Removing malware, adware from iMac

I seem to have picked up a bug that is placing ads all over my web-pages, even the apple-store page. Can anybody recommend the best anti-virus and malware for a iMac running Yosemite?

Anti-virus and anti-malware won't help, because adware is not considered either one. I realize you probably have a different opinion, as do about 99.999% of Mac users.
For a description of how this may have occurred, how to avoid it in the future, and for Apple's recommended actions read How to install adware. Apple's instructions are linked in the Recovery Procedure near the end of that document. Read and follow them carefully. Pay particular attention to the easily overlooked passages directing you to restart your Mac when required.

Similar Messages

How to remove Malware/adware from my mac mini which I downloaded by mistake?

Downloaded a malware/adware unknowingly when I wanted to download a videoplayer for my mac mini. Already tried doing a reinstall but the problem did not go a away. It hampers my web surfing. I'm using Google Chrome. Please advice.

Here are places to check:
-System Preferences/Accounts/ -> click your account on the left. Click login items at the top and see if there are any items you wish not to start up on launch.
-In Google Chrome you can go to the settings area and it will show you extensions. If there is an ad extension, you will be able to disable it.
-In Safari, fo to the top of the screen, click Safari, choose Preferences, go to extensions and remove any items that may be linked inside that area.
-Go to the applications folder and see if there are any items that pertain to the malware/adware you might be experiencing.
Once you have gone through these items, restart and see if the issue is resolved. I would suspect an extension got installed unknowingly.

I need urgent help to remove unwanted adware from my iMac. Help!

I need urgent help to remove unwanted adware from my iMac. I have somehow got green underline in text ads, pop up ads that come in from the sides of the screen and ads that pop up selling similar products all over the page wherever I go. Its getting worse and I have researched and researched to no avail. I am really hestitant to download any software to remove whatever it is that is causing this problem. I have removed and reinstalled chrome. I have cleared Chrome and Safari cookies. Checked extensions, there are none to remove. I need to find an answer on how to get rid of these ads. Help please!

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 by pressing command-V. You won't see what you pasted because a line break is included. Press return.

How to remove sd card from iMac

hi how to remove sd card from imac ,thanks

If your machine is in warranty, be careful not to do anything more that might damage it when removing it from the optical drive. You might even be able to convince an authorized service technician to carefully remove it under warranty from the optical drive. It is a design issue that lets people accidentally insert the SD card in the optical drive. Of course if that's the only copy of your information on the SD card, be sure to let them know that, so they are extra careful not to damage it when removing it.

How to remove "open dns" from imac

how to remove "open dns" from imac

Unlock the Network preference pane, if necessary, by clicking the lock icon in the lower left corner and entering your password. Cllck Advanced, open the DNS tab, and delete the server addresses. Click OK and then Apply.

How do you remove malware popups from chrome or safari?

My Macbook Air has been infected with malware. As soon as I log into any internet site on Google Chrome or Safari, I get all these annoying popups. I also noticed that a malware called Trovi is pretending to be my default search engine. How do I get rid of these?

