While visiting my parents over the New Year holiday, my Mac picked up malware. I’m pretty sure it happened during an attempt by family members to use my computer to stream a football game. A certain bit of software was downloaded in an attempt to circumvent certain realities, and with it came a security risk. I had never seen much need to protect my Macbook before, but with popups plaguing me constantly, I decided something had to be done. A friend recommended the software Avast! for Mac security, and I decided to give it a try.
Downloading Avast!
It’s easy to download and install Avast! by going to xxxxx. The download is free (although I did choose to make a donation afterward), and the first thing you want to do after installing the software is to run a scan. It took about two hours for Avast! to run a Mac security scan on my computer. In the end, the program identified three infections.
I downloaded Avast! on my son’s Macbook recently as well. He has my old Macbook, but it wasn’t a problem until recently, when he started complaining about popups and slow runtime. Knowing that he had been downloading who-knows-what from the Internet (mostly widgets that give him movie times and sports scores and software designed to turn YouTube videos into MP3s), I figured it was time to institute a little Mac security on his computer. It took four hours to run the scan on his computer, and 12 infections were found.
Getting Rid of Malware Infections on Your Mac
Once the initial scan is complete, you can choose to delete the offending files. I just hit the delete all button to take care of the problem on my computer. One of the issues I ran into with my son’s computer was that one of the files was still open and couldn’t be deleted. In order to get rid of it, I shut down the computer and restarted it. That closed the file, and allowed me to delete it using Avast! I didn’t have to run a new scan to take care of the problem; instead, just opening the application popped up the offending program.
If turning off the computer and turning it back on doesn’t result in making it possible for Avast! to get rid of something, you can still pinpoint the problem. One of the things I like about this Mac security software is that it shows you the file path. You can read the file path to see where the infection is located, and go from there. Then you can stop the program or close the file so that you can delete it.
Mac Security on an Ongoing Basis
Avast! provides ongoing security for your Mac. It is installed in your browser, and protects you as you use the Internet. The icon that appears on the browser allows you to quickly see which sites are safe, and which aren’t. You can also rate sites that you like using, or negatively rate sites that present problems. The Avast! icon comes with a dropdown menu that allows you to enhance your privacy and browsing experience. You can block ad tracking and analytics tracking for your browsing. I set my son’s to block the tracking functions. You can also see how many times tracking has been blocked.
Not only can you customize your browsing and privacy experience with Avast!, but your computer is also protected. I regular receive notices that virus information has been updated, and Avast! blocks malware and warns you if you are visiting a site that might not be safe. With this Mac security in place on my son’s computer, I hope that it keeps him from downloading more infected programs and files. On top of that, his computer is already running faster without some of the malware that had been bogging it down.
Avast! also offers other products, including paid products, for Mac security, as well as Android security. There are even solutions for businesses and for schools.
My experience with Avast! has been very positive. It was worth the donation I made since it succeeded in getting rid of the malware on my computer as well as the malware on my son’s computer.