Spyware removal for mavericks (or anti-spyware removal)

Hi. got a prompt that I have spyware on my mac (older macbook) running mavericks; I understand that this is highly unlikely, rather it is someone selling anti-spyware software pretending to be infected. Problem is, every time I open safari, I get this window opening stating I'm infected and the only way to close it is to force-quit. How do I get rid of this altogether? Thanks-

More likely malware ...
Run the malware removal tool just in case > The Safe Mac » Adware Removal Guide
Safe, easy to use and only takes a few minutes.

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My anti spyware programme scans frequently show many adware threats which refer to mozilla firefox as being responsible for this. I frequently quarantine and remove approximately 60 adware threats per day. Is there any way I can prevent this ??

I am running windows 7 ultimate 64 bit (desktop) and windows 7 ultimate 32 bit (laptop).
I have just finished a scan with Super Anti Spyware on my desktop and 36 adware threats were revealed. When I looked at the address of each one, mozilla firefox was included as part of the address. Is this genuine, or could it be part of an elaborate scam?

My daughter has had her Razr for about 9 months now. About two weeks ago she picked up her phone in the morning on her way to school when she noticed two cracks, both starting at the camera lens. One goes completely to the bottom and the other goes sharply to the side. She has never dropped it and me and my husband went over it with a fine tooth comb. We looked under a magnifying glass and could no find any reason for the glass to crack. Not one ding, scratch or bang. Our daughter really takes good care of her stuff, but we still wanted to make sure before we sent it in for repairs. Well we did and we got a reply from Motorola with a picture of the cracks saying this was customer abuse and that it is not covered under warranty. Even though they did not find any physical damage to back it up. Well I e-mailed them back and told them I did a little research and found pages of people having the same problems. Well I did not hear from them until I received a notice from Fed Ex that they were sending the phone back. NOT FIXED!!! I went to look up why and guess what there is no case open any more for the phone. It has been wiped clean. I put in the RMA # it comes back not found, I put in the ID #, the SN# and all comes back not found. Yet a day earlier all the info was there. I know there is a lot more people like me and all of you, but they just don't want to be bothered so they pay to have it fix, just to have it do it again. Unless they have found the problem and only fixing it on a customer pay only set up. I am furious and will not be recommending this phone to anyone. And to think I was considering this phone for my next up grade! NOT!!!!

Removed ALL of my anti-virus/spyware software and CANNOT CONNECT TO STORE

***?
iTunes 9 will NOT allow me to connect to the store. I don't have any firewall issues and have removed all of my anti-virus/spyware software. HELP!

This worked for me.
++molly15 wrote:++
++I was having the same problem. Finally figured it out! You have to uncheck "use proxy server" under control panel -> internet options -> connections -> LAN settings. Works just fine now.+

I have iPhone 4s, and using latest iOS. When I try to open any link from Twitter or Facebook, it goes to open some wrong webpage. My iphone seems to be infected or suffering from some spyware or malware. How can I remove this wrong link opening

I have iPhone 4s, and using latest iOS. When I try to open any link from Twitter or Facebook, it goes to open some wrong webpage. My iphone seems to be infected or suffering from some spyware or malware. How can I remove this wrong link opening ? Please help me to resolve...

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/

I downloaded Downlite by mistake on my iMac 27 with mavericks. how do I remove it? and how dangerous is for the computer?

I downloaded Downlite by mistake on my iMac 27 with mavericks. how do I remove it? and how dangerous is for the computer?

If you remove Downlite according to my instructions on that page, it's gone.
The 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.

