Mar 08, 2014 See these Apple articles: Mac OS X Snow Leopard and malware detection. OS X Lion- Protect your Mac from malware. OS X Mountain Lion- Protect your Mac from malware. About file quarantine in OS X. If you require anti-virus protection Thomas Reed recommends using Dr.Web Light from the App Store. It's free, and since it's from the App Store, it won.
Smart hackers don’t get caught. They break into your device, steal everything they can, and finish without a trace. Sometimes they leave a trail of destruction in their wake – malware, weird ads, confused relatives, and even a drained bank account or stolen identity.
It’s pretty easy for hackers to do their job. Most people are ambivalent, but you don’t have to be. Click here for 5 security mistakes you’re probably making right now.
Computers, phones, routers, and down to the innocent webcam are vulnerable to cyber-criminals. So what if they’ve already broken in, yet you don’t even know they’re there? Here are clear-cut signs that you've been hacked.
1. Your gadget suddenly slows down
One of the side-effects of malicious software is a slow gadget. Software gets sluggish, or constantly freezes, or even crashes. If you start noticing some of these symptoms, your gadget may very well be infected with viruses, trojans or worms.
Malicious software usually runs in the background, secretly eating up your gadget's resources while it's active.
Here are tools you can use to pinpoint those nasty applications. If an application that you don't recognize is hogging your computer resources, it's likely a virus.
PC: Use Task Manager
There are a few ways to see what processes your computer is running. The easiest is to bring up Windows' built-in Task Manager. Just use the keyboard shortcut CTRL + SHIFT + ESC and go to the Processes tab.
Put simply, the Task Manager lists all of your computer’s current tasks and how much processing power they’re using, measured in Central Processing Units (CPUs). Open up Task Manager and check the CPU and memory columns for each process.
You might find one process is using 100% — or close to it — of your CPU. Open up the program associated with the process and see what it's doing. Restart the task and monitor it, but this program might be the culprit.
Click here to learn powerful Windows Task Manager secrets for diagnosing and repairing slow computers.
Mac: Use Activity Monitor
The Mac equivalent to Task Manager is its built-in Activity Monitor. The quickest way to access the Activity Monitor is by using Spotlight Search.
Click the magnifying glass on the right side of the menu bar at the top of your screen, or press Command + Spacebar to open a Spotlight window and start typing the first few letters to auto-complete 'Activity Monitor.' Just press Enter to access the tool.
Similar to Window's Task Manager, Mac's Activity Monitor displays a list of all your open processes with tabs for CPU, Threads, Idle Wake Ups and Network usage.
Learn these three troubleshooting Mac shortcuts the pros use.
If this happens when you are on an iPhone, try a soft reset by holding the power and the home button until it reboots with the Apple logo. This step can clear out frozen apps that can be hogging your memory.
2. You’re using way more data than usual
Every Internet provider has tools that can keep track of your monthly bandwidth consumption. Look at Data Usage Meter or Data Monitor, depending on your provider. Compare the amount of data used from the prior months, and if you notice sudden spikes in your data activity even though you haven't changed your patterns, then chances are you are infected.
For example, adware infected gadgets usually perform unsolicited clicks in the background to generate profit for cybercriminals. These stealthy tactics use up bandwidth and the unauthorized data they consume should be fairly easy to spot.
Do you want to save on your data consumption? Here are 5 steps to cut your data usage in half.
More Komando: How to find everything Microsoft knows about you
3. Videos suddenly buffer and web pages take forever to load
When a streaming video suddenly freezes, and your device appears to be “thinking,” this is called buffering. This annoyance often happens, especially if you play a lot of videos or your Wi-Fi connection is weak. If it’s happening a lot, or videos fail to play at all, you’re wise to suspect neighbors are piggy-backing on your connection. Click here for steps on how to check for Wi-Fi thieves.
Then again, malware can also slow down your Internet traffic by DNS hijacking. In short, hackers can redirect your Internet traffic to unsafe servers instead of the secure servers. This will not only slow down your browsing experience, it's also a serious security risk. For example, if your router's DNS settings have been hijacked, each time you visit your online bank's website, you'll be redirected to a phishing website instead.
