How do I scan a flash drive for virus?

macjack

That is flatly Not True.

There are viruses and malware for MacOS it is just that the protection is pretty good and they rarely get any traction. Apple keeps issuing updates to correct any vulnerabilities for a reason and has been criticised by industry experts for on occasions not fixing problems for extended periods of time, but given a low probability of being attacked does not equal no probability, precautions are still necessary.

I regularly run a sweep with VirusBarrier Pro which generally finds something, mostly Adware in the Browsers.

So please do not perpetuate a dangerous myth.

WuLi

I think you are suspecting either a Virus via the FlashDrive firmware, something that existed many years ago, or have a Microsoft document on the drive. Microsoft documents have vulnerabilities in the macros embedded. These however do not work on Macs as MsOffice for Mac does not have macros and a converted MsOffice document can't pass them on, the conversion simply works on the text.

Macs don't get the firmware virus because the Virus uses Windows' Autorun, again something MacOS doesn't have.

The main concern for Macs really is passing on viruses to Windows users via Mail, not actually catching them.

Peter

PeterBreis0807 wrote:

There are other supposed AntiVirus Apps which are a pest, in fact probably Malware themselves, but none that come from the App Store which Apple has vetted themselves.

Thor Anti-Virus is sold on the AppStore and it is practically malware. The AppStore is no assurance of a good product.

See thomas-r reply in this thread:

Re: What is the best anti-virus for Mac mini?

PeterBreis0807 wrote:

I quite regularly get browser malware, across the several browsers I use, but maybe they've got their hooks into me somewhere, I browse a lot and since I download most of my TV shows I get hit there a lot.

If you're using torrent software, I wouldn't be surprised if you have issues.

Browser pop-ups don't require much in the way of special software to deal with. Generally, getting rid of browser data will solve the issue.

See this articles:

Phony "tech support" / "ransomware" popups and web pages

Effective defenses against malware and other threats

John Galt wrote:

PeterBreis0807 wrote:

I suspect Google is data mining and has my email from other sites and adds the 2 together and sells it to the websites I have not granted access to my details.

"Suspect"?

As they state it in their privacy policy, it should be absolutely clear.

<Edited by Host>

There are no known viruses that affect Mac OS. If you want to scan for malware you can use Malwarebytes. Malwarebytes was developed by one of our own colleagues here in ASC. It gets rave reviews and is about the most proven anti-malware software for Mac.

I am sorry to say that I completely disagree with you about the use of AV software on a Mac.

It has been my experience with the Macs I help to support they cause far more problem then doing any good.

Instead I concur with macjack appraisal of them.

I have been using VirusBarrier Pro for years now and other than it is rather slow it has no deleterious effect.

I only run it when needed, and as I said it mostly clears out the Adware that all Browsers are vulnerable to.

There are other supposed AntiVirus Apps which are a pest, in fact probably Malware themselves, but none that come from the App Store which Apple has vetted themselves.

So sorry you really do not know what you are talking about. Most MalWare works on user's ignorance and complacency and that remains a real vulnerability on the Mac because people repeat what you just have said and others who have little to no idea of what is going on, believe it.

For more background on the current state of MacOS security:

http://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/mac-software/do-macs-get-viruses-do-macs-need-a ntivirus-software-3454926/

Peter

Let's logically examine your statement.

Apple can not, or does not properly vet their own App Store, but Apple's MacOS is secure!? ROTFL

Thor Anti-Virus is a Ratings pest, not a virus.

For more reading matter:

http://www.macworld.co.uk/feature/mac-software/best-mac-antivirus-2017-3637103/

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/mac-ransomware-protect,news-22352.html

http://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/mac-software/do-macs-get-viruses-do-macs-need-a ntivirus-software-3454926/

Peter

Yes, I've actually read those articles. There are semantics at play here. They start off talking about viruses, then quickly segue into "malware" which is a catch-all. In my experience all active AV products at best use unnecessary resources which can slow your Mac and at worst can bork your whole system. I've seen too many problems here that were related to exactly the AV products talked about in those articles. I've also seen AV software throw up all sorts of false positives. For these reasons I caution users to stay away from any and all AV products.

I think you are still equating the two terms "virus" and "malware". The two are NOT the same and that is the root of the present dispute.

Is there malware for the mac - absolutely.

Are there viruses that can attack the mac? The correct answer is "no, at least for now".

All known forms of malware that affect the mac rely on user actions-they are of the social engineering kind.

A virus is a piece of malware able to copy itself across programs and systems without any user intervention-much like a "real" virus. Again no such thing effective against the mac exists in the wild.

Semantics!

The poster may have used the word "Virus" as a catch all but clearly is concerned about malware and doesn't care how it specifically works, just what it does.

That Apple has generally caught and blocked most attacks, does not deny their existence, otherwise Apple would not need constant security updates.

We are particularly vulnerable to browser malware, which is what I specifically sweep for and catch. Fingers crossed I never get worse, but that is just fingers crossed.

Peter

PeterBreis0807 wrote:

Semantics!

The poster may have used the word "Virus" as a catch all but clearly is concerned about malware and doesn't care how it specifically works, just what it does.