Helpful Links Regarding Malware Problems
If you are having an immediate problem with ads popping up see The Safe Mac » Adware Removal Guide and AdwareMedic.
Open Safari, select Preferences from the Safari menu. Click on Extensions icon in the toolbar. Disable all Extensions. If this stops your problem, then re-enable them one by one until the problem returns. Now remove that extension as it is causing the problem.
The following comes from user stevejobsfan0123. I have made minor changes to adapt to this presentation.
Fix Some Browser Pop-ups That Take Over Safari.
Common pop-ups include a message saying the government has seized your computer and you must pay to have it released (often called "Moneypak"), or a phony message saying that your computer has been infected, and you need to call a tech support number (sometimes claiming to be Apple) to get it resolved. First, understand that these pop-ups are not caused by a virus and your computer has not been affected. This "hijack" is limited to your web browser. Also understand that these messages are scams, so do not pay any money, call the listed number, or provide any personal information. This article will outline the solution to dismiss the pop-up.
Quit Safari
Usually, these pop-ups will not go away by either clicking "OK" or "Cancel." Furthermore, several menus in the menu bar may become disabled and show in gray, including the option to quit Safari. You will likely have to force quit Safari. To do this, press Command + option + esc, select Safari, and press Force Quit.
Relaunch Safari
If you relaunch Safari, the page will reopen. To prevent this from happening, hold down the 'Shift' key while opening Safari. This will prevent windows from the last time Safari was running from reopening.
This will not work in all cases. The shift key must be held at the right time, and in some cases, even if done correctly, the window reappears. In these circumstances, after force quitting Safari, turn off Wi-Fi or disconnect Ethernet, depending on how you connect to the Internet. Then relaunch Safari normally. It will try to reload the malicious webpage, but without a connection, it won't be able to. Navigate away from that page by entering a different URL, i.e. www.apple.com, and trying to load it. Now you can reconnect to the Internet, and the page you entered will appear rather than the malicious one.
An excellent link to read is Tom Reed's Mac Malware Guide.
Also, visit The XLab FAQs and read Detecting and avoiding malware and spyware.
See these Apple articles:
Mac OS X Snow Leopard and malware detection
OS X Lion- Protect your Mac from malware
OS X Mountain Lion- Protect your Mac from malware
OS X Mavericks- Protect your Mac from malware
About file quarantine in OS X
If you require anti-virus protection Thomas Reed recommends using ClamXAV. (Thank you to Thomas Reed for this recommendation.)

I have an iMac 2013 running OSX 10.9.4. I want to use Carbon Copy Cloner to backup user files to an external hard drive. Then I want to remove iPhoto libraries from iMac. What will happen to the iPhoto libraries that I back up when I run backup in a

I have an iMac 2013 running OSX 10.9.4. I want to use Carbon Copy Cloner to backup user files to an external hard drive to free up space on my iMack Hard drive.
So, say I make the backup today, delete iphoto libraries from my iMac, and then backup my iMac in a week. What happens to the iphoto libraries that are on the external backup drive now that I am backing up the iMac where they no longer exist?
I will have them backed up to a separate second external drive as well.
I'm just very cautious about removing them from the hard drive.
Thanks for helping and understanding my crazy caution!

I'd like to store my Aperture /IMovie Libraries on an external hard drive.
That is fine and recommended.. use the fastest disk you can afford.. ie Thunderbolt>USB3>FW800>USB2.
In addition, I'd like to partition the external hard drive so that Time Machine can use it to both back up my IMac and the external library drives.
Let me be clear.. you want to partition the one disk.. use it for TM and move your files to the external disk.. and then backup to the same disk.. You can do it.. but that is not a backup.. that is an experiment in how long you can get away with running files and backups on the same disk before you lose everything.. like Russian Roulette.. pull the trigger enough times and laws of probability will do you in.
You must have backups on a different disk .. otherwise it is pointless.
Can I set up a RAID 5 format for redundancy?
No.. you can buy special USB and Thunderbolt external drives that support RAID..
BUT that is still not a backup.. let me show why.. you make a silly move and corrupt your file in aperture.. it is not that rare.
Raid will corrupt all copies of the files.. it is replicated across all disks.
Delete a photo it is deleted across all disks.. you have no recovery.
Alway, always consider RAID system one disk.. backup onto another disk.. and if the photos or movies are at all important to you.. ie your family .. make another copy and store in a relatives house.. There is no such thing as too much redundancy.

Removing songs etc. from iMac that are available for re-download

My iMac's space is low, and I'm considering removing the iTunes content that I bought from iTunes, since I understand that it is available for re-download from iTunes when I want to listen to it/watch it again. Is that correct? What's the best way to do this quickly? Thanks.

No, not 100%.
Downloading (using iOS or computer) past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2519 - After you download your purchases, back up your iTunes library. Previous purchases might be unavailable if they've been refunded or aren't on the iTunes Store.
^^ The distributor has pulled them from the Store. This particularly goes for movies where they may still be online and available for purchase but the distributor will not permit re-downloading. Always read the fine print and make the most pessimistic interpretation.
Me, I wouldn't trust any online service to not suddenly change the rules and I make a copy of everything I download on an external archive drive.
Buy an external hard drive. Better, buy two (one for backup). Move your library to the hard drive. Yes it is annoying but people want small computers (= small drives) and big media collections (= big drives) and nobody has come up with a great solution so far.
The re-downloading things is a travel convenience but not a substitute for backup and archiving.