Anti-spyware scanner

Shortly after launching safari which included opening up sites from a previous session, a different window popped up identifying itself as an anti-spyware scanner referenced to gescansecurity.org. The window displayed, had an appearance almost identical to a standard "my computer" screen on a windows pc, but inside safari. It looked like the typical type of windows malware, with messages alerting of the many various viruses/Trojans ("downloader.win32.agent", etc.) detected on my computer, followed by a prompt to install "System Security Antivirus" and such by clicking "ok". With no option to close the window, and with no other active windows, I clicked cancel. I then get a message that windows security center recommends I install it, (can't close still so I click the only button, "ok." Cycle repeats ("cancel" then "ok") as I try to get through the seemingly endless cycle of message alerts popping up. I finally chose to quit safari. Researched issue on another computer. Relaunched safari on supposedly infected mac only to find it gone. What could have caused this problem, could I have inadvertently handled this issue incorrectly somewhere (as described above), and just in case, is there a quick and reliable way of making sure my mac really is/is not infected. I greatly appreciate anyone who can offer any help as I am completely new to experiencing this on the mac. Sorry if my description is too long, but hoping the details might better elaborate. Thanks again.

If Cancel starts some kind of 'loop' like you got, I would simply close Safari and re-open it.
The full story:
No viruses that can attack OS X have so far been detected 'in the wild', i.e. in anything other than laboratory conditions.
Do not be tricked by 'scareware' that attempts computer users to download fake anti-virus software that may itself be malware. More on that here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8313678.stm
Beware of PDF files from unknown sources. A security firm announced that by its counting, malicious Reader documents made up 80% of all exploits at the end of 2009.:
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9157438/RoguePDFs_account_for_80_of_all_exploits_saysresearcher
It is possible, however, to pass on a Windows virus to another Windows user, for example through an email attachment. To prevent this all you need is the free anti-virus utility ClamXav, which you can download for Tiger and Leopard from:
http://www.clamxav.com/
The new version for Snow Leopard is available here:
http://www.clamxav.com/index.php?page=v2beta
(Note: ClamAV adds a new user group to your Mac. That makes it a little more difficult to remove than some apps. You’ll find an uninstaller link in ClamXav’s FAQ page online.)
However, the appearance of Trojans and other malware that can possibly infect a Mac seems to be growing, but is a completely different issue to viruses.
If you allow a Trojan to be installed, the user's DNS records can be modified, redirecting incoming internet traffic through the attacker's servers, where it can be hijacked and injected with malicious websites and pornographic advertisements. The trojan also installs a watchdog process that ensures the victim's (that's you!) DNS records stay modified on a minute-by-minute basis.
You can read more about how, for example, the OSX/DNSChanger Trojan works here:
http://www.f-secure.com/v-descs/trojanosxdnschanger.shtml
SecureMac has introduced a free Trojan Detection Tool for Mac OS X. It's available here:
http://macscan.securemac.com/
The DNSChanger Removal Tool detects and removes spyware targeting Mac OS X and allows users to check to see if the trojan has been installed on their computer; if it has, the software helps to identify and remove the offending file. After a system reboot, the users' DNS records will be repaired.
(Note that a 30 day trial version of MacScan can be downloaded free of charge from:
http://macscan.securemac.com/buy/
and this can perform a complete scan of your entire hard disk. After 30 days free trial the cost is $29.99. The full version permits you to scan selected files and folders only, as well as the entire hard disk. It will detect (and delete if you ask it to) all 'tracker cookies' that switch you to web sites you did not want to go to.)
A white paper has recently been published on the subject of Trojans by SubRosaSoft, available here:
http://www.macforensicslab.com/ProductsAndServices/index.php?mainpage=document_general_info&cPath=11&productsid=174
Also, beware of MacSweeper:
