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#Post#: 473--------------------------------------------------
How to Remove mac malware!!
By: Admin Date: May 24, 2011, 8:54 pm
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Well here it is direct from apple support KB,
Summary
A recent phishing scam has targeted Mac users by redirecting
them from legitimate websites to fake websites which tell them
that their computer is infected with a virus. The user is then
offered Mac Defender "anti-virus" software to solve the issue.
This “anti-virus” software is malware (i.e. malicious software).
Its ultimate goal is to get the user's credit card information
which may be used for fraudulent purposes.
The most common names for this malware are MacDefender,
MacProtector and MacSecurity.
In the coming days, Apple will deliver a Mac OS X software
update that will automatically find and remove Mac Defender
malware and its known variants. The update will also help
protect users by providing an explicit warning if they download
this malware.
In the meantime, the Resolution section below provides
step-by-step instructions on how to avoid or manually remove
this malware.
Products Affected
Mac OS X 10.4, Mac OS X 10.6, Mac OS X 10.5
Resolution
How to avoid installing this malware
If any notifications about viruses or security software appear,
quit Safari or any other browser that you are using. If a normal
attempt at quitting the browser doesn’t work, then Force Quit
the browser.
In some cases, your browser may automatically download and
launch the installer for this malicious software. If this
happens, cancel the installation process; do not enter your
administrator password. Delete the installer immediately using
the steps below.
[list]
[li]Go into the Downloads folder or your preferred download
location.
[/li][li]Drag the installer to the Trash.
[/li][li]Empty the Trash.
[/li][/list]
How to remove this malware
If the malware has been installed, we recommend the following
actions:
[list]
[li]Do not provide your credit card information under any
circumstances.
[/li][li]Use the Removal Steps Below.
Removal steps
[list]
[li]Move or close the Scan Window
[/li][li]Go to the Utilities folder in the Applications
folder and launch Activity Monitor
[list][li]Choose All Processes from the pop up menu in the
upper right corner of the window
[/li][li]Under the Process Name column, look for the name of
the app and click to select it; common app names include:
MacDefender, MacSecurity or MacProtector
[list][li]Click the Quit Process button in the upper left
corner of the window and select Quit
[/li][li]Quit Activity Monitor application
[list][li]Open the Applications folder
[/li][li]Locate the app ex. MacDefender, MacSecurity,
MacProtector or other name
[/li][li]Drag to Trash, and empty Trash
[/li][/list]
Malware also installs a login item in your account in System
Preferences. Removal of the login item is not necessary, but you
can remove it by following the steps below.
[list]
[li]Open System Preferences, select Accounts, then Login
Items
[/li][li]Select the name of the app you removed in the steps
above ex. MacDefender, MacSecurity, MacProtector
[/li][li]Click the minus button
[/li][/list]
Use the steps in the “How to avoid installing this malware”
section above to remove the installer from the download
location.[/list]
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