How to remove MacVx adware from my computer?

I recently installed, by accident, MacVx on my Macbook air. Now almost every time I open a web page on Safari, it displays adds or pop-ups. I checked a few web pages and what I found is that, allegedly if you install an antimalware tool such as SpyHunter, it will automatically remove MacVX.
What I want to know is if that is the only way to remove the MacVX? or if there is another way that do not require installation of additional software.
Cheers,
Carlos

There is no need to download anything to solve this problem. You may have installed a variant of the "VSearch" ad-injection malware. Follow Apple Support's instructions to remove it.
If you have trouble following those instructions, see below.
Malware is always changing to get around the defenses against it. This procedure works as of now, as far as I know. It may not work in the future. Anyone finding this comment a few days or more after it was posted should look for a more recent discussion, or start a new one.
The VSearch malware tries to hide itself by varying the names of the files it installs. To remove it, you must first identify the naming pattern.
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/LaunchDaemons
In the Finder, select
          Go ▹ Go to Folder...
from the menu bar and paste into the box that opens by pressing command-V. You won't see what you pasted because a line break is included. Press return.
A folder named "LaunchDaemons" may open. Look inside it for two files with names of the form
          com.something.daemon.plist
and
           com.something.helper.plist
Here something is a variable string of characters, which can be different in each case. So far it has always been a string of letters without punctuation, such as "cloud," "dot," "highway," "submarine," or "trusteddownloads." Sometimes it's a meaningless string such as "e8dec5ae7fc75c28" rather than a word. Sometimes the string is "apple," and then you must be especially careful not to delete the wrong files, because many built-in OS X files have similar names.
If you find these files, leave the LaunchDaemons folder open, and open the following folder in the same way:
/Library/LaunchAgents
In this folder, there may be a file named
          com.something.agent.plist
where the string something is the same as before.
If you feel confident that you've identified the above files, back up all data, then drag just those three files—nothing else—to the Trash. You may be prompted for your administrator login password. Close the Finder windows and restart the computer.
Don't delete the "LaunchAgents" or "LaunchDaemons" folder or anything else inside either one.
The malware is now permanently inactivated, as long as you never reinstall it. You can stop here if you like, or you can remove two remaining components for the sake of completeness.
Open this folder:
/Library/Application Support
If it has a subfolder named just
           something
where something is the same string you saw before, drag that subfolder to the Trash and close the window.
Don't delete the "Application Support" folder or anything else inside it.
Finally, in this folder:
/System/Library/Frameworks
there may an item named exactly
            v.framework
It's actually a folder, though it has a different icon than usual. This item always has the above name; it doesn't vary. Drag it to the Trash and close the window.
Don't delete the "Frameworks" folder or anything else inside it.
If you didn't find the files or you're not sure about the identification, post what you found.
If in doubt, or if you have no backups, change nothing at all.
The trouble may have started when you downloaded and ran an application called "MPlayerX." That's the name of a legitimate free movie player, but the name is also used fraudulently to distribute VSearch. If there is an item with that name in the Applications folder, delete it, and if you wish, replace it with the genuine article from mplayerx.org.
This trojan is often found on illegal websites that traffic in pirated content such as movies. If you, or anyone else who uses the computer, visit such sites and follow prompts to install software, you can expect more of the same, and worse, to follow. Never install any software that you downloaded from a bittorrent, or that was downloaded by someone else from an unknown source.
In the Security & Privacy pane of System Preferences, select the General tab. The radio button marked Anywhere should not be selected. If it is, click the lock icon to unlock the settings, then select one of the other buttons. After that, don't ignore a warning that you are about to run or install an application from an unknown developer.
Then, still in System Preferences, open the App Store or Software Update pane and check the box marked
          Install system data files and security updates (OS X 10.10 or later)
or
          Download updates automatically (OS X 10.9 or earlier)
if it's not already checked.

