Protecting Against Malware on OS X
One of the advantages that Apple computers offer over Microsoft is their resistance to viruses and other software that can have potentially devastating affects on your computer. While your computer may not be in imminent danger, there is potential for annoying programs such as adware and malware to affect the function of your machine. Malware is software that is installed on your computer and written to do harm like steal or erase data. Adware does not have such damaging consequences, but once installed it can be very annoying by causing popup windows with ads to appear continually on your computer, often trying to get you to purchase software to remove the ads it’s causing. In addition, these popup windows can cause your computer to run more slowly.
Adware gets installed on your computer when downloading from third party installers such as Cnet and Softonic. These programs are often bundled in with whatever you are trying to download and you give permission to install them without realizing what they are. A common example is Adobe Flash. Flash is software that no longer comes pre-installed on your computer. If you go to website that requires Flash, you will get an error message saying that Adobe Flash needs to be installed. If you then do a google search for Adobe Flash you will get numerous results. Some of the results are not for a direct install of Flash. Instead, you download and install a different program that installs other programs along with Flash. Since you think you are installing Flash, you provide your user name and password when prompted, allowing the bad software to be installed alongside the good software.
How does adware and malware affect your computer? Some of the symptoms may be browser pop-ups with fake software updates, advertising banners disrupting browsing, and text becoming hyperlinks. Adware and malware can also have access to your browsing history. It can also be more dangerous as you’ve given the software permission to run on your computer so it can do virtually whatever it wants.
There are ways to protect yourself from an unwanted download of adware and malware. To start with, use extreme caution when downloading anything from the internet and make sure that the download is trustworthy. Make sure you are downloading programs directly from the developer’s website and not a 3rd party site. For example, If you are installing Flash make sure you are downloading the software directly from Adobe’s website. If you are installing a program from the internet and something doesn’t feel right, the best option is to stop and get advice from a professional.
To help combat Adware and Malware Apple created the App store. Apple curates the software provided in the App store so you can download apps from there without the fear of installing malicious software on your computer. Apple also provides a built in tool called Xprotect that scans your system for known malware. It’s already installed on all Macs running OS X 10.6.8 or later. It checks for the worst programs but doesn’t do a good job against Adware type programs. Sophos is another Anti-Virus/Malware software that can be installed to protect against malicious programs.
A benefit of being a Cranston IT support contract customer is that system monitoring is an included service. Our system monitoring constantly monitors your computer(s) for over 15 different types of adware and malware and we receive alerts if these are detected. This is even more than Apple's Xprotect and Sophos currently check for. Once the malware has been detected, we contact you and schedule a time for our techs to efficiently remove the unwanted software for you. If you have any questions about adware or malware and for all your Apple needs, contact us at support@cranstonit.com.
How does adware and malware affect your computer? Some of the symptoms may be browser pop-ups with fake software updates, advertising banners disrupting browsing, and text becoming hyperlinks. Adware and malware can also have access to your browsing history. It can also be more dangerous as you’ve given the software permission to run on your computer so it can do virtually whatever it wants.
There are ways to protect yourself from an unwanted download of adware and malware. To start with, use extreme caution when downloading anything from the internet and make sure that the download is trustworthy. Make sure you are downloading programs directly from the developer’s website and not a 3rd party site. For example, If you are installing Flash make sure you are downloading the software directly from Adobe’s website. If you are installing a program from the internet and something doesn’t feel right, the best option is to stop and get advice from a professional.
To help combat Adware and Malware Apple created the App store. Apple curates the software provided in the App store so you can download apps from there without the fear of installing malicious software on your computer. Apple also provides a built in tool called Xprotect that scans your system for known malware. It’s already installed on all Macs running OS X 10.6.8 or later. It checks for the worst programs but doesn’t do a good job against Adware type programs. Sophos is another Anti-Virus/Malware software that can be installed to protect against malicious programs.
A benefit of being a Cranston IT support contract customer is that system monitoring is an included service. Our system monitoring constantly monitors your computer(s) for over 15 different types of adware and malware and we receive alerts if these are detected. This is even more than Apple's Xprotect and Sophos currently check for. Once the malware has been detected, we contact you and schedule a time for our techs to efficiently remove the unwanted software for you. If you have any questions about adware or malware and for all your Apple needs, contact us at support@cranstonit.com.