Malwarebytes anti-malware question

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When I installed Malwarebytes, all went OK. When I opened it to run a scan, I got a message "background service is offline". I am using El Capitan 10.11.6. My macbook was built in late 2009. There is no way I could find to bypass the message.

Yes.

(142950)

There are no .exe files that run on a Mac, those are Windows specific. That AppCommon folder is there because of that App Tech .exe file installation. You can allow MalwareBytes to remove that Application Support/AppCommon folder.

No. You should never trust any software to automatically remove files that it didn't install, and you should never use any "anti-malware" product for any reason.

You may have installed ad-injection malware ("adware").

Don't use any kind of "anti-virus" or "anti-malware" product on a Mac. There is never a need for it, and relying on it for protection makes you more vulnerable to attack, not less.

Back up all data first.

If you're not already running the latest version of OS X, updating or upgrading in the App Store may cause the adware to be removed automatically. If you are already running the latest version, please log out or restart the computer. Again, some kinds of malware will be removed—not all. There is no such thing as automatic removal of all possible malware, either by OS X or by third-party software. That's why you can't rely on software to protect you.

If the malware is removed in your case, you'll still need to make changes to the way you use the computer to protect yourself from further attacks. Ask if you need guidance.

If the malware is not removed automatically, see below.

This easy procedure will detect any kind of adware that I know of. Deactivating it is a separate, and even easier, procedure.

Some legitimate software is ad-supported and may display ads in its own windows or in a web browser while it's running. That's not malware and it may not show up. Also, some websites carry intrusive popup ads that may be mistaken for adware.

If none of your web browsers is working well enough to carry out these instructions, restart the computer in safe mode. The malware will be disabled temporarily.

Step 1

Please triple-click the line below on this page to select it, then copy the text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C:

~/Library/LaunchAgents

In the Finder, select

Go ▹ Go to Folder...

from the menu bar and paste into the box that opens by pressing command-V. Press return. Either a folder named "LaunchAgents" will open, or you'll get a notice that the folder can't be found. If the folder isn't found, go to the next step.

If the folder does open, press the key combination command-2 to select list view, if it's not already selected. Please don't skip this step.

There should be a column in the Finder window headed Date Modified. Click that heading twice to sort the contents by date with the newest at the top. If necessary, enlarge the window so that all of the contents are showing.

Follow the instructions in this support article under the heading "Take a screenshot of a window." An image file with a name beginning in "Screen Shot" should be saved to the Desktop. Open the screenshot and make sure it's readable. If not, capture a smaller part of the screen showing only what needs to be shown.

Start a reply to this message. Drag the image file into the editing window to upload it. You can also include text in the reply.

Leave the folder open for now.

Step 2

Do as in Step 1 with this line:

/Library/LaunchAgents

The folder that may open will have the same name, but is not the same, as the one in Step 1. As in that step, the folder may not exist.

Step 3

Repeat with this line:

/Library/LaunchDaemons

This time the folder will be named "LaunchDaemons."

Step 4

Open the Safari preferences window and select the Extensions tab. If any extensions are listed, post a screenshot. If there are no extensions, or if you can't launch Safari, skip this step.

Step 5

If you use the Firefox or Chrome browser, open its extension list and do as in Step 4.

The long answer:

The overwhelming majority of us recommend Malwarebytes ether because we have had success with it on the mac or on windows and it appears to not cause any issues when it's running.

Malwarebytes does not prevent Malware occurring because it does not behave like typical AV which for the most part stays resident and on watch for a suspected infection, the nature of residency can cause interoperability problems with OS X. Malwarebytes does have the personal backing of most of us here because we feel comfortable with it as a tool to combat malware infections on the Mac (and/or Windows) platforms.

While it is not the only way to deal with these types of issues and may be limited to knowing what it's looking for, especially with new variants and subtleties of malware variants (as any manual method might be limited as well) we encourage you to look into a solution you are comfortable with based on your preference and your concerns and one in your best interest. Proceed as you feel warranted.

The short answer:
Yea, get that useless .exe off your mac.

Hello fritzer,

The short answer is an obvious YES.

Adware and malware are not like other software. I strongly recommend against using "app zappers" for normal software. There is no way any "app zapper" can properly uninstall software it didn't install. However, adware and malware is different. It doesn't come with an uninstalled or uninstallation instructions. In some cases it will actively fight uninstallation. The ONLY reliable and safe way to uninstall such software is with an automated tool like MalwareBytes. It probably isn't going to do a great job of "uninstalling" per-se. The goal is to stop it from running, not to clean all parts from the system. Unless you know your way around the command line, you probably aren't going to be able to do that manually.

You've been given the benefit of an original and interesting argument:

There is no way any "app zapper" can properly uninstall software it didn't install. However, adware and malware is different. It doesn't come with an uninstalled [sic] or uninstallation instructions.

The gist of this argument seems to be that, while you can't trust software to remove other software that comes with an uninstaller (and is therefore easy to uninstall), you can trust software to remove other software that doesn't come with an uninstaller and perhaps actively resists uninstallation (so is hard to uninstall).

If you understand that argument and think it makes sense, then you should certainly do what the person who made it suggests. Otherwise, you shouldn't.

And by the way, having helped others to remove thousands of malware infections myself, I've never come across one that needed any use of the command line for removal. Not even once. The only tools anyone has ever needed to remove malware are the Finder and a web browser, both of which you already have.

If MalwareBytes was unreliable why would Apple Store Geniuses and Apple Telephone Support agents use it?

"Not even once" is true only because it has happened multiple times. I would look it up for you but my plane is boarding. Maybe i will try later and have better spelling than my iPad allows. 🙂

Adware Medic (now under MalwareBytes moniker) is safe to use to remove Adware.

For most users, it is safer and easier than manually trudging through the file system guessing at what files to remove.

It may not remove all adware as adware is constantly evolving to defeat the attempts of others to prevent its spread. This is a good argument for not using tools such as this as if you can learn to identify the malware, you can just remove it as it appears, not depending on someone else to tell you how to remove it. For many, their time is better spent.

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