How to remove jollywallet adware from Macbook Pro

My Safari browser has been displaying the JollyWallet Adware popup for several weeks and I have been unsuccessful in finding a way to remove it. Does anyone have a solution? I am running OS X 10.9.1 on a Macbook Pro r. Thanks

On my Macbook Pro, removing the Chrome extension/app Webpage Screenshot Capture got rid of JollyWallet.

Removing old RAM from iMac G4

Hi
This feels like a stupid question, but I need to ask anyway and couldn't find it in any previous topic...
I'm trying to upgrade the DDR SDRAM in the user-accessible slot on my G4, but I just cannot get the old chip out of the slot. Is it supposed to pull straight out or do I have to pull the whole thing up and out at a 45-degree angle? I don't want to force anything without knowing this is what you're meant to do.
My suspicion is that it's just wedged in pretty good and will take some effort to tease out... any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hello and Welcome to Apple Discussions.
You need to part the two clips using your two thumb nails, the module will then lift into a 30deg angle for easy removal.
http://www.info.apple.com/usen/cip/pdf/imac/imacfp.1ghz-mem-cip.pdf
Click to enlarge.
cheers
mrtotes

Removing a sticker from iMac display

I work at a school, and one of our students thought it would be funny to put a not so small sticker on an iMac display. One of the teachers tried to peel it off, but there's still a lot of the sticker stuck on the glass.
I called Apple support about removing it, and they recommended iClear or contact solution. I was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions/hints about how to best remove the sticker.
It's a 20 inch iMac that was purchased around 2008 running 10.5.8.
Thanks!

HI,
Got the Remote?
Help to eject SL disk with a Remote.
Does your iMac have a Front Row Remote? If it does, you can use that to eject the SL disc when you restart the computer.
Try these steps to eject the cd if you have the remote.
Holding down the Menu button on the remote while starting up an Intel Macintosh enters the Startup Manager (same as holding the Option key at startup). The remote can then be used to cycle through all bootable partitions and can then confirm them by pressing the Play/Pause button. This can be especially useful for Boot Camp users who might frequently use this feature to boot into Windows partitions on the Intel Macs. The remote can also eject CDs or DVDs in this menu by selecting the disc and then pressing the + (Volume Up) button on the remote.
i put in my OS X system disk
The install disc(s) that come with Macs are "machine specific" meaning they cannot be used on another Mac.
Carolyn

Remove gabriel-pc from iMac

I noticed gabriel-pc and anonymus-ps on my WLAN. What they are and shiould I remove them and how?
Thks in advance,
Branko

Wow, I wish the tech guy that suggested adding AirPort Express had known about the problem with the Snow 802.11b AirPorts.
Thanks, Tesserax! You've saved me from a lot of future aggravation.

Remove OS 9 from iMac

System is running very slow, If remove OS 9 how will this affect my system so i could make room on my HD.

ntxplayer, welcome to Apple Discussions.
You can just drag the OS 9.x System Folder to the Trash & then empty. However, if you use Get Info on the System Folder, it's probably less than 1GB, so you won't free up much space.
Are you getting a warning message that you hard drive is almost full? An almost full hard drive can cause slowness.
Look at these links
Mac Tune-up: 34 Software Speedups
http://www.macworld.com/article/49489/2006/02/softwarespeed.html
52 Ways to Speed Up OS X
http://www.imafish.co.uk/articles/post/articles/130/52-ways-to-speed-up os-x/
Tuning Mac OS X Performance
http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/performance.html
11 Ways to Optimize Your Mac's Performance
http://lowendmac.com/eubanks/07/0312.html
The Top 7 Free Utilities To Maintain A Mac.
http://mac360.com/index.php/mac360/comments/thetop_7_free_utilities_to_maintain_amac/
Mac OS X: System maintenance
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=607640
 Cheers, Tom

My efforts to remove malware from a network external hard drive connected to my Intel based iMac is now causing programs to hang when I try to open them.

