o=`SP Memory | sed '1,5d;/[my].*:/d'`; [[ "$o" =~ s:\ [^O]|x([^08]|0[^2]|8[^0]) ]] && printf "$Fr" "$o"; o=`SP Diagnostics | sed '5,6!d'`; [[ "$o" =~ Pass ]] || Pm "POST"; p=`SP Power`; o=`awk '/Cy/{print $NF}' <<< "$p"`; o=$((o>=300?o:0)); Ps "Battery cycles"; o=`sed -n '/Cond.*: [^N]/{s/^.*://p;}' <<< "$p"`; Ps "Battery condition"; for b in FireWire Thunderbolt USB; do o=`SP $b | sed -En '/:$/{s/ *:$//;x;s/\n//;s/\n.*//;/\)/p;};/^ *(V.+ [0N]|Man).+ /{s/ 0x.... //;s/[()]//g;s/(.+: )(.+)/ (\2)/;H;};/Apple|Broadcom|Genesy|Intel|SMSC/{s/.//g;h;}'`; Pm $b; done; o=`pmset -g therm | sed 's/^.*C/C/'`; [[ "$o" =~ No\ th|pms ]] && o=; Pm "Thermal conditions"; o=`pmset -g sysload | grep -v :`; [[ "$o" =~ =\ [^GO] ]] || o=; Pm "System load advisory"; o=`nvram boot-args | awk '{$1=""; print}'`; Ps "boot-args"; fdesetup status | grep -q On && o=on || o=; Ps "FileVault"; a=(/ ""); A=(System User); for i in 0 1; do o=`cd ${a[$i]}L*/Lo*/Diag* || continue; for f in *.{cr,h,pa,s}*; do [[ -f "$f" ]] || continue; d=$(stat -f%Sc -t%F "$f"); [[ "$f" =~ h$ ]] && grep -lq "^Thread c" "$f" && f="$f *"; echo "$d ${f%%_2*} ${f##*.}"; done | sort | tail`; Pm "${A[$i]} diagnostics"; done; grep -lq '*$' <<< "$o" && printf $'\n\t* Code injection\n'; o=`syslog -F bsd -k Sender kernel -k Message CReq 'caug|GPU |hfs: Ru|last value [1-9]|n Cause: -|NVDA\(|pagin|proc: t|Roamed|rror|ssert|Thrott|timed? ?o|WARN' -k Message Ane 'SMC:' | tail -n25 | awk '/:/{$4=""; $5=""};1'`; Pm "Kernel messages"; o=`df -m / | awk 'NR==2 {print $4}'`; o=$((o<5120?o:0)); Ps "Free space (MiB)"; o=$(($(vm_stat | awk '/eo/{sub("\\.",""); print $2}')/256)); o=$((o>=1024?o:0)); Ps "Pageouts (MiB)"; s=( `sar -u 1 10 | sed '$!d'` ); [[ s[4] -lt 85 ]] && o=`printf "$Fu" ${s[1]} ${s[3]}` || o=; Ps "Total CPU usage" && { s=(`ps acrx -o comm,ruid,%cpu | sed '2!d'`); n=$((${#s[*]}-1)); c="${s[*]}"; o=${s[$n]}%; Ps "CPU usage by process \"${c% ${s[$((n-1))]}*}\" with UID ${s[$((n-1))]}"; }; s=(`top -R -l1 -n1 -o prt -stats command,uid,prt | sed '$!d'`); n=$((${#s[*]}-1)); s[$n]=${s[$n]%[+-]}; c="${s[*]}"; o=$((s[$n]>=25000?s[$n]:0)); Ps "Mach ports used by process \"${c% ${s[$((n-1))]}*}\" with UID ${s[$((n-1))]}"; o=`kextstat -kl | grep -v com\\.apple | cut -c53- | cut -d\< -f1`; Pm "Loaded extrinsic kernel extensions"; R && o=`sudo launchctl list | awk 'NR>1 && !/0x|com\.(apple|openssh|vix\.cron)|org\.(amav|apac|calendarse|cups|dove|isc|ntp|openld|post[fg]|x)/{print $3}'`; Pm "Extrinsic daemons"; o=`launchctl list | awk 'NR>1 && !/0x|com\.apple|org\.(x|openbsd)|\.[0-9]+$/{print $3}'`; Pm "Extrinsic agents"; o=`for d in {/,}L*/Lau*; do M; done | egrep -v 'com\.apple\.(CSConfig|server)' | while read f; do ID=$($PB\ :Label "$f") || ID="No job label"; printf "$Fb" "$f" "$ID"; done`; Pm "launchd items"; o=`for d in /{S*/,}L*/StartupItems; do M; done`; Pm "Startup items"; sys=`pkgutil --regexp --only-files --files com.apple.pkg.