Mac Malware Removal: No Help from Apple Support


« What about Mac Antivirus Software? | Main | Mac Defender 2.0... Malware Creator Responds to Apple Update »

05/24/2011



Mac Malware Removal: No Help from Apple Support

Kevin R. Smith
Co-Editor


Even though our focus (at least for now) is on Windows antivirus software and malware removal, we've had a few people contact us asking about the malware known as Mac Defender1 (previously discussed in our blog on Mac antivirus software).

Here's the short version: it does not automatically install itself onto your Mac. It does require you to manually install it to be infected. And, the main way it's getting installed is when people are tricked into installing it.

How do you get rid of it?

Well, apparently, even though it's not that hard, you can't turn to Apple Support for help, as according to ZDNet there's No Help from Apple Support Reps Removing Mac Defender, although there is now an official Apple help article on Removing Mac Defender.

Although we've not tested the removal steps ourselves, given that the removal instructions come from Apple itself, you can be sure they work and are legit.

And, yes, all the top Mac antivirus software is already detecting and removing the malware.


MacDefender is known alternately as MacSecurity or MacProtector

Comments

You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

It's about time mac users realize they aren't as safe from viruses as they always thought they were. It was only a matter of time, and now it's time for some good mac antivirus software.

The comments to this entry are closed.