I own an iMac, recently updated with OSX 10.75. It is the core computer on a home network shared with an iPad, Apple TV, two network printers,my wife's laptop, two iPhone, a BlackBerry and a BlackBerry Playbook. I am experiencing three if not four problems that are overwhelming.
My original problem is associated with Windows emails files or documents stored on my external network hard drive. One or more has malware and is sending malware laced files across the Internet to points unknown. As someone pointed out in a forum my iMac may be hosting,sharing and propagating Windows malware. I originally used Trend Micro software on my IMac to monitor any viral activity. Two weeks ago I noticed a number of notices from servers around the world saying my message was not undelivered. Since I had sent messages to the people I simply deleted the emails. Next I noticed the emails on my BlackBerry and my BlackBerry playbook.I configured the Trend to do a complete scan and although it did a complete scan it did not perform a full network scan. It did identify a series of .x27 document files with the same name tbut each had a sequential number. I assumed hat these were the source files that had sent out the email documents selling Viagara and othernproducts. I manually deleted thousands of the source documents and the files. This caused some disruption to my computer but it did not produce a hardware or software problem. By following this effort in conjunction with security scans I do believe the malware was activated by Iranian students who were able to activate the malware through my BlackBerry and BlackBerry Playbook. I learned this from an encounter I had when trying tondelete these files on my computer and my BlackBerry.
When using my PlayBook after deleting the files from my computer I noticed more messages being returned from servers. I realized that email accounts connected to my BlackBerry and BB Playbookn were not protected from this problem. As I searched for remedies I learned about turning on the firewall in the previous version of Lion but that did not stop the BlackBerry problem. Each time I deleted a source file on my computer more documents were released. I eventually received McAfee from my ISP. It provided security on the entire network. My first full scan of my external drive identified two malware files. One of them was associated with the Cialis ad the other was from a firm in the Middle East called ADP. it could not remove the latter file.
Moreover each time I attempted to remove the source file from my hard drive a file labeled A239A076F would show up on my Blackberry. As I removed them thousands of these files would show up. Ultimately I eventually disconnected the external hard drive and removed the battery from the phone and not use the email accounts these messages had used to enter my iMac. I am contacting ATT about BlackBerry data security and switching to a different phone for business purposes. I will probably change to an iPhone or Android phone for business purposes. I am also looking at ways to resolve the malware on that drive. There are a number of business and personal files on thatbdrive that I hope to keep. I dread having to pay McAfee to configure the software to eradicate the malware.
Moving on...last week I updated my iMac to 10.75. It simultaneously updated every Apple based program as promised. It did not update the non-Apple programs. I am not an IT professional and assumed that it had done so. On Saturday I attempted to download a file associated with my router extender using my untethered Playbook and BlackBerry desktop software. The program hung. I attempted a reboot and it reopened with the hung program. It created an alias file on the desktop. My inclination led to put the alias file in the trash can and delete it. My computer did not respond well to that action. It has been rebooted with Cmd-s-esc tens of time to see if that would activate a file check. It did not. I was able to run a disk utility check. And in spite of the hung process it eventually said the drive was okay.
Long story in a nutshell. My iMac is responding as if it is looking for a subprogram to complete its a function. Or it is attempting to finish the BlackBerry operation it began on Saturday. I hope this makes sense to someone and the know how I can restore functionality to my iMac.
Thank you.

I think the McAfee suite will do the trick when I pay them a one-time fee of $69 or $179 for a year for unlimited support.
Your call of course but IMO a waste of money. Please read this first:
There are many forms of ‘Malware’ that can affect a computer system, of which ‘a virus’ is but one type, ‘trojans’ another. Using the strict definition of a computer virus, no viruses that can attack OS X have so far been detected 'in the wild', i.e. in anything other than laboratory conditions. The same is not true of other forms of malware, such as Trojans. Whilst it is a fairly safe bet that your Mac has NOT been infected by a virus, it may have another security-related problem, but more likely a technical problem unrelated to any malware threat.
You may find this User Tip on Viruses, Trojan Detection and Removal, as well as general Internet Security and Privacy, useful:
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-2435
The User Tip (which you are welcome to print out and retain for future reference) seeks to offer guidance on the main security threats and how to avoid them.
More useful information can also be found here:
http://www.reedcorner.net/mmg/

Removing malware, adware from iMac

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