* | sort | uniq | sed 's:^:/:'`; b=`sed -E '/^.+Lib.+\/Contents\/Info.plist$/!d;s/\/Info.plist$//;/Contents\/./d' <<< "$sys"`; l=`egrep '^/usr/lib/.+dylib$' <<< "$sys"`; [[ "$b" && "$l" ]] && { o=`find -L /S*/L*/{C*/Sec*A,E}* {/,}L*/{A*d,Compon,Ex,In,iTu,Keyb,Mail/B,P*P,Qu*T,Scripti,Sec,Servi,Spo}* -type d -name Contents -prune | grep -Fv "$b" | while read d; do test -f "$d/Info.plist" || continue; ID=$($PB\ :CFBundleIdentifier "$_") || ID="No bundle ID"; printf "$Fb" "${d%/Contents}" "$ID"; done`; Pm "Extrinsic loadable bundles"; o=`find /usr/lib -type f -name *.dylib | grep -Fv "$l"`; Pm "Extrinsic shared libraries"; :; } || echo $'\nReceipts missing'; o=`for e in INSERT_LIBRARIES LIBRARY_PATH; do launchctl getenv DYLD_$e; done`; Pm "Inserted dylibs"; o=`find -L {,/u*/lo*}/e*/periodic -type f -mtime -10d`; Pm "Modified periodic scripts"; o=`scutil --proxy | grep Prox`; Pm "Proxies"; o=`scutil --dns | awk '/r\[0\] /{if ($NF !~ /^1(0|72\.(1[6-9]|2[0-9]|3[0-1])|92\.168)\./) print $NF; exit}'`; i=`route -n get default | awk '/e:/{print $2}'`; I=`$NS -listnetworkserviceorder | sed -En '/ '$i'\)$/{x;s/^\(.+\) //p;q;};x'`; n=`$NS -getdnsservers "$I" | awk '!/^T/{printf "not "; exit}'`; Ps "DNS (${n}from DHCP)"; o=`$NS -getinfo "$I" | awk '/k:/{if ($3 !~ "(255\.){3}0") print $3}'`; Ps "Netmask"; R && o=`sudo profiles -P | grep : | wc -l`; Ps "Profiles"; f=auto_master; [[ `md5 -q /etc/$f` =~ ^b166 ]] || Pc $f /etc/$f; for f in fstab sysctl.conf crontab launchd.conf; do Pc $f /etc/$f; done; f=/etc/hosts; Pc "hosts" <(egrep -v "$H" $f ); AT $f; Pc "User launchd" ~/.launchd*; R && Pc "Root crontab" <(sudo crontab -l); Pc "User crontab" <(crontab -l); R && o=`sudo defaults read com.apple.loginwindow LoginHook`; Pm "Login hook"; LD="$(`find /S*/*/F* -type f -name lsregister | head -n1` -dump)"; o=`for ID in $AC; do [[ "$LD" =~ $ID ]] && echo $ID; done`; Pm "Application check"; Pp "Global login items" /L*/P*/loginw* Path; Pp "User login items" L*/P*/*loginit* Name; Pp "Safari extensions" L*/Saf*/*/E*.plist Bundle | sed -E 's/(\..*$|-[1-9])//g'; o=`find ~ $TMPDIR.. \( -flags +sappnd,schg,uappnd,uchg -o ! -user $UID -o ! -perm -600 \) | wc -l`; Ps "Restricted user files"; cd; o=`SP Fonts | egrep 'id: N|te: Y' | wc -l`; Ps "Font problems"; o=`find L*/{Con,Pref}* -type f ! -size 0 -name *.plist | while read f; do plutil -s "$f" >&- || echo $f; done`; Pm "Bad plists"; d=(Desktop L*/Keyc*); n=(20 7); for i in 0 1; do o=`find "${d[$i]}" -type f -maxdepth 1 | wc -l`; o=$((o<=n[$i]?0:o)); Ps "${d[$i]##*/} file count"; done; o=; [[ UID -eq 0 ]] && o=root; Ps "UID"; o=$((`date +%s`-t)); Ps "Elapsed time (s)"; } 2>/dev/null | pbcopy; exit 2>&-

Copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C.

7. Launch the built-in Terminal application in any of the following ways:

☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)

☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.

☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.

Click anywhere in the Terminal window and paste (command-V). The text you pasted should vanish immediately. If it doesn't, press the return key.

8. If you see an error message in the Terminal window such as "syntax error," enter

exec bash

and press return. Then paste the script again.

9. If you're logged in as an administrator, you'll be prompted for your login password. Nothing will be displayed when you type it. You will not see the usual dots in place of typed characters. Make sure caps lock is off. Type carefully and then press return. You may get a one-time warning to be careful. If you make three failed attempts to enter the password, the test will run anyway, but it will produce less information. In most cases, the difference is not important. If you don't know the password, or if you prefer not to enter it, press the key combination control-C or just press return three times at the password prompt. Again, the script will still run.

If you're not logged in as an administrator, you won't be prompted for a password. The test will still run. It just won't do anything that requires administrator privileges.

10. The test may take a few minutes to run, depending on how many files you have and the speed of the computer. A computer that's abnormally slow may take longer to run the test. While it's running, there will be nothing in the Terminal window and no indication of progress. Wait for the line

[Process completed]

to appear. If you don't see it within half an hour or so, the test probably won't complete in a reasonable time. In that case, close the Terminal window and report the results. No harm will be done.

11. When the test is complete, quit Terminal. The results will have been copied to the Clipboard automatically. They are not shown in the Terminal window. Please don't copy anything from there. All you have to do is start a reply to this comment and then paste by pressing command-V again.

If any private information, such as your name or email address, appears in the results, anonymize it before posting. Usually that won't be necessary.

12. When you post the results, you might see the message, "You have included content in your post that is not permitted." It means that the forum software has misidentified something in the post as a violation of the rules. If that happens, please post the test results on Pastebin, then post a link here to the page you created.

Note: This is a public forum, and others may give you advice based on the results of the test. They speak only for themselves, and I don't necessarily agree with them.


________________________________

Copyright © 2014 by Linc Davis. As the sole author of this work, I reserve all rights to it except as provided in the Terms of Use of the Apple Support Communities website ("ASC"). Readers of ASC may copy it for their own personal use. Neither the whole nor any part may be redistributed.

