In the past, I contacted Apple multiple times. One thing I learned is that when their tech support suspects a possibility of a virus on your Mac, they usually suggest downloading and running free Malwarebytes.
That's the tagline on the very first installer page of Malwarebytes for Mac Premium, and it's true. Having no Mac antivirus protection may not such a disaster as leaving your Windows or Android. Yes, there is no doubt that Malwarebytes is one of the most surprising anti-malware software as compared to other anti-malware and yes it is safe to use on multiple OS such as Android, Windows, Mac. There are two versions of malwarbytes available (Free & Premium) to use. Malwarebytes will help protect your Mac from various malware attacks such as adware and PUPs. Its real-time protect feature ensures that your Mac doesn’t get infected. The only thing which has a potential of holding users back from using this software is its subscription based pricing. $39.99/year is a hefty price to pay.
Is MalwareBytes Safe for Mac? Yes, it is entirely safe to use Malwarebytes for Mac users, but we don’t recommend you to use it on Mac. The reason why we don’t recommend you even though it performs exceptionally well to secure your device from malicious malware is that there is only 0.000001% probability to get a malware attack on Mac OS.
While I have never found any malware on those occasions, I do know how Malwarebytes works and can help you decide whether you need it or not and whether it is worth paying for.
In this article, I would only cover Malwarebytes for Mac. There is also a Windows version, but I have no opinion about it.
The story of Malwarebytes for Mac started when it was called AdwareMedic. The product was a donationware developed by Thomas Reed. In 2015 Malwarebytes, a software company from California acquired AdwareMedic and rebranded it as Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac. The best thing is it still has a free version.
Malwarebytes Reviews
The company displays reviews on its main site. At the moment of writing, there were 123 reviews with an average rating of 4.8. Since most people usually leave reviews when they extremely happy or extremely unhappy with the product, the rating is impressive.
Most positive reviews mentioned the cases when the product was able to catch a virus or malware. There are a few negative reviews, and they mention problems with contacting the support.
And the majority of reviews mention that they were recommended by Apple tech.
Malwarebytes Free vs. Premium
If you go to the Download page, you can see a table comparing Malwarebytes Free and Premium editions. Scanning for threats and removing malware is the same in both versions.
In addition, the Premium version comes with real-time verification. And this part is crucial.
If the free version scans and detects viruses after they get on your Mac, the Premium version stops the malware before the Mac gets injected.
So, every time you open a mail attachment or browse a site, the Premium version of Malwarebytes verifies that they are free from malware. The free version doesn’t do it.
It means that when you browse a compromised web site, the free software will let you download malware, install it, and run. Imagine, you somehow got Keranger, MacRansom, or another ransomware app.
How long do you think it will take until it encrypts the entire disk? If you didn’t run scans while the malware was running quietly on the background, you might end up with a totally dead computer.
Malwarebytes allows running scheduled scans, but the feature is only available in Premium edition.
Malwarebytes has an API that can be called programmatically, and I have to admit, I tried to devise a plan to force the free version to run on a schedule I could set up with a third-party app. Unfortunately, the ability to run scans is only available with Premium, so no luck.
Is Malwarebytes Free Good Enough
To find how good is free Malwarebytes, I ran a test. The full video of the test is on YouTube:
I downloaded and installed Malwarebytes for Mac. After installation, I intentionally chose a free version (I could’ve choose a free 14-day Premium trial).
In my test, I had two keyloggers installed: Elite and Refog. Both are legitimate products, and they can be legally purchased online.
But since by nature they perform something that can be classified as potentially dangerous (if they were installed by someone who wants to steal your data), most antivirus products should detect them. Malwarebytes, even free ones, quickly detected them. So far, so good.
However, my Mac contained more than two keyloggers.
When I was working on testing antimalware solutions for Mac, I downloaded 117 malware samples to my Mac. They all resided in one folder on the startup disk.
However, the scan didn’t detect anything.
So, I browsed to my Virus folder and started AdWind. AdWind is a type of backdoor. It can download malicious software, execute remote commands, send data to the server controlled by a hacker, and record it through the webcam.
The only notification I got was from Apple, which stated that I shouldn’t download unverified software from the Internet. It’s a standard message you can get when downloading any executable. And in most cases, most users ignore the warning.
What about MalwareBytes? It didn’t warn me about anything.
But since I knew about the malware, I was able to find its traces: the folder it created under Users folder and a file in the LaunchAgents.
Then I ran another malware: Calisto.
Calisto disguises itself as an Intego antivirus installer. But this is not a real antivirus. It tricks you into entering an admin password (something we all do when installing antiviruses), but in fact, it created a new hidden folder called .calisto under Users folder.
