Anyone who supports computers today has had some experience with unwanted OS X applications, which claim to help the user, but are in reality hoax programs that solicit money from their victims. The most widespread of these has been MacKeeper– a supposed utility which resides in the Taskbar, and does little beyond asking for a registration fee.
A new generation of unwanted applications and plugins proves Mac malware has arrived. TuneupmyMac, Conduit, Search Protect, and Vsearch are the culprits I’ve removed numerous times this week. They are likely the tip of the iceberg.
While not as onerous to remove as the typical Windows trojan, an entity like Vsearch has multiple plugins and Launch items to find and delete