Mar 26, 2014 5:54 AM in response to Linc Davis

No root access



System Version: OS X 10.9.2 (13C64)

Kernel Version: Darwin 13.1.0

Boot Mode: Normal



Model: MacBookPro9,2



User diagnostics



2014-03-24 Skype crash

2014-03-24 Skype crash



Kernel messages



Mar 20 05:20:11 Previous Shutdown Cause: -40

Mar 20 05:50:11 wl0: Roamed or switched channel, reason #4, bssid 9c:97:26:9f:cd:ef

--- last message repeated 1 time ---

Mar 20 18:40:24 PM notification timeout (pid 267, iTunes)

--- last message repeated 5 times ---

Mar 22 18:25:45 process AAM Updates Noti[352] caught causing excessive wakeups. Observed wakeups rate (per sec): 18980; Maximum permitted wakeups rate (per sec): 150; Observation period: 300 seconds; Task lifetime number of wakeups: 45126

Mar 22 19:44:08 wl0: Roamed or switched channel, reason #8, bssid 9c:97:26:9f:cd:ef

Mar 23 08:35:34 Sound assertion in AppleHDAFunctionGroup at line 1042

Mar 23 09:22:24 wl0: Roamed or switched channel, reason #4, bssid 9c:97:26:9f:cd:ef

--- last message repeated 1 time ---

Mar 24 07:03:55 Sound assertion in AppleHDAFunctionGroup at line 1042

--- last message repeated 1 time ---

Mar 24 22:43:49 wl0: Roamed or switched channel, reason #8, bssid 9c:97:26:9f:cd:ef



Total CPU usage: user 20%, system 5%



CPU usage by process "drwebd" with UID 501: 18.0%



Extrinsic agents



com.adobe.PDApp.AAMUpdatesNotifier.35056.UUID

com.adobe.CS5ServiceManager

com.zeobit.MacKeeper.Helper



launchd items



/Library/LaunchAgents/com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist

(com.adobe.AAM.Startup-1.0)

/Library/LaunchAgents/com.adobe.CS5ServiceManager.plist

(com.adobe.CS5ServiceManager)

/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.adobe.fpsaud.plist

(com.adobe.fpsaud)

/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist

(com.adobe.SwitchBoard)

/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist

(com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper)

/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.vsearch.daemon.plist

(com.vsearch.daemon)

/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.vsearch.helper.plist

(com.vsearch.helper)

/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.zeobit.MacKeeper.plugin.AntiTheft.daemon.plist

(com.zeobit.MacKeeper.plugin.AntiTheft.daemon)

/Library/LaunchDaemons/Jack.plist

(Jack)

Library/LaunchAgents/com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist

(com.adobe.AAM.Scheduler-1.0)

Library/LaunchAgents/com.zeobit.MacKeeper.Helper.plist

(com.zeobit.MacKeeper.Helper)



Extrinsic loadable bundles



/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/Flash Player.plugin

(com.macromedia.Flash Player.plugin)

/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/SharePointBrowserPlugin.plugin

(com.microsoft.sharepoint.browserplugin)

/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/SharePointWebKitPlugin.webplugin

(com.microsoft.sharepoint.webkitplugin)

/Library/PreferencePanes/Flash Player.prefPane

(com.adobe.flashplayerpreferences)

/Library/PreferencePanes/Growl.prefPane

(com.growl.prefpanel)

/Library/ScriptingAdditions/Adobe Unit Types.osax

(No bundle ID)

Library/Address Book Plug-Ins/SkypeABDialer.bundle

(com.skype.skypeabdialer)

Library/Address Book Plug-Ins/SkypeABSMS.bundle

(com.skype.skypeabsms)



User login items



iTunesHelper

uTorrent

Host



Restricted user files: 101



Font problems: 37



Desktop file count: 30



Elapsed time (s): 405

Mar 26, 2014 6:00 AM in response to Linc Davis

When I first read your advice I thought this was somwhow a joke.

I followed your steps without any idea about what I was doing!!!

You can imagene my surpreise when I paste the results of something I could not see!!!!

amazing.


Before running this I used ClamXav and I tried to see if this could find the problem. I found and deleted 2-3 threats.

I might have find it in a file called Files_Report.zip.

When I rescanned the computer with Dr Web it did not find any problem.....mah?!