To check your router's DNS settings, you can use an online tool like F-Secure Router. For more security, consider changing your DNS server to one with advanced hijacking protection like CloudFlare or Quad9.
Do you want to make your router hack-proof? Click here for more tips.
More: 6 ways to speed up slow Wi-Fi
4. Programs and apps start crashing
Now, here is a clear sign that your system has been infected. If your antivirus software and task manager are either crashing or disabled, a nasty virus has likely taken hold of your critical system files.
You may not be able to click on once-reliable apps. In the worst case scenario, ransomware may prevent you from opening favorite files.
You can try and fix the problem by booting your gadget in Safe Mode. With Safe Mode, your computer will be running with just the bare essentials. This way, you can safely delete and uninstall any programs and files that you can't during normal operation.
Windows:
On Windows, search for System Configuration then open it >> select Boot tab then tick off Safe Boot >>check Minimal (this is enough for most cases) >> click on OK to confirm >> Restart your computer.
Click here for detailed steps on how to boot into Windows Safe Mode.
macOS:
On a Mac, press and hold down the Shift key while restarting your computer. Keep holding the key through the Apple logo and release when you see the login screen.
Android:
Android also has its own version of Safe Mode but there are different ways to activate it, depending on your phone model. Click here to learn how.
iOS:
Stock iOS doesn't have a Safe Mode but you can try a soft reset to fix most issues. To do this, press and hold both your iPhone's Home button and the Sleep button at the same time, wait for it to restart then let go of the buttons when the Apple logo is displayed.
The iPhone X doesn't have a Home button so the process is a bit different. Press and quickly release the volume up button, press and quickly release the volume down button then press and hold the side button and release when the Apple logo appears.
5. You start seeing pop-up ads
Malware can also add bookmarks that you don't want, website shortcuts to your home screen that you didn't create, and spammy messages that entice you to click through. Apart from slowing down your gadget and eating away at your data, these intrusive notifications can also install more malware on your system.
Criminals can also use DNS hijacking to modify the ads that you see while browsing. Instead of the regular ads that you should be getting, they can be replaced with inappropriate or malicious ones.
On Windows, clean out adware with SpyBot Search & Destroy. On a Mac, use Malwarebytes for Mac.
6. Your gadget suddenly restarts
Automatic restarts are part of normal computer life. Software updates and new application installs can prompt you to reboot your computer. Your system will warn you when these happen, and you can delay or postpone them.
Yet sudden restarts are a different story. With Windows 10, there's a free malware detection and extraction program called Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool.
I recommend a Full Scan with this tool to verify that your computer is updated with the latest malware definitions.
7. Unexplained online activity
Hackers covet your usernames and passwords. These details, coupled with social engineering tricks, can gain access to your banking accounts, your social media profiles, and your online services.
Keep an eye on your email's 'sent' folder and on your social network posts. If you notice emails and posts that you don't remember sending or posting, it's likely that you have been hacked.
Constantly check your accounts for unauthorized activity including movies on your Netflix profile that you don't remember streaming, mystery purchases that you haven't made, songs on your Spotify list that you didn't listen to, credit card charges that came from nowhere.
What other tech tips will help you?
Call my national radio show and click here to find it on your local radio station. You can listen to the Kim Komando Show on your phone, tablet or computer. From buying advice to digital life issues, click here for my free podcasts.
How to remove 'Your iPhone Has Been Hacked' from Mac?
What is 'Your iPhone Has Been Hacked'?
'Your iPhone Has Been Hacked' is a scam promoted by deceptive websites. As the title implies, the scheme claims that users' devices have been compromised and were accessed without authorization. 'Your iPhone Has Been Hacked' promotes other scams, which endorse untrustworthy and possibly malicious software. Typically, users access deceptive webpages via redirects caused by intrusive adverts or by PUAs (Potentially Unwanted Applications), already infiltrated into the system. These apps do not need express user consent to be installed onto their devices.
When a site running this scheme is accessed, it presents visitors with a pop-up window. The text presented in the pop-up, states that users' iPhone has been hacked. Therefore, their actions are supposedly being tracked by cyber criminals. The scam informs users that they need to take immediate action. Once this window is closed, users are presented with various other scams that promote fake anti-virus software, adware, browser hijackers and other PUAs. However, it is not unlikely that the schemes may endorse trojans, ransomware, cryptominers and other malware. Therefore, trusting 'Your iPhone Has Been Hacked' and the scams it promotes - can result in system infections, financial losses, serious privacy issues and even identity theft. Additionally, users should note that no website can actually detect threats present on a device; hence, any that make such claims are scams.
