Mac computers are not absolutely safe: A practical guide to protecting against malware

You may have heard that Mac computers are not infected with malware and do not need to buy antivirus software. Although it makes sense, this statement is misleading.

Compared to Windows, Mac computers are indeed more secure, thanks to their operating system architecture. But that doesn't mean they are indestructible. All kinds of malware, from malicious scripts to viruses and spyware, still have a chance to hack into your Mac.

Spyware is particularly worthy of attention because it can cause serious damage to your Mac and your personal information. Let's learn what spyware is and how to remove it from your Mac.

What is spyware?

Fundamentally, spyware is a type of malware that secretly tracks your behavior, collects your information, and sends your personal data to an external server for spam or advertising campaigns.

Spyware is roughly divided into four categories:

• Adware is used to display ad banners and pop-ups in any of your online activities
• Trojans disguised as legitimate software to sneak into your Mac and access your data
• Cookie Tracker Monitors Your Browsing Activity
• Keylogger Record your input and get your login information, credit card and other personal information

Like other malware, spyware runs without your knowledge or explicit permission. In doing so, it can collect all kinds of information. Spyware can access your:

• Browser Activities
• Contact
• Equipment content
• monitor
• Email and chat history
• Keystroke
• Printer activity
• microphone
• Location information
• Password and username
• Financial information
• Webcam

These are just some examples – the functionality of spyware is being enhanced every year.

Will Mac computers be infected with spyware?

Due to the isolation between macOS and user files, it is difficult for spyware to penetrate into the Mac. However, many such events of varying sizes have also occurred in recent years.

It is important to know that the weakest link in macOS is actually you - the user. Spyware usually enters your Mac when you install spyware-infected software and give it administrator privileges.

Apple is aware of this problem and further strengthens macOS security in some ways. For example, all software installed on your Mac now must come from identified developers. Still, spyware has many opportunities to bypass security measures. Fortunately, you can learn how to detect spyware and take appropriate spyware removal and protection measures.

How to detect spyware on your Mac

In most cases, you can detect spyware on your Mac by noting performance changes. Mac computers with spyware installed consume faster battery life, run slower, and are prone to overheating. The application starts for a long time, bandwidth exceeds control, the browser displays a lot of ads, and even typing becomes slow.

If you often see the above happening, you need to use App Tamer to check what is taking up all your CPU resources.

App Tamer is an advanced CPU monitoring solution for Mac computers. Not only can it track any process, it also allows you to limit any application and force it to slow down to avoid system crashes. For example, you can limit Safari to use more than 20% of the CPU.

Here is how to set your own restrictions in App Tamer:

1. Start App Tamer in the menu bar
2. Click on the related application
3. Check "If the application uses more than the following percentage, slow down its speed:"
4. Enter the required percentage

If you see some processes in App Tamer continuously use system resources that exceed their due share, you need to check your Mac for adware as soon as possible. Additionally, some advanced spyware scripts may be hidden and do not show any visible activity for a long time.

How to get rid of spyware easily

Once you realize that spyware exists on your Mac, manually removing it can be tricky as it can be hidden in scripts deep in the system.

Still, it's still a good idea to regularly check your application folder and delete (? Delete) any software that doesn't need or looks suspicious.

However, to completely scan your Mac, you need more powerful tools like CleanMyMac X.

CleanMyMac X is a leading optimizer and the best anti-spyware tool for Mac. You can use this application to run the system cleanup, delete unwanted applications, clean old files, and find and delete any type of malware (such as spyware, ransomware, worms, mining programs, viruses).

Here is how malware cleaning works in CleanMyMac X:

1. Start CleanMyMac X
2. Navigate to the Malware Delete tab
3. Click to scan
4. Click to delete

In addition to frequent malware scans, you should also enable CleanMyMac's malware monitoring program in the background. This automatic scanner is located in your menu bar and acts as a real-time guard for your Mac. The option to enable it is found in CleanMyMac's preferences (? ,).

Please read also:

• Personal network security tips
• Fixed the issue where Mac screens were monitored
• How to remove Search Marquis from Mac
• Mac antivirus tips

How to protect your Mac from spyware

Like almost everything else, spyware prevention on Mac is much easier than treatment. Fortunately, there are some simple things you can do to make sure your Mac is less vulnerable to spyware attacks.

First, always update your macOS to the latest version. You can check if there are any updates available by clicking the Apple icon ?Software Preferences ?Software Updates in the menu bar.

Secondly, don't use browser extensions that you can't be 100% sure. They usually see the website you visit and the information you enter.

CleanMyMac X has a handy extensions tab where you can view all browser extensions at once and remove extensions that you no longer need.

Third, to be more difficult to track online, you should always use a VPN (virtual private network), which will block your IP address and give you better control over your internet traffic.

ClearVPN is the easiest VPN solution on the market right now, with dozens of useful presets, from removing ads to avoiding malware to changing your IP address and more. Just launch the app and click on the shortcut you need.

Fourth, where possible, you should always enable 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication), which will add a temporary code to any of your username and password login. Since only you can retrieve temporary code, this setting can effectively prevent anyone from trying to hijack your account.

Step Two is a lightweight 2FA app that makes it easy to set temporary codes, whether you want to set them manually or by scanning the QR code. Just click on the plus icon and follow the instructions.

Are there any free spyware removal tools?

So far, you might be wondering if there are any apps that will allow you to scan spyware on your Mac for free. While there are some, you should use them very carefully.

The correct malware scan requires you to provide these applications with almost complete access to your Mac. If they are free, how do you know that they don't contain any spyware themselves?

Our advice is to use a well-known and proven scanner like CleanMyMac X for all malware needs. Additionally, you can use App Tamer to monitor CPU processes, use ClearVPN to hide your network traffic, and use Step Two to enable 2FA code to enhance your Mac security.

Best of all, you can use CleanMyMac X, App Tamer, ClearVPN and Step Two for free with the trial version of Setapp, a platform with over 210 top Mac applications. You can try the entire Setapp collection for free today and quickly see which apps you've missed all the time.

The above is the detailed content of Spyware removal guide: How to get rid of spyware on Mac in seconds. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!