Possible malware on my macbook.

Question

Hi guys,
Firstly let me start off by apologising as i know this topic has been somewhat covered in the past, but i thought their might be new information available that could help me out.
I play world of warcraft on my macbook, just last night i tried to log in only to find my account had been hacked and my password changed, I used secret question etc to reset and choose anew password a few hours later the password had changed again. On contacting blizzard they said it was most likely that i had a keylogger on my system either as a downloaded addon for the game or from visiting some wow related site. So my question that i really hope you may be able to answer is;
1. Assuming there is a keylogger on my system (i think thats the safest stance to take) how do i remove it ? I have ran clamxav, ianti virus and macscan all clean except for some Tracking cookies that look innocent enough.
I can do a system restore as a lst resort but im hoping to avoid it if possible.
thanks for your time and help
Conor

Answer 1

Yes, an erase and fresh install is the safest way to go.
While there are no known viruses that attack Mac OS X at the present time it is possible for other malware to get onto your Mac, like your keylogger.
So I go to lengths to protect my user. A hosed system can be replaced but a compromised user folder is compromised forever. Along with all your important data like bank records, credit cards, ... I.e. your "identity" stolen.
The best way to avoid that is by being a frustrating target. Use your built-in firewall which is industrial strength and/or a hard wired router, downloading only from "trusted" sites, installing all security updates and being careful about what you give administrative power to.
Don't use Limewire or any other P2P service to download your software, get it from reputable sources. In addition, always keep at least your users backed up, preferably a clone of your entire system on a separate disk. And put your sensitive passwords, bank accounts, credit card numbers in a "secure note" in a new keychain or in an encrypted folder.
If and when a Mac virus does appear it will be headline news and you can download the AV software then. If you feel you have to run an AV program I'd suggest ClamXav a mac friendly freeware app that is very stable with OS X. It will check for known virus signatures at any rate.
Hope this helps.
-mj