Are there known mac viruses

Unfortunately, yes. Macros are commonly used by Word users to automate repetitive tasks and they're a prime target for Malware peddlers. Macro support on Mac was removed by Apple with the release of Office for Mac back in , but was reintroduced in meaning files opened with macros enabled could run a Python code to log keystrokes and take screenshots of personal data.

In , Malwarebytes discovered malware in a Word document about Donald Trump to the worry of Mac users. However, the chances of being infected rely on you opened that specific file, which is slim.

A warning message that Apple displays anytime a file contains macros should be enough to keep you safe from Word macro viruses. Safari-get is a denial-of-service DoS attack that began targeting Mac in The malware is hidden behind a link in a seemingly genuine tech support email — you click on the link, the malware makes itself at home on your computer.

The first variant takes control of the mail application to force create multiple draft emails. The second force opens iTunes multiple times. The end goal for both is the same: overload system memory to bring your Mac to its knees so that you call up a fake Apple tech support number and hand over your credit card details to a bogus team on the other end of the line.

MacOS High Sierra versions The virus was found by Cybereason to be hidden in cracked versions of Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Office that are popular on torrent sites. It targets Mac users with social engineering methods such as malicious emails and website pop-ups. MaMi is also capable of taking screenshots, downloading and uploading files, executing commands, and generating mouse events. Since it arrived on the scene in April , Apple has revoked the developer certificate and updated XProtect, however, it remains one to look out for.

X-agent is classic malware capable of stealing your passwords and iPhone backups and taking screenshots of sensitive data. While its name suggests it could be a useful app, MacDownloader is a very nasty piece of malware programmed to attack the US defense industry. By clicking on the alert and entering your admin password, MacDownloader lifts sensitive data, including passwords and credit card details, and sends it to a remote server.

It was bundled in with the torrent client Transmission version 2. Once document and data files are encrypted, KeRanger demands payment in bitcoin for the malware to be removed. The Goto fail bug was a bit of an embarrassing one for Apple in that the security flaw was as a result of its own doing.

The flaw put communications sent over unsecured Wi-Fi the hotspots you use at the mall and in coffee shops at risk, allowing hackers to intercept passwords, credit card details, and other sensitive information.

Apple has since patched the issue on macOS, but it certainly makes you think twice about how you browse the web on your MacBook in a public place. In January , it was announced that there was a flaw in Intel chips used in Macs, giving rise to the dastardly duo of Meltdown and Spectre.

The Meltdown and Spectre issues take advantage of a modern CPU performance feature called speculative execution. Speculative execution improves speed by operating on multiple instructions at once—possibly in a different order than when they entered the CPU.

To increase performance, the CPU predicts which path of a branch is most likely to be taken, and will speculatively continue execution down that path even before the branch is completed.

If the prediction was wrong, this speculative execution is rolled back in a way that is intended to be invisible to software. The Meltdown and Spectre exploitation techniques abuse speculative execution to access privileged memory—including that of the kernel—from a less-privileged user process such as a malicious app running on a device.

App Store and identified developers: Allows apps from the Mac App Store and apps from identified developers. Identified developers are registered with Apple and can optionally upload their apps to Apple for a security check.

If problems occur with an app, Apple can revoke its authorization. In addition to apps, other types of files may not be safe. Scripts, web archives, and Java archives have the potential to cause harm to your system. Find the right solution for you. Featured Event: RSA Despite their reputation, Macs are still vulnerable to cyberthreats. Cybersecurity Basics.

Mac antivirus. For Home View all Malwarebytes products. Historically, Mac fans have touted their platform as immune to the kinds of data attacks and other hostile intrusions that plague the Windows world.

By design, the Mac operating system is more secure against the threat of viruses and malware , but there are still plenty of ways for malware to find its way in. Despite this, there are still tech pundits who recklessly advise against taking even basic security precautions, such as installing a cybersecurity program.

In the last few years, a growing number of active threats have targeted the Mac operating system. In fact, Malwarebytes saw more Mac malware in than in any previous year. By the end of , the Malwarebytes intel team counted percent more unique threats on the Mac platform than in It makes you think twice about wandering around cyberspace on your Mac without taking precautions.

Let's start with what antivirus is. Antivirus software originally checked computer files and programs to see if any rogue software matched a list of known computer viruses. Today, anti-malware is a more apt term to describe cybersecurity protection that uses multiple methods to find and block all kinds of malware not only viruses. While there has been a perception particularly among Mac users that Macs don't get viruses and malware, in , Apple themselves confirmed that Macs do get malware.

So do you need antivirus, or anti-malware? Today's threats include things like ransomware , in which an attacker can lock up your device and demand a ransom, or spyware , software that enables someone to spy on what you do on your computer like log in to your accounts. A free antivirus program will give you some protection, but a paid anti-malware program like Malwarebytes for Mac can detect and block malware before it gets on your Mac.

The answer to that depends on the malware. Mac adware and Mac PUPs most often go after the average user, based on the assumption that Mac users are well-to-do and worth the effort. Other malware deploys in a targeted manner, such as nation-state malware, which goes after specific individuals or small groups. Another likely vector is the developer community itself. Once it was discovered, Apple went in and shut down all the infected copies of Xcode.

Apple eventually replaced the classic Mac operating system with the new Mac OS X, which came with built-in malware security measures.