MacSweeper is malware that misleads users by exaggerating reports about spyware, adware or viruses on their computer. It is the first known "rogue" application for the Mac OS X operating system. The software was discovered by F-Secure, a Finland based computer security software company on January 17, 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacSweeper
On June 23, 2008 this news reached Mac users:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/23/mac_trojan/
More on Trojans on the Mac here:
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/63574.html?welcome=1214487119
This was published on July 25, 2008:
Attack code that exploits flaws in the net's addressing system are starting to circulate online, say security experts.
The code could be a boon to phishing gangs who redirect web users to fake bank sites and steal login details.
In light of the news net firms are being urged to apply a fix for the loop-hole before attacks by hi-tech criminals become widespread.
Net security groups say there is anecdotal evidence that small scale attacks are already happening.
Further details here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7525206.stm
A further development was the Koobface malware that can be picked up from Facebook (already a notorious site for malware, like many other 'social networking' sites like Twitter etc), as reported here on December 9, 2008:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/technology/newsid_7773000/7773340.stm
You can keep up to date, particularly about malware present in some downloadable pirated software, at the Securemac site:
http://www.securemac.com/
There may be other ways of guarding against Trojans, viruses and general malware affecting the Mac, and alternatives will probably appear in the future. In the meantime the advice is: be careful where you go on the web and what you download!
If you think you may have acquired a Trojan, and you know its name, you can also locate it via the Terminal:
http://theappleblog.com/2009/04/24/mac-botnet-how-to-ensure-you-are-not-part-of- the-problem/
As to the recent 'Conficker furore' affecting Intel-powered computers, MacWorld recently had this to say:
http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/index.cfm?email&NewsID=25613
Although any content that you download has the possibility of containing malicious software, practising a bit of care will generally keep you free from the consequences of anything like the DNSChanger trojan.
1. Avoid going to suspect and untrusted Web sites, especially p'orn'ography sites.
2. Check out what you are downloading. Mac OS X asks you for you administrator password to install applications for a reason! Only download media and applications from well-known and trusted Web sites. If you think you may have downloaded suspicious files, read the installer packages and make sure they are legit. If you cannot determine if the program you downloaded is infected, do a quick Internet search and see if any other users reported issues after installing a particular program.
3. Use an antivirus program like ClamXav. If you are in the habit of downloading a lot of media and other files, it may be well worth your while to run those files through an AV application.
4. Use Mac OS X's built-in Firewalls and other security features.
5. Stop using LimeWire. LimeWire (and other peer-to-peer sharing applications) are hotbeds of potential software issues waiting to happen to your Mac. Everything from changing permissions to downloading trojans and other malicious software can be acquired from using these applications. Similar risks apply to using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and similar sites which are prone to malicious hacking: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8420233.stm
6. Resist the temptation to download pirated software. After the release of iWork '09 earlier this year, a Trojan was discovered circulating in pirated copies of Apple's productivity suite of applications (as well as pirated copies of Adobe's Photoshop CS4). Security professionals now believe that the botnet (from iServices) has become active. Although the potential damage range is projected to be minimal, an estimated 20,000 copies of the Trojan have been downloaded. SecureMac offer a simple and free tool for the removal of the iBotNet Trojan available here:
http://macscan.securemac.com/files/iServicesTrojanRemovalTool.dmg
Last but not least, there is the potential for having your entire email contact list stolen for use for spamming:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/20/technology/internet/20shortcuts.html?_r=1

