When your Mac starts behaving strangely and not as it usually does, it makes you wonder whether it might have some sort of malware on it, such as a virus, Trojan or even a type of adware. It is rare for Macs to be infected, but it is not unknown, so when my Mac started playing up, I had to check it out and downloaded ClamXav.
There was a time when Apple Macs were immune from malware and viruses simply did not exist for OS X. One of the Mac’s selling points is that it could not get viruses. Sadly this is no longer true and if you have not yet installed security software on your Mac, you should do so soon. Avast is a free antivirus app for OS X that will keep your Mac safe.
There is still a widespread believe that Apple Macs do not get viruses, Trojans, spyware and other types of malware, but this simply is not true. It is much safer to access the internet with a Mac running OS X than a Windows PC, but it is not completely safe and some types of malware target Apple users. After installing OS X Yosemite you should open Safari and fix the security and privacy issues that afflict it.
Could your your Mac part of a malware botnet? There is a new type of malicious software infecting Apple Macs and there is a chance that your computer could already be compromised. Reports say that only 17 - 18,000 Macs have been infected, so it is nowhere near as widespread as the Flashback worm that infected 600,000+ Macs a couple fo years ago, but it is still a worry. Here's how to check whether your Mac is OK.
Over the past couple of days my email inbox has been filling up with messages from Apple. These express concern that my account has been used to buy items on the iTunes Store or App Store from a device that has not previously been connected to my account. Basically, someone has hacked into my account and is using it to buy stuff. Or have they?
Apple Macs are much less likely to be infected by malware like viruses, Trojans and other nasties than Windows computers, but they are not completely immune. There have been some well publicised virus infections in recent years and large numbers of Macs were affected by malware such as the Flashback Trojan, OSX/Crisis and others. Yes, the Mac is safer, but it is not 100% safe.