I wish I was more skilled 😟

Mar 26, 2014 6:24 AM in response to grazgar

uTorrent - Get that removed this instant. Ask its vendor how. The only thing that's good for is illegitimate software, and the source of your trouble. It will not immediately solve the problem, but it will prevent any further transmission of software that could be problematic. The only legitimate software sources are The Apple Mac App Store, and direct links to the actual software vendors. MacUpdate and C!Net may provide good software, but their advertisers are not always good. Ask here before choosing software. Anyway, hopefully Linc Davis will be able to supplement what else is needed.

Mar 26, 2014 7:49 AM in response to grazgar

A.

You installed the "DownLite" trojan, perhaps under a different name. Remove it as follows.

Back up all data.

Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:

/Library/Application Support/VSearch

Right-click or control-click the line and select

Services Reveal in Finder (or just Reveal)

from the contextual menu.* A folder should open with an item named "VSearch" selected. Drag the selected item to the Trash. You may be prompted for your administrator login password.

Repeat with each of these lines:

/Library/LaunchAgents/com.vsearch.agent.plist /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.vsearch.daemon.plist /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.vsearch.helper.plist /Library/LaunchDaemons/Jack.plist /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/Jack /System/Library/Frameworks/VSearch.framework

Some of these items may be absent, in which case you'll get a message that the file can't be found. Skip that item and go on to the next one.

Restart and empty the Trash. Don't try to empty the Trash until you have restarted.

From the Safari menu bar, select

Safari Preferences... Extensions

Uninstall any extensions you don't know you need, including any that have the word "Spigot" in the description. If in doubt, uninstall all extensions. Do the equivalent for the Firefox and Chrome browsers, if you use either of those.

This trojan is distributed on illegal websites that traffic in pirated movies. If you, or anyone else who uses the computer, visit such sites and follow prompts to install software, you can expect much worse to happen in the future.

You may be wondering why you didn't get a warning from Gatekeeper about installing software from an unknown developer, as you should have. The reason is that the DownLite developer has a codesigning certificate issued by Apple, which causes Gatekeeper to give the installer a pass. Apple could revoke the certificate, but as of this writing, has not done so, even though it's aware of the problem. It must be said that this failure of oversight is inexcusable and has seriously compromised the value of Gatekeeper and the Developer ID program. You cannot rely on Gatekeeper alone to protect you from harmful software.

*If you don't see the contextual menu item, copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. In the Finder, select

Go Go to Folder...

from the menu bar and paste into the box that opens (command-V). You won't see what you pasted because a line break is included. Press return.

B.

Remove "MacKeeper" as follows.

"MacKeeper" has only one useful feature: it deletes itself.

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.

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. Quit it if it's running, then drag it to the Trash. You'll be prompted for your login password. Click the Uninstall MacKeeper button in the dialog that appears. All the functional components of the software will be deleted. Reboot.

Quit MacKeeper before dragging it to the Trash.

Don't empty the Trash. Let MacKeeper delete itself.

Don't try to drag the MacKeeper Dock icon to the Trash.

C.

Remove "DrWeb."

1. This is a comment on what you should and should not do to protect yourself from malicious software ("malware") that circulates on the Internet. It does not apply to software, such as keystroke loggers, that may be installed deliberatelyby an intruder who has hands-on access to your computer, or who has been able to log in to it remotely. That threat is in a different category, and there's no easy way to defend against it. If you have reason to suspect that you're the target of such an attack, you need expert help.

If you find this comment too long or too technical, read only sections 5, 6, and 10.

OS X now implements three layers of built-in protection specifically against malware, not counting runtime protections such as execute disable, sandboxing, system library randomization, and address space layout randomization that may also guard against other kinds of exploits.

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. Internally Apple calls it "XProtect."