What is the best virus/spyware software for OSX 10.6.8?

What is the best virus/spyware software for OSX 10.6.8 on an iMac?

Csound1's answer albeit short is correct. Because there are no viruses (as in zero, none, nada, zip) for OS X having antivirus software is a waste of time, resources and possibly money. About the only need for antivirus software is if you frequently download files you know nothing about and then forward them to Windows users. In that case even though you still don't need anything for OS X you are protecting the Windows users from your passing along infected files. Most anti-virus software for OS X tend to create more problems than they solve however if you insist I'd recommend ClamXav which is free, non-intrusive and is frequently updated.
Roger

Internet Security, Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware and Anti-Malware

What is the best internet security, anti-virus, anti-spyware and anti-malware software to use on a MacBook Pro 13' (Late 2011 model) on both Mac and Windows 7 (Parallel 7) without slowing down or effecting the operating system too much ? Do I need to get the free or paid version ?

Although anti-virus software is not necessary on a Mac, you do need to be aware of what's out there and how to protect yourself against possible new threats. See my Mac Malware Guide.
As for running anti-virus in Windows 7, that's a Windows issue. I personally put AVG Free on the Windows machines used by my family, but I'm no Windows expert. I'm sure different folks here will have different recommendations, and a few of those folks may even be Windows experts! (In other words, that may be a question better suited for other forums where a higher percentage of Windows users hang out.)

Using windows 7 and FF4, randomly when I open FF all of my username and password info for my websites has been removed and i have to re enter my login info. I did not have this problem with 3.6.

None of my security settings are being changed and this is not being caused by any anti spyware program. if I go back to 3.6 i do not have the problem. I have reinstalled FF4 and now, 4.0.1, thinking it might be corrected but still the problem persists and I get tired of having to reenter login information for 20 or more websites every couple of days.

I also had terrible issues with 2 Wire Gateway and my mid-2010 MacBook Pro. We changed to WPA2 and that seems to have fixed the problem. The AT&T tech support person, Phillipines, was extremely helpful. She went through network settings with me. One interesting step was going into my DNS tab (Network Preferences and then Advanced Button) and replacing my entries with these:
68.94.156.1
68.94.157.1
It's been several days and I've only seen a few random packet drops. Still charging along at full signal strength.

Cisco Nac agent "List of Antivirus & Anti-Spyware Products Detected by the Agent "

Hi All,
We have posture assessment working with cisco Nac agent. Checking only symantec Antivirus def update and installation. Since there is windows defender in all the user pcs and turned off not in use. But cisco Nac agent is showing both windows defender and symantec in List of Antivirus & Anti-Spyware Products Detected by the Agent field. We dont want windows defender to show in this list.
Anyone encountered this list before?? Please suggest.. I want to get rid of windows defender from this list in nac agent.

Closest enhancement I could check on this is
CSCts34764 NAC: Request for ANY rule to pass if 1 AS/AV definition is up to date
Currently Windows Defender AnitSpyware comes installed on all Windows 7 machines. Many users disable this and install their own AntiSpyware product. Currently when using the ANY AntiSpyware up to date rule, it will fail if say MSE is up to date but not Windows Defender (since it is disabled).
This is an enhancement request to add the ability to pass the ANY check if 1 AntiSpyware or AntiVirus definition is up to date but another is installed and out of date. Currently if a customer wants to accomplish this they need to create a rule for every AntiVirus or AntiSpyware product and use the "Any Selected Rule Succeeds" option which is very cumbersome to configure.
~BR
Jatin Katyal
**Do rate helpful posts**

What anti-phishing anti-spyware is best to use on Mac?

What anti-phishing anti-spyware is best to use on Mac? Any need for any other protection, anti-virus, firewall or malware?

If your profile is correct, you're running 10.4.8, in which case you need to update to 10.4.11 immediately. Not only will this fix a good number of bugs and security vulnerabilities, it will also let you run the most recent version of Safari.
There is no anti-phishing software for the Mac. If you want a piece of software that combats that in addition to it's primary function, then you want <a href="http://agilewebsolutions.com/products/1Password"1Password</a>.
There are no viruses for Mac OS X in the wild, nor spyware so there is no need for anti-virus or anti-spyware software. You can't protect against something that doesn't exist. The Mac already has a built-in firewall,; anything else is redundant and a waste. The only other malware is a Trojan Horse, but like any other software on Mac OS X, it requires user authorization before it can be installed, so as long as you aren't careless about what you download or install, you shouldn't have any problems.
Mulder

What is the safest app remover for OS X ?

What is the safest app remover for OS X (Yosemite) ?

