

Ever had a pop-up appear on your web browser that automatically downloads a file without your permission? Go to the Downloads folder on your Mac and delete anything you didn’t download yourself. Step 3: Naturally, any downloaded file from an unknown or untrusted source can potentially contain malware and viruses. Don’t forget to empty the trash to permanently delete the app from your system. Step 2: Look for any apps you didn’t install yourself. Step 1: Open the Applications folder, located in the left sidebar of Finder. Suspicious apps and downloadsĬhecking the list of installed applications on your Mac should be something that’s performed on a regular basis to make sure you definitely installed them all and still want them installed. Scan through your browser extensions and remove any suspicious extensions that have been added. If you’re using Google Chrome, for example, click the Menu tab on the far right side of the window, click the More Tools field, and select Extensions. This can thus lead to a threat actor installing potentially harmful extensions that slow down performance, spread malware, etc.

While you may have Apple’s option for only downloading apps from trusted developers enabled, Mac users don’t have the same luxury when it comes to browser extensions. Step 4: Similarly, open the Memory tab and analyze the Process Name section to see if there are any unknown or unusual process names you don’t recognize that are demanding a considerable amount of memory usage. Step 3: If you do locate any harmful apps and malware within Activity Monitor, click the item and then select the X button at the top-left to terminate it. Ranking the best (and worst) versions of macOS from the last 20 yearsĪpple spring event: massive Mac launch, XR headset, and more