Aside from force-opening deceptive/scam, sale-oriented, rogue, compromised and malicious sites, PUAs can have other/additional abilities. They can run intrusive advertisement campaigns. These ads diminish the browsing experience. Furthermore, once clicked on - they redirect to untrustworthy/malicious websites and some can even stealthily download/install unwanted software. Other types of PUAs can hijack browsers by making modifications to their settings and restricting/denying access to them - in order to promote illegitimate search engines. The latter are rarely capable of providing search results, so they redirect to Yahoo, Google, Bing and other legitimate search engines. Most PUAs can track data. They can monitor browsing activity (URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries typed, etc.) and gather personal information extracted from it (IP addresses, geolocations and other details). This vulnerable data is often shared with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals), intent on misusing it for profit. To ensure device integrity and user safety, all suspect applications and browser extensions/plug-ins must be removed without delay.
| Name | 'Your iPhone Has Been Hacked' pop-up |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Mac malware, Mac virus |
| Fake Claim | Scam claims users' iPhones have been hacked |
| Promoted Unwanted Application | Scam promotes various dubious apps |
| Symptoms | Your Mac becomes slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you are redirected to dubious websites. |
| Distribution methods | Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake Flash Player installers, torrent file downloads. |
| Damage | Internet browser tracking (potential privacy issues), display of unwanted ads, redirects to dubious websites, loss of private information. |
| Malware Removal (Mac) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your Mac with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
'Apple Rewards Program', '(3) Viruses has been detected', 'Your Apple iPhone is severely damaged by 19 viruses!' and 'Your Apple iPhone is severely damaged by (6) viruses!' are a few examples of other scams targeting iPhone users. Online schemes can use various scam models. Popular models include (but are not limited to): alerts that the device is infected or at risk, notifications concerning outdated or missing software, fake prize giveaways, ludicrous deals, etc. Regardless of what these scams state, request, offer or demand, the end-goal is the same - to generate revenue for their designers. Therefore, users are advised to exercise caution when browsing.
How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?
Some PUAs have 'official' download webpages, which are often promoted by deceptive/scam sites. These apps can also be downloaded/installed alongside other software. 'Bundling' is the term used to define this false marketing method of pre-packing ordinary products with unwanted or malicious additions. Rushed download/installation processes (e.g. ignored terms, skipped steps, etc.) - increase the risk of inadvertently allowing bundled content into the system. Intrusive ads proliferate PUAs as well. Upon being clicked, they can execute scripts designed to download/install PUAs without user permission.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
All products should be researched before download/installation. It is recommended to always use official and verified download channels. Unofficial and free file-hosting websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks and other third party downloaders - commonly offer deceptive and/or bundled content; therefore, they are advised against use. When downloading/installing, it is important to read terms, study all possible options, use the 'Custom/Advanced' settings and opt-out from supplementary apps, tools, features, and so on. Intrusive adverts typically appear legitimate and harmless, however they redirect to highly questionable pages (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating and others). Should users experience such advertisements/redirects, they must check the system and immediately remove all dubious applications and/or browser extensions/plug-ins from it. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.
Text presented in the 'Your iPhone Has Been Hacked' scam:
Your iPhone Has Been Hacked
All your actions on the device are tracked by a hacker.
Immediate Action Is Required!
Close
To enable pop-up blocking, fraudulent website warnings, and remove web browsing data in mobile Apple devices, follow these steps:
First, go to 'Settings', and then scroll down to find and tap 'Safari'.
Check if the 'Block Pop-ups' and 'Fraudulent Website Warning' toggles are enabled. If not, enable them immediately. Then, scroll down and tap 'Advanced'.
Tap 'Website Data' and then 'Remove All Website Data'.
Instant automatic Mac malware removal:Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced computer skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of Mac malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner for MacBy downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited three days free trial available.
Quick menu:
- STEP 1. Remove PUA related files and folders from OSX.