Yes and that is why I pointed the OP to Malwarebytes.

PeterBreis0807 wrote:

That Apple has generally caught and blocked most attacks, does not deny their existence, otherwise Apple would not need constant security updates.

No one is denying their existence.

PeterBreis0807 wrote:

We are particularly vulnerable to browser malware, which is what I specifically sweep for and catch. Fingers crossed I never get worse, but that is just fingers crossed.

I've never had any browser malware. I'm not sure why your sweeps are catching it. Could it be false positives?

macjack wrote:

There are no known viruses that affect Mac OS.

Unless that is semantics? This is where we get arguing over how many angels there are on the head of a pin. The OP clearly used the term Virus loosely and you are choosing to go by the strict definition, which still does not absolve the MacOS from vulnerability, just Apple has good protection and keeps patching the OS.

I quite regularly get browser malware, across the several browsers I use, but maybe they've got their hooks into me somewhere, I browse a lot and since I download most of my TV shows I get hit there a lot.

Despite I have pop-up blocks I still get them coming up under open windows and the cunning buggers make them open the Print dialog box which makes them harder to dismiss.

I also am flooded by spam, which seem to breed, the more I junk them the more they breed. I recently travelled overseas for 2 months and within a week my InBox overflowed because I was not there to clear it, and I couldn't use my eMails anymore.

MacOS may be way better than Windows, but it is not perfect, and getting less so every day.

Peter

I take it as the price I pay to time shift the shows I want to view on the road.

The popups are a much greater problem on my PC, there I have to periodically force quit Windows.

A bigger problem is some sites seem to suck data just from browsing. I haven't allowed cookies and yet I'll get quite specific email exactly on what I just viewed. Strangely my wife even gets email directed to me, when all we share is a network.

I suspect Google is data mining and has my email from other sites and adds the 2 together and sells it to the websites I have not granted access to my details.

Why people put so much faith in all these giant corporations astonishes me.

Peter

PeterBreis0807 wrote:

A bigger problem is some sites seem to suck data just from browsing. I haven't allowed cookies and yet I'll get quite specific email exactly on what I just viewed. Strangely my wife even gets email directed to me, when all we share is a network.

Yes, sites that you visit suck data from browsing. It's the site that does it. And if you use any browser other than DuckDuckGo the browser provider ***** up everything you search. People have been arrested based on their Google or Bing searches.

However, it sounds like you don't understand what cookies are for. The purpose of cookies is to identify you between clicks, so you don't have to log in every time you click on a page. Or so it knows who you are between clicks if you haven't logged in. Without cookies when you, say, select an item to buy and put it in the "basket" when you click on the basket to pay it will be empty, because the site doesn't know who you are. There's a secondary use of cookies, to identify you the next time you visit a site. But that's all cookies do; they store the "session state" of your browser. Most cookies expire after a few minutes, so if you walk away from your computer in the middle of a transaction and come back 20 minutes later the site will no longer know who you are and require you to log in again.

The sites that you visit may record what you have looked at and sell that information. Or they may "subcontract" that to various tracking agents, of which there are dozens. They track you because your browser sends your IP address to the site every time you click on anything on a page. There are also databases relating IP addresses to users, so they indirectly know who you are whenever you use a browser. This has nothing to do with cookies. But it isn't as specific; all of the devices connected to your router have the same IP address that is the IP address of the router, not of your computer. So that's why your wife gets email directed at you.

If you use a computer on the Internet you are being tracked. It's a fact of life. If you don't want to be tracked there are ways to fool sites, but it limits what you can do; you can't, for example, buy anything, because the e-commerce sites don't know who you are. Two tools you can use are VPN networks and the Tor browser. Tor is free; you can get it from https://www.torproject.org/. Tor was originally created to provide anonymity for dissidents in repressive governments, but it is available to anyone. What it does is route your connections through multiple nodes, so it is difficult (but not impossible) to trace back to you. Note that the FBI, CIA and other government agencies have subverted some nodes, but unless they are specifically interested in you this shouldn't an issue for you. VPN lets you route your browsing (and email) through Internet "tunnels" that make it hard to trace where the connection came from. VPN is not free, and there is the question of true anonymity; the VPN provider has to know who you are, so you must rely on their discretion and honesty.

Why people put so much faith in all these giant corporations astonishes me.

That's easy; because they get something in return. When you use any free service you are the product, and you are being sold. In exchange, you get free products and services or significant convenience and price discounts. Amazon is an excellent example. You buy something on Amazon and in most cases you can get it the next day; sometimes the same day. That's certainly more convenient than driving to a store (or several stores) and searching for what you need. Amazon has a much larger selection than any store or even any mall, lower prices, and free delivery (for Prime members). What you are offering in exchange for this convenience is you - your interests, your habits, extraordinary levels of highly personal information that would shock you if you knew.

What about Facebook? Do you use it? Facebook knows even more about you than Amazon because they record everything you say to anyone and everything anyone says about you on their service. They know your most intimate secrets. Even if you don't use it they know a lot about you, because other Facebook users have mentioned you, and Facebook tracks all of that also.