Ransomware

[Bill Gates Jr.]

Ok, somewhat confused. I have Intego Virus Barrierr Scanner and DetectX Swift. Would those two also work for Windows? And, can I get rid of EtreCheckPro and Malwarebytes?

 

[MacInWin]

I don't think Intego or DetectX have Windows variants, but you can check at their websites. EtrecheckPro is an entirely different animal. It doesn't look for malware, it just reports on what is going on with your system. If your system starts slowing down, or having any issues, you can run Etrecheck to get the report on what it is seeing in our system. Malwarebytes used to be good, but I've gotten rid of it and stick with Intego and DetectX. My opinion is you can get rid of it.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

I don't think Intego or DetectX have Windows variants, but you can check at their websites.

Intego used to be a Macintosh-only company, which was endearing because with Intego you always knew that the products that you got from them came from a company that understood the Macintosh. Their products have never been ports of Windows products.

However, Intego now makes a Windows version of Virus Barrier:

Mac Security and Antivirus Software for Mac OS X - Intego

EtrecheckPro is an entirely different animal. It doesn't look for malware...

At the minimum, EtreCheck checks for spyware:

About EtreCheck

I suspect that they use the same database that Malwarebytes and DetectX use. In other words, it's a great product for detecting and dealing with adware; and it has some minor anti-malware abilities too. Unlike Malwarebytes they don't oversell their product's abilities, which I like! It's more honest.

Malwarebytes used to be good, but I've gotten rid of it and stick with Intego and DetectX. My opinion is you can get rid of it.

I think that Malwarebytes and DetectX Swift very strongly overlap in their abilities. The reason that many of us have stopped using Malwarebytes in favor of DetectX Swift, is that the former became very intrusive on one's Mac, installing a whole bunch of files doing who-knows-what and becoming difficult to uninstall. DetectX Swift just seems to be a more trustworthy free product to do the same exact things.

 

[Rod]

+1 from me on that. Get rid of Malwarebytes, keep DetectX Swift and Intego Virus Barrierr Scanner if you like.
You might want to avail yourself of Delete Apps from Fiplabs or similar, I was amazed at how many files MalwareBytes installs.

 

[Bill Gates Jr.]

I could not fund an uninstall for Malwarebytes so just sent app to trash. Are there hidden files I need to know about?

 

[MacInWin]

Not really. If you want to go on a hunt for the little bits of debris left behind, you can get Find Any File or EasyFind and search for the name, but what is left are tiny files, if anything at all.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

I could not fund an uninstall for Malwarebytes so just sent app to trash. Are there hidden files I need to know about?

Yes, in fact, that's the entire reason that most of us have gotten rid of Malwarebytes and now use DetectX Swift instead. Malwarebytes has been known to install close to 30 files, deeply embedded in your Mac's system, and we have no idea what they may all be doing. Dragging Malwarebytes application file to the trash leaves all of these files in place. While most apps will leave behind one or two benign files that are tiny and insignificant, such as a preferences file or a cache file, so that you can leave them installed and safely ignore them, it would seem prudent to find and delete all of the detritus that Malwarebytes leaves behind.

Here is how you can easily do that:

Download the free utility EasyFind:

DEVONtechnologies | Needful Things

A little collection of free utilities for the Mac to make your life easier.

www.devontechnologies.com

Here is how to set up your search with EasyFind:

You DO NOT want to search within files, so do not enable "File Contents" and instead enable "Files and Folders."

Enable "Any Word" so that EasyFind looks for your search term but does not exclude files that have other things in the name.

Enable "Ignore Case" since you don't care if your search term is capitalized or not.

Enable "Invisible Files and Folders" because you also want to find files and folder that are invisible.

So, now do a search for "Malwarebytes". (Type Malwarebytes in the search field and hit Return.) The search will take a few minutes, it won't be instantaneous like a Spotlight search.

Note that in EasyFind's window toolbar is a circle-with-a slash-through-it symbol that says "Delete". Highlight the hits that you want to delete and then click that button to delete them.

This is all a lot easier than it sounds, and it will make sense as you are doing it.

Please let us know how many Malwarebytes files you find with EasyFind. Many of us have been shocked by how many we found on our Macs.

 

[harryb2448]

Seven for me Randy going back to July 2018! I did originally use App Cleaner.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

Seven for me Randy going back to July 2018! I did originally use App Cleaner.

I once wrote an article on uninstallers after testing all that I could find.

App Cleaner consistently left stuff behind related to the apps being uninstalled. On the plus side, it's free and I've never heard of it damaging one's Mac.

AppCleaner