- STEP 2. Remove rogue extensions from Safari.
- STEP 3. Remove rogue add-ons from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove potentially unwanted plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox.
Video showing how to remove adware and browser hijackers from a Mac computer:
Potentially unwanted applications removal:
Remove potentially unwanted applications from your 'Applications' folder:
Click the Finder icon. In the Finder window, select 'Applications'. In the applications folder, look for 'MPlayerX','NicePlayer', or other suspicious applications and drag them to the Trash. After removing the potentially unwanted application(s) that cause online ads, scan your Mac for any remaining unwanted components.
Combo Cleaner checks if your computer is infected with malware. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited three days free trial available.
Remove 'your iphone has been hacked' pop-up related files and folders:
Click the Finder icon, from the menu bar. Choose Go, and click Go to Folder...
Check for adware-generated files in the /Library/LaunchAgents folder:
In the Go to Folder... bar, type: /Library/LaunchAgents
In the “LaunchAgents” folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - “installmac.AppRemoval.plist”, “myppes.download.plist”, “mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist”, “kuklorest.update.plist”, etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the same string.
Check for adware generated files in the /Library/Application Support folder:
In the Go to Folder... bar, type: /Library/Application Support
In the “Application Support” folder, look for any recently-added suspicious folders. For example, “MplayerX” or “NicePlayer”, and move these folders to the Trash.
Check for adware-generated files in the ~/Library/LaunchAgents folder:
In the Go to Folder bar, type: ~/Library/LaunchAgents
In the “LaunchAgents” folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - “installmac.AppRemoval.plist”, “myppes.download.plist”, “mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist”, “kuklorest.update.plist”, etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the same string.
Check for adware-generated files in the /Library/LaunchDaemons folder:
In the Go to Folder... bar, type: /Library/LaunchDaemons
In the “LaunchDaemons” folder, look for recently-added suspicious files. For example “com.aoudad.net-preferences.plist”, “com.myppes.net-preferences.plist”, 'com.kuklorest.net-preferences.plist”, “com.avickUpd.plist”, etc., and move them to the Trash.
Scan your Mac with Combo Cleaner:
If you have followed all the steps in the correct order you Mac should be clean of infections. To be sure your system is not infected run a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus. Download it HERE. After downloading the file double click combocleaner.dmg installer, in the opened window drag and drop Combo Cleaner icon on top of the Applications icon. Now open your launchpad and click on the Combo Cleaner icon. Wait until Combo Cleaner updates it's virus definition database and click 'Start Combo Scan' button.
Combo Cleaner will scan your Mac for malware infections. If the antivirus scan displays 'no threats found' - this means that you can continue with the removal guide, otherwise it's recommended to remove any found infections before continuing.
After removing files and folders generated by the adware, continue to remove rogue extensions from your Internet browsers.
'Your iPhone Has Been Hacked' pop-up removal from Internet browsers:
Remove malicious extensions from Safari:
Remove 'your iphone has been hacked' pop-up related Safari extensions:
Open Safari browser, from the menu bar, select 'Safari' and click 'Preferences...'.
In the preferences window, select 'Extensions' and look for any recently-installed suspicious extensions. When located, click the 'Uninstall' button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Safari browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.
- If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Safari.
Remove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:
Remove 'your iphone has been hacked' pop-up related Mozilla Firefox add-ons:
Open your Mozilla Firefox browser. At the top right corner of the screen, click the 'Open Menu' (three horizontal lines) button. From the opened menu, choose 'Add-ons'.
Choose the 'Extensions' tab and look for any recently-installed suspicious add-ons. When located, click the 'Remove' button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Mozilla Firefox browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.
- If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Mozilla Firefox.
Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
Remove 'your iphone has been hacked' pop-up related Google Chrome add-ons:
Open Google Chrome and click the 'Chrome menu' (three horizontal lines) button located in the top-right corner of the browser window. From the drop-down menu, choose 'More Tools' and select 'Extensions'.
In the 'Extensions' window, look for any recently-installed suspicious add-ons. When located, click the 'Trash' button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Google Chrome browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.
How To Tell If Your Mac Has Been Hacked
- If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Google Chrome.