The malware recognition database used by XProtect is automatically updated; 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:

  • It can be bypassed by some third-party networking software, such as BitTorrent clients and Java applets.
  • It only applies to software downloaded from the network. Software installed from a CD or other media is not checked.
As new versions of OS X are released, it's not clear whether Apple will indefinitely continue to maintain the XProtect database of older versions such as 10.6. The security of obsolete system versions may eventually be degraded. Security updates to the code of obsolete systems will stop being released at some point, and that may leave them open to other kinds of attack besides malware.

3. Starting with OS X 10.7.5, there has been a second layer of built-in malware protection, designated " Gatekeeper" by Apple. By default, applications and Installer packages downloaded from the network will only run if they're digitally signed by a developer with a certificate issued by Apple. Software certified in this way hasn't necessarily been tested by Apple, but you can be reasonably sure that it hasn't been modified by anyone other than the developer. His identity is known to Apple, so he could be held legally responsible if he distributed malware. That may not mean much if the developer lives in a country with a weak legal system (see below.)

Gatekeeper doesn't depend on a database of known malware. It has, however, the same limitations as XProtect, and in addition the following:

  • It can easily be disabled or overridden by the user.
  • A malware attacker could get control of a code-signing certificate under false pretenses, or could simply ignore the consequences of distributing codesigned malware.
  • An App Store developer could find a way to bypass Apple's oversight, or the oversight could fail due to human error.

Apple has so far failed to revoke the codesigning certificates of some known abusers, thereby diluting the value of Gatekeeper and the Developer ID program. These failures don't involve App Store products, however.

For the reasons given, App Store products, and — to a lesser extent — other applications recognized by Gatekeeper as signed, are safer than others, but they can't be considered absolutely safe. "Sandboxed" applications may prompt for access to private data, such as your contacts, or for access to the network. Think before granting that access. Sandbox security is based on user input. Never click through any request for authorization without thinking.

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 effective against known threats, but not against unknown ones. It notifies you if it finds malware, but otherwise there's no user interface to MRT.


5. The built-in security features of OS X reduce the risk of malware attack, but they are not, and never will be, complete protection. The best defense is always going to be 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 scam artists. If you're smarter than they think you are, you'll win. That means, in practice, that you always stay within a safe harbor of computing practices. How do you know when you're leaving the safe harbor? Below are some warning signs of danger.

Software from an untrustworthy source
  • Software of any kind is distributed via BitTorrent. or Usenet, or on a website that also distributes pirated music or movies.
  • Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, doesn't come directly from the developer’s website.
  • Rogue websites such as Softonic and CNET Download distribute free applications that have been packaged in a superfluous "installer."
  • The software is advertised by means of spam or intrusive web ads.
Software that is plainly illegal or does something illegal
  • High-priced commercial software such as Photoshop is "cracked" or "free."
  • An application helps you to infringe copyright, for instance by circumventing the copy protection on commercial software, or saving streamed media for reuse without permission.
Conditional or unsolicited offers from strangers
  • A telephone caller or a web page tells you that you have a “virus” and offers to help you remove it. (Some reputable websites did legitimately warn visitors who were infected with the "DNSChanger" malware. That exception to this rule no longer applies.)
  • A web site offers free content such as video or music, but to use it you must install a “codec,” “plug-in,” "player," "downloader," "extractor," or “certificate” that comes from that same site, or an unknown one.
  • You win a prize in a contest you never entered.
  • Someone on a message board such as this one is eager to help you, but only if you download an application of his choosing.
  • A "FREE WI-FI !!!" network advertises itself in a public place such as an airport, but is not provided by the management.
  • Anything online that you would expect to pay for is "free."
Unexpected events
  • You open what you think is a document and get an alert that it's "an application downloaded from the Internet." Click Cancel and delete the file. Even if you don't get the alert, you should still delete any file that isn't what you expected it to be.
  • An application does something you don't expect, such as asking for permission to access your contacts, your location, or the Internet for no obvious reason.
  • Software is attached to email that you didn't request, even if it comes (or seems to come) from someone you trust.

