Home Computer Tips Top 7 Signs that Your Mac has a Virus

Top 7 Signs that Your Mac has a Virus

Believe it or not, once considered safe by various security experts, Macs are not immune to virus threats anymore. Here, cybercriminals are making burgeoning efforts to infect more and more Mac systems around the world. In fact, Macs are not free from cyberthreats anymore. In this article, we have discussed top 7 signs that indicate your Mac has a virus.


Your system is running slower than the normal: The first visible effect of a malware attack on your system could be the slow performing device and applications on it. Once virus attacks your system, it starts interfering with normal operations of your operating system causing lags and even crashes. Malware attack is one possible issue that affects your system performance, in addition to common performance issues caused due to over occupied RAM or disk space, fragmented disk, cluttered browsing data, outdated OS etc. Read Also: 16 Best Tweaking Settings For Configuring Newly Purchased MacBook Pro 2018
 
Mac System malware check
Source: osxdaily


Annoying Pop-Ups: If you have realized that random pop-ups and strange messages have increased all of sudden on your system then it is possible due to malware attack. Here, you might get random pop-up messages asking you to click on the appeared window for different reasons (that may contain malicious content). These pop-ups could be a part of larger malware threat on your system that may include spyware threat. Further, it may come bundled with other concealed virus threats that may affect your system performance destructively. 
Annoying Pop-Ups MAC System
Source: macworld


Lags or System Crash: If you find your system suddenly crashes with BSOD (Blue screen of Death) or causes lags then it is possible that your Mac is under virus attack. Here, you might find it hard to run resource hungry applications (like playing games) or even watching YouTube videos. Two major reasons for this performance issue could be that your system hardware and software finds it incompatible to run or malware issue. 
 
Lags or System Crash Mac
Source: appleallen


Strange Messages are sent from your account without your consent: If your friends are complaining you that they are receiving strange messages from your Facebook or another account then it’s time to check for virus existence on your Mac. Cybercriminals by affecting your system with malicious content try to get a hold of your system remotely. Thus, there are high chances that your system is affected by virus threat if you find unusual activities from your account. 


Unfamiliar Icons: If you find new and unfamiliar icons popped-up on your home screen, here it is possible that your system is under the effect of PUPs (Potential Unwanted Programs). PUPs are again a malicious program that may cause serious damage to your system and make your system run slow. Thus, it becomes important to get rid of all such unwanted programs as soon as possible. If manual cleaning doesn’t support, you should try using antivirus for Mac. 
 
antivirus for Mac
Source: osxdaily


Error Messages: If you see unusual error messages asking for your urgent attention or deny to run any program or application then it is possible due to some tangible virus threat that exists on your system or possible virus attack. Here, an error message could display that a bug has infected your system that needs to be fixed or it is unable to open some file or folder due to other reasons. It may also include missing or corrupt files error message. Here, you might not be able to fix the issue even trying so many times and clicking on “Close” button. 
Mac Error Messages
Source: theitsage


Your malware scanner confirms infection: This is the most definitive sign of malware infection when antivirus program on your Mac warns you about possible malware existence on your system. Here, you might get the warning based on background scanning of your system by the antivirus program or during the active scan process. Here, if your built-in security mechanism on your Mac suggests virus presence, we suggest you to verify it by running third-party antivirus programs as well. This simple process will confirm the existence of the virus on your Mac. Further, you can take counter steps to fix the issue.