Malwarebytes Anti-Malware has brought its protection the Mac OS X. The popular Windows security software began offering a version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac to OS X that is free for home use. A business edition is coming soon. If you’re interested, you can fill out a survey for Malwarebytes to contact you.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware provides anti-adware and anti-malware functionality in a light footprint, on-demand scanner. It can remove adware such as Genieo, VSearch, Vidx, and others, and remove malware, including trojans.
To install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac, it is as simple as downloading the installer from the website, launching the file, and dragging the icon to the Applications folder. MBAM for Mac can check for updates automatically and will prompt you with that option on its second launch.
Don’t worry anybody concerned that the interface might look similar to the previous iteration of the Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 2.0 interface. It’s simple with so few options, you can’t screw it up. Just hit Scan and let the utility do its job. The other options provide links to additional resources for troubleshooting and learning more about the problem.
I tested version 1.0.1.7, which detected the Ask Toolbar on my Mac thanks to Oracle’s Java. It’s as simple as selecting the item and clicking the button to Remove Selected Items.
You should receive a confirmation that the threat was removed and possibly a request to reboot the computer. You are also reminded that some settings may have been changed by the malware and should be reset, such as the home page and search engine in your browser.
You can also learn more about keeping your Mac clean at www.thesafemac.com or the Mac section of Malwarebytes’ knowledge base such as steps to take if your Mac is still having problems after the scan ran.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac is an updated rebranding of the acquired product, AdwareMedic. Thomas Reed, the individual behind The Safe Mac and AdwareMedic has been brought into Malwarebytes and now acts as the Director of Mac Offerings for the company.