I recently had three email accounts hacked. I need to check for keyloggers on my Mac. I have no idea how to do that. Help?
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
iMac, macOS High Sierra (10.13.2)
There simply is no logical way to guarantee the absence of keylogging software. There are only ways to determine the presence of certain, known key loggers; and even if you were to confirm the presence of a well-known one, it could have been installed in an effort to distract you from the presence of some lesser-known one more difficult to detect or eliminate.
There are a number of ways an email account can be "hacked" ranging from the mundane (looking over your shoulder, or having a surreptitiously installed camera aimed at your iMac's display) to literally guessing common passwords, to very popular and extremely successful phishing scams, to highly sophisticated means literally impossible to detect. The latter possibility is not even worth considering unless you are a high profile target of an investigation from entities with essentially unlimited budgets (federal law enforcement agencies for example).
You might be able to determine the presence of common, well-known keyloggers by examining certain macOS system folders. The easiest way to do that is to download and run EtreCheck, which you can read about here: Using EtreCheck. Post its report in a reply to this Discussion. Just beware that even if you were to find one, eradicating it is probably not something you should consider, because that Mac would be considered evidence in a criminal investigation.
Other ways of lifting your personal information might involve snooping on your wireless network. Protecting yourself from that possibility requires protecting your wireless network and all its equipment both physically and with secure passwords... with emphasis on both the wireless network and all its equipment. Anyone with physical, hands-on access to your Mac or the router(s) it uses can use a variety of techniques to eavesdrop on what you're doing.
Really, the first thing you should do is to ask yourself who might be interested in "hacking" your personal information. The usual suspects include future former spouses... etc. Unauthorized use of a personal computer is a crime and has been for many years, so if that's your concern you need help that goes far beyond the scope of this technical support site.
What is "social engineering?"
artsygrl17 wrote:
What is "social engineering?"
What do you mean by "hacked"? Describe what you tried and what failed. To solve an issue we need to know what the problem is not what you have concluded.
R
My passwords will no longer allow me to be logged into my email accounts.
You should contact what ever service hosts your email. example: account@gmail.com give google a call. often time you can do a google search for "800 gmail.com" or "800 google"
R
No. Etrecheck is only for OS X systems.
QuietMacFan wrote:
artsygrl17 has not responded since leaving the message.
allow me to add doubt that any emails were hacked, that more likely this is a misunderstanding of use of the email apps
(always assume the customer is giving you the wrong problem and description, always make sure the problem is repeatable, then answer, is a more strict rule to follow for answering off-the-cuff questions)
however, artsygrl17, java is used on various websites. around 1998 there were released "versions of java" that allowed websites to "control the edit window" (meaning they see what you type before you press send. very likely they don't "read it").
if your concerned about suspicious apps, a route is to "restore mac to factory" (see articles on that) and only install essential (trusted) apps from App Store
Maybe you are thinking about javascript rather than Java. Restoring a Mac to "factory" seems a little excessive to rid a computer of "suspicious apps". Because an app is in the app store does not guarantee that it is safe, good, or trusted.
How to detect Keyloggers on iPhone or Mac