I don't say that leaving the safe harbor just once will necessarily result in disaster, but making a habit of it will weaken your defenses against malware attack. Any of the above scenarios should, at the very least, make you uncomfortable.

6. Java on the Web ( not to be confused with JavaScript, to which it's not related, despite the similarity of the names) is a weak point in the security of any system. Java is, among other things, a platform for running complex applications in a web page, on the client. That was always a bad idea, and Java's developers have proven themselves incapable of implementing it without also creating a portal for malware to enter. Past Java exploits are the closest thing there has ever been to a Windows-style virus affecting OS X. Merely loading a page with malicious Java content could be harmful.

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.

Java is not included in OS X 10.7 and later. Discrete Java installers are distributed by Apple and by Oracle (the developer of Java.) Don't use either one unless you need it. Most people don't. If Java is installed, disable itnot JavaScript — in your browsers.

Regardless of version, experience has shown that Java on the Web can't be trusted. If you must use a Java applet for a task on a specific site, enable Java only for that site in Safari. Never enable Java for a public website that carries third-party advertising. Use it only on well-known, login-protected, secure websites without ads. In Safari 6 or later, you'll see a lock icon in the address bar with the abbreviation "https" when visiting a secure site.
Stay within the safe harbor, and you’ll be as safe from malware as you can practically be. The rest of this comment concerns what you should not do to protect yourself.

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 one of the free security apps in the Mac App Store — nothing else.

Why shouldn't you use commercial "anti-virus" products?
  • To recognize malware, the software depends on a database of known threats, which is always at least a day out of date. New threats are emerging on a daily basis. Research has shown that most successful attacks are "zero-day" — that is, previously unknown. Recognition-based malware scanners do not defend against such attacks.
  • Their design is predicated on the nonexistent threat that malware may be injected at any time, anywhere in the file system. Malware is downloaded from the network; it doesn't materialize from nowhere.
  • In order to meet that nonexistent threat, the software modifies or duplicates low-level functions of the operating system, which is a waste of resources and a common cause of instability, bugs, and poor performance.
  • By modifying the operating system, the software itself may create weaknesses that could be exploited by malware attackers.

8. An anti-malware product from the App Store, such as "ClamXav," has the same drawback as the commercial suites of being always out of date, but it does not inject code into the operating system. That doesn't mean it's entirely harmless. 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.

An anti-virus app is not needed, and cannot be relied upon, for protection against OS X malware. It's useful only for detecting Windows malware, and even for that use it's not really effective, because new Windows malware is emerging much faster than OS X malware. Windows malware can't harm you directly (unless, of course, you use Windows.) Just don't pass it on to anyone else.

A Windows malware attachment in email is usually easy to recognize without the need for any software; for example:

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥!!!!!!!H0TBABEZ4U!!!!!!!.AVI♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.exe

Software may be able to tell you which particular trojan it is, but do you really care? In practice, there's seldom a reason to use recognition software unless an institutional policy requires it. Windows malware is so widespread that you should assume it's in every unknown email attachment until proven otherwise. Nevertheless, ClamXav or a similar App Store product may be useful if an uninformed network administrator says you must have some kind of "anti-virus" application.

The ClamXav developer won't try to "upsell" you to a paid version of the product. Other developers may do that. Don't be upsold. For one thing, you should not pay to protect Windows users from the consequences of their choice of computing platform. For another, a paid upgrade from a free app will probably have all the disadvantages mentioned in section 7.

9. It seems to be a common belief that the built-in Application Firewall acts as a barrier to infection, or prevents malware from functioning. It does neither. It blocks inbound connections to certain network services you're running, such as file sharing. It's disabled by default and you should leave it that way if you're behind a router on a private home or office network. Activate it only when you're on an untrusted network, for instance a public Wi-Fi hotspot, where you don't want to provide services. Disable any services you don't use in the Sharing preference pane. All are disabled by default.