So I then assume that you want to know when removal app can figure out if another app installed any malware and if so, then remove it? Of if not, just remove "all" the pieces associated with the app?
Is that your "wish"?
If so, I doubt that is gonna be possible. People are pretty clever about how to get bogus software installed as part of another app that appears to be OK, so think it's gonna come down to having somebody else, just as clever hopefully, maybe even more clever, to figure out what exactly is part of an app and then how to remove all of it's pieces. Stick with installing reputable software from the App Store or reputable developers - then you don't need to worry so much about malware.
The two apps that Eric Root referred to are popular. I use one called "AppCleaner 2". I've used AppZapper but not AppDelete. Between AppZapper and AppCleaner I prefer the latter cause it shows you the exact path of the items it's about to delete where AppZapper just shows the name (not the path which is very important I think), plus AppCleaner seems to do a more thorough job at finding more files pertaining to the app you're trying to get rid of. For example here is what AppZapper and AppCleaner show when removing the same app named AppleWadministrator:
So AppCleaner found two other files that AppZapper didn't and it shows the paths of all items that it wants to delete.
But like Eric Root also said - double check all the files that the app cleaner is gonna delete and make sure they make sense.
Another thing that has helped me many times is to take a screenshot of the app cleaner window - this lets you have a record of the files that were deleted for a particular app (and also the path it came from for AppCleaner but not for App Zapper) so in case you need to recover things from the trash later you know where they should be moved back to.
Not sure if the "AppDelete" Eric Root referred to is the "AppDelete Lite" in the App Store or not, but if it is, it's $3.99. AppZapper costs $12.95 (but I'v seen it for about half that in MacUpdate promos) and AppCleaner is free, but they can't be obtained from App Store, but from the developers website. Also the "AppDelete Lite" hasn't been updated since May 2014, so it's not clear if it supports Yosemite or not. There is a version called "AppDelete" from the same developer as the "AppDelete Lite" so they must be similar. The AppDelete says it's $7.99 on the developer web site at (but apparently not available on the App Store) and they also have a free trial for the "AppDelete" version. Apparently the main difference between the two versions of AppDelete and AppDelete Lite, is the Lite version can't remove password-protected files to the trash because "App Store apps cannot ask for passwords" according to the developer website at http://www.reggieashworth.com/appdeletelite - the user must do the removal manually with the Lite version but not the full version.
I just checked RoaringApps website for OS X compatibility and:
     AppCleaner -- works on version 10.6 thru 10.10 (Snow Leopard thru Yosemite)
     AppDelete -- works on version 10.7 thru 10.9 (Lion thru Mavericks)
     AppZapper -- works on version 10.6 thru 10.10 (Snow Leopard thru Yosemite)
AppZapper can be found at http://www.appzapper.com
AppCleaner can be found at http://www.freemacsoft.net
So maybe Eric Root has some experience and could compare AppDelete with AppCleaner and say if AppDelete is worth paying $8 for the full version or $4 for the Lite version or if AppCleaner for free has some deficiencies compared to AppDelete.
Good luck...

Updated to Firefox 8 and now my Comcast Anti-spyware in the Comcast Toolbar won't work

To make sure my plug-ins would work I had to update to Foxfire 8. When it updated, it took off my Comcast Toolbar. So I had to re-install the Comcast Toolbar. When I went to use the Comcast Anti-Spyware in the toolbar tonight it does not work anymore. Did a live chat with tech support for Comcast and she's telling me that the Comcast Anti-Spyware doesn't work with Firefox 8 browser. Is that correct? If so, I'll have to rely on Avast and Ad-Aware that I have installed on my pc. Thanks!

My FF6.0 was fine till it updated (automatically) and then no toolbar buttons.

My anti spyware pops up once a week telling me that something is wrong with the plugin container and that its logging keystrokes. I was wondering what to do because I'm scared of getting keylogged.