So, what Calisto does: it’s another backdoor malware. It gives remote access to the hacker – it enables remote login, screen sharing, creates a hidden root account, etc.
Again, Malwarebytes said nothing.
The last malware I tried was Lamepyre. It pretends to be a Discord app, but it’s not. Instead, it takes screenshots and sends them to the server controlled by hackers.
Again, Malwarebytes didn’t warn about anything.
After that, I ran a manual scan, and finally, Malwarebytes detected all of them very quickly and offered to quarantine malware.
So, that’s the main difference between free and Premium versions: the free version does not support real-time protection.
The problem with this is that users may have a false sense of security after installing the program, when in fact, it does not protect your Mac unless you run manual scan pretty much every time after you do anything online or copy and file.
What I Like About Malwarebytes
I liked two things:
Speed
Malwarebytes is insanely fast. I tested a dozen of antivirus products, and I know what I am talking about: MalwareBytes scans faster than any other antivirus for Mac. On average, it takes no longer than 30 seconds for the Malwarebytes scan. However, there is a downside to faster speed, as indicated in things I don’t like section.
Virus and keylogger detection
Malwarebytes found all malware I was able to run on my Mac. And it was pretty good with keyloggers. The only keylogger it failed to detect was Perfect keylogger, but it is was hard to detect for all AVs (hence the name Perfect).
What I Don’t Like About Malwarebytes
No disk scan
Imagine you have a USB stick, and you want to check it for malware.
How do you do it normally when you have an antivirus? You plug it into your computer and point the AV to run a scan against the USB drive.
There is no such thing in Malwarebytes. Malwarebytes only detects malware when it is in memory; that’s why it scans so fast. Instead of scanning the entire disk and external drives, MalwareBytes quickly scans the processes in the memory, and that’s all.
If you try to open a file infected with a virus, then, depending on the version, the MalwareBytes will either do nothing (free) or scan it (Premium).
Lack of features
There three Premium features promoted on the compare screen: stopping exploit attacks, blocking ransomware attacks, and preventing access to and from known malicious websites. But if you look carefully, they are only available for Windows, not for Macs.
Why is this important?
Viruses and malware, in general, are just one way to harm your computer. Unfortunately, lately, the hacker community became larger and more active than before.
One way to attack a computer is to find a vulnerability in the OS, such as macOS, and use it to deploy a backdoor app. Once malware is installed, hackers can use it and run various exploits, such as track keystrokes, remote login, or screen sharing and then steal your information. Frankly, I would prefer to have protection from both malware and exploit attacks.
And now, I am ready to make a conclusion.
Conclusion
When Should You Use Free Malwarebytes?
If you notice certain changes in the MacBook behavior, such as sudden slowness, unusually high CPU, or Internet usage, and there is no other antivirus installed on Mac, then do what Apple tech support advises in this case: download free Malwarebytes and run the quick scan.
If there is a malware installed, the chances are that MB will find it.
When Should You Use Premium Malwarebytes?
If you need 24/7 malware protection, then the free version will not work for you. You have to upgrade to Premium. However, the absence of a disk scan makes MB a less desirable solution.
Instead, I suggest checking my post where I tested a dozen more antivirus products (in addition to Malwarebytes), and go with the one I recommend:
Make your Mac invincible
When you hear that Macs are much safer than their PC counterparts, it’s generally true. But it doesn’t mean that if you own a MacBook you’re completely shielded from all kinds of viruses and malware, as most people tend to think.
Vulnerabilities in Macs still exist, although Apple should get a lot of credit for engineering a sandbox system for macOS, which prevents malware from directly accessing your system. In fact, starting macOS Catalina, Apple has completely separated its system volume from user files so the system would be impossible for hackers to take control of.
What’s left is the user with admin credentials who might knowingly or unknowingly let a virus in. And that’s where Mac malware removal software comes in handy.
How To Check For Malware On Mac
Practically the only way you can get any kind of Mac malware today is by executing an installer, a script, or giving something an unrestricted access to your system.
So before you even think of searching for the best malware removal for Mac, make sure you follow a few time-tested rules to avoid the malware problem altogether:
Don’t download anything you’re not completely sure about. Get software only at official websites, even if it means spending a little bit of money (supporting indie developers goes a long way).
Disable the automatic opening of downloaded files in your browser. In Safari, go to Preferences ➙ General and then untick the “Open ‘safe’ files after downloading” box. Now you’ll have an extra step as a buffer to vet all the incoming files.
Don’t agree to any installs from pop-ups on random websites. Sometimes a certain file will start downloading as soon as you open a link — delete it immediately.
Don’t open email attachments from senders you’re not 100% sure in, especially when they offer you something that sounds too good to be true
If you always follow the tips above, you’ll be safe in nearly every Mac situation. But it’s never too much to ensure that you’re under complete protection, so getting a Mac virus scan might be useful too.
