How to Get Rid of a Trojan Horse on a Mac
One of the most touted benefits of the Mac OS system is its built-in protection against viruses and spyware. Reported infections of the Mac OS are indeed a fraction of those found on Windows systems, but infections sometimes occur. The best way to keep your system free of Trojan horses is to ensure you are running the latest software updates and periodically scan your system with an antivirus program.
Instructions
-
-
1
Download and install an antivirus program. The big names in virus protection have Mac counterparts, but there a couple of great freeware programs that can do the job just as well as the expensive programs. Two such programs are iAntivirus and ClamXav.
-
2
Run the antivirus program of your choice and elect to do a full scan of your Macintosh hard drive. It may take a little while to complete the scan. Once finished, delete the infected files as identified by the scanning program.
-
-
3
Run Software Update from the Apple menu. Now that the trojan is removed, protect yourself in the future by running the latest version of Mac OS X and other Apple programs. Apple periodically releases incremental updates containing bug fixes, plugging potential security holes and making the overall system more stable.
-
4
Update your Web browsers. Modern browsers have started to include malware protection that warns you of potentially harmful sites or files. Open each browser you run, whether it's Safari, Firefox or Opera, and select "Check for Updates" from the menu bar. Allow the updates to install.
-
5
Schedule your antivirus program to run every week. Most programs allow you to set a specific time and day to scan your system.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Always be aware of what you are downloading and the source of downloaded material.
Many recent Mac Trojans have been hidden within illegal software downloads. That's a great incentive to avoid illegal downloads.