10. As a Mac user you don't have to live in fear that your computer may be infected every time you install software, read email, or visit a web page. But neither should you assume that you will always be safe from exploitation, no matter what you do. The greatest harm done by security software is precisely its selling point: it makes people feel safe. They may then feel safe enough to take risks from which the software doesn't protect them. "Hmmmm, this torrent is a crack of that new game I want. I think I'll download it. It could be a trojan, but the antivirus will warn me if it is." Then they wonder why their Mac is so slow all of a sudden. It's slow because it's running flat out mining bitcoins for a hacker who has already sold their credit card number and banking passwords to a criminal gang. Maybe a week later the antivirus does warn them, but what good does that do?

Nothing can lessen the need for safe computing practices.

Mar 26, 2014 10:58 AM in response to grazgar

The reason you were unable to initially find that file is because it was in a hidden directory in your home folder.


If Dr. Web was correct in identifying this as Backdoor.Wirenet.2 then this potentially a very serious infection. TheSafeMac describes it as:

NetWeird, aka Wirenet

Appeared August 22, 2012 / Description modified November 12, 2012

NetWeird is a rather lame remote access kit and trojan, for sale on the black market for $60. Although at this time it is extremely poorly made, and may not even actually be in the wild, it's still possible some people may see this.

You can read about all we know about it in these articles:


New NetWeird malware discovered

An Analysis of the Cross-Platform Backdoor NetWeirdRC

Apple zombie malware 'NetWeird' rummages for browser and email passwords


Those articles indicate that this was a serious attack but that it wasn't fully functional. This would appear to be a refined version that may have harvested some of your passwords.


I agree with WZZZ that this would seem to be related to the other Forum discussion from last month that wasn't fully resolved.

grazgar wrote:


=I used ClamXav and I tried to see if this could find the problem. I found and deleted 2-3 threats.

I might have find it in a file called Files_Report.zip.

When I rescanned the computer with Dr Web it did not find any problem.....mah?!

I would be a lot more comfortable if I knew what the ClamXav "threats" were. It catches many things, but most are Windows only or e-mail phishing and almost none that are OS X related. If any of these threat names contained the letters "OSX" then they are significant.

Mar 26, 2014 7:19 PM in response to grazgar

You are infected with the Wirenet (aka NetWeird) malware. One variant of this malware is an app called Host.app, and you have such an app that has been installed into an invisible folder (named ".Install") in your user folder, and which has been added to your login items. Back in 2012, this malware was not very well implemented, but it seems to still be in circulation (thus the ".2" in the name, indicating it is a second variation discovered since the initial appearance), and has probably been improved on.


This malware includes a backdoor, allowing the hackers behind it to install other things on your computer or make configuration changes. And it may potentially have been on your computer for some time. As such, you should consider your computer to be fully compromised, and should not attempt to remove the malware from the system. Instead, you need to erase the hard drive, reinstall the system and only trusted apps from scratch and then restore only your documents from backup. See:


How to reinstall Mac OS X from scratch


Since NetWeird has been known to steal passwords, after you have established a clean system, you should immediately change ALL your online account passwords - e-mail, Apple ID, bank accounts, you name it. Change them all.


Note that you have been advised to remove Dr. Web. If you are using Dr. Web Light, from the App Store, there is absolutely no reason to follow this advice, especially given that it alerted you to this threat. Dr. Web Light cannot cause any problems, as long as you do not act rashly and allow it to delete files prematurely. Further, it is the only App Store anti-virus that I recommend. Reinstall it after wiping the system if you like.


As for other recommendations, for removing things like MacKeeper and uTorrent, I'm behind those 100%. MacKeeper is garbage, and downloading from a torrent is a great way to get infected with malware. Neither of these apps should have a place on your computer. Do not reinstall these after you wipe your system clean.


For more information about protecting yourself from malware in the future, see my Mac Malware Guide.

How do I remove Backdoor.wirenet.2 from my Mac. DrWeb has detected it but can not remove.

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