My anti spyware keeps telling me my plugin container is logging keystrokes and I'm scared of getting keylogged
== This happened ==
A few times a week
== im not sure

Your AV/AS application is giving you a "false positive." Contact your AV/AS vendor to report the problem so that they can fix the incorrect signature in their database.
'''''Other Issues''''': ~~red:You have installed plug-ins with known security issues. You should update them immediately.~~
'''You '''~~red:'''MAY'''~~''' need to Update Adobe Reader for Firefox (aka Adobe PDF Plug-In For Firefox)''': your ver. N/A; current ver. 9.3.3 (important security update release 06-29-2010; see: http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb10-15.html)
~~red:Check your version here~~: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/plugincheck/
See: http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Using+the+Adobe+Reader+plugin+with+Firefox#Installing_and_updating_Adobe_Reader
''You may be able to update from the Adobe Reader installed on your system'' instead of going to the Adobe site and downloading. Open the Adobe Reader installed on your system (''in Windows, Start > Program Files, find and click Adobe Reader to open''), click Help, click Check for Updates. Allow the download/update to occur. If you use this method, no need to proceed with the instructions below, '''but''' do look at the two bulleted items at the bottom "'''NOTE for IE:'''" and "Also see:". Restart Firefox and check your new version here: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/plugincheck/
''If you go to the Adobe site to download the current Adobe Reader:''
-'''use Firefox to download''' and '''SAVE to your hard drive''' (save to Desktop for easy access)
~~red:-See the images at the bottom left of this post to see the steps to take on the Adobe site~~
-exit Firefox (File > Exit)
-In Windows: check to see that Firefox is completely closed (''Ctrl+Alt+Del, choose Task Manager, click Processes tab, if "firefox.exe" is on the list, right-click "firefox.exe" and choose End process, close the Task Manager window'')
-In Windows: double-click on the Adobe Reader installer you just downloaded to install/update Adobe Reader
*'''NOTE: On Vista and Windows 7''' you may need to run the plugin installer as Administrator by starting the installer via the right-click context menu if you do not get an UAC prompt to ask for permission to continue (i.e nothing seems to happen). See this: http://vistasupport.mvps.org/run_as_administrator.htm
*'''NOTE for IE:''' Firefox and most other browsers use a Plugin. IE uses an ActiveX version. To install/update the IE ActiveX version, same instructions as above, except use IE to download the ActiveX installer. See: [[ActiveX]]
*Also see: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Adobe_Reader ~~red:'''''AND'''''~~ [[How do I edit options to add Adobe to the list of allowed sites]]

Scheduling Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware scans with Internet Security Suite

When I installed Verizon Internet Security Suite, the scan schedule for Anti-Virus was set to a default time of: Weekly at 12:00 am on Saturday. The Anti-Spyware scan was default scheduled weekly at 12:00 am on Sunday.
I don't want the scans done at this time. So I rescheduled them to run at 5:00 am instead of 12:00 on each day.
This didn't work. Even though when I look at the schedules for those programs, it shows the times I put in. But it still ignores the times I scheduled and always starts up both programs at 12:00. This is very inconvenient for me. How do you debug this?
Message Edited by Joanna_M on 03-30-2009 04:02 PM

I know what you mean. I have the same problem, here it is 6:31 am and I am awake and on my pc when all of a sudden verizon's virus scan pops up and starts it's scan. I scheduled that for 12:01 am. Plus not to mention the other day it said I have a virus but it couldn't repair it so it quaranteed it, then when I clicked on find out more information about this virus the page said it will be available soon. I did a search of the virus on radialpoints website and it couldn't tell me the virus either and then I found out through google that is actually a trojan and wrote a bunch of keys to the registry but the website never said what to do about it, whether to delete those keys or not.
I don't like to delete registry keys unless I am sure.
I used to have Norton installed and its virus scan used to do some odd things to. Like forget! Symantec said it was windows fault because it uses task scheduler.
I am seriously thinking about dumping this verizon suite if they don't fix it real soon and get their website's up and running!!!

Spyware removal for mavericks (or anti-spyware removal)

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