Learn more how to remove malware from mac
Use Malwarebytes anti-malware for Mac
Googling around for the best malware removal for Mac, you’d probably encounter a few mentions of the Malwarebytes app. And it’s worth taking a look at.
Malwarebytes is a global cybersecurity company that’s been around for over 15 years. Its flagship product, Malwarebytes for Mac, allows you to scan for malware, adware, viruses and then safely get rid of them.
Using Malwarebytes on Mac is easy enough:
Download a free Malwarebytes app from its website
Install Malwarebytes by double-clicking on the downloaded file and following a set of instructions
When you open the app for the first time, make sure to allow it full access by going to System Preferences ➙ Security & Privacy ➙ Full Disk Access and then ticking the Malwarebytes app box
To scan for malware, simply click Scan and let the Malwarebytes adware and virus detector do its job
Use the malware removal Mac tool to delete any threat it has discovered
Overall, you might find that Malwarebytes for Mac reviews are positive — it’s a good malware removal Mac app, with a free version available, in which the design is pretty straightforward and commands are swiftly executed. There’s even a Malwarebytes Chrome extension that hides ads and blocks all kinds of trackers on the web.
On the negative side, Malwarebytes Free for Mac lacks proactive security scanner, which is only available for premium users. Additionally, in 2018, the company made a controversial decision to stop guarding against MacRansom, since none had been detected for years prior, to speed up scanning. This alone might be a good reason to look for something more secure.
Guard your Mac with CleanMyMac X
A worthy alternative for how to remove malware from Mac is CleanMyMac X, a top-rated optimization solution that not only protects from viruses and malware but also makes your Mac more productive, frees up disk space, maintains your privacy, and much more.
Using CleanMyMac X for Mac virus scans is just as easy:
Open the app and navigate to the Malware Removal tab
Click Scan
Remove anything suspicious found
Besides a scan for malware, you can also initiate scans for old mail attachments, cleaning up caches and user logs, removing browsing traces, as well as use Space Lens to visualize what’s occupying your hard drive and update or delete apps completely.
Compare Malwarebytes vs. CleanMyMac X
When it comes to detecting viruses and adware Malwarebytes and CleanMyMac X are both doing a good job, so it makes sense to compile a quick side-by-side comparison of the two.
Protection: Both Malwarebytes for Mac and CleanMyMac X take the issue of guarding your laptop very seriously. A single caveat is the lack of MacRansom scanning in Malwarebytes since 2018. Fair to say, CleanMyMac X wins here by a narrow margin.
Price: Malwarebytes has a completely free tier that just misses proactive scanning. With proactive scanning, however, the app will set you back around $40 a year. CleanMyMac X doesn’t have a free tier (apart from the trial) but comes along with more than 170 first-class apps via the Setapp platform for only $9.99 a month. Tie.
Versatility: While Malwarebytes on Mac is good for one thing triggered by one button, CleanMyMac X presents a much more diverse offering, from fixing your hard drives to cleaning RAM and tweaking your Mac’s performance. A resounding win for CleanMyMac X.
Scanning: At the free level both Malwarebytes and CleanMyMac X have to be sprung into action by launching their respective Mac virus scans. At the paid level, however, Malwarebytes does this automatically, so it easily takes this round.
Is Malwarebytes For Mac Safe To Use
In the end, one for Malwarebytes, one tied, and two for CleanMyMac X. Feel free to check all the categories and judge for yourself.
Protect your privacy with Shimo VPN
When it comes to staying safe on your Mac today, it’s not only literal malware you have to be worried about. Nearly all websites, portals, and apps you encounter collect your private data. Some even restrict their services simply based on where you are (e.g. streaming platforms) or your behavior (e.g. fluctuating airfare prices). To safely sidestep all of this, you need a solid VPN.
Shimo is a VPN (virtual private network) of choice for thousands of people. It acts as a shell, letting you add multiple VPN accounts inside of its simple and unobstructive interface, from Cisco SSL to OpenVPN. Any time you use Shimo, you’re opening a window to bias-free, private, and safe internet.
Is Malwarebytes Safe For Mac
In the end, even though Macs are highly resistant to viruses, knowing how to check for malware on Mac is essential. And both Malwarebytes for Mac and CleanMyMac X are good ways to do that. Additionally, routinely running a VPN on unsecured networks will make surfing the web much more private and secure.
Best of all, CleanMyMac X and Shimo are available for you to try absolutely free for seven days, as they are both part of Setapp, a platform with more than 170 highly rated Mac apps for any job, from keeping you safe to managing projects, to collecting inspiration. Try all 170-plus apps, including CleanMyMac X and Shimo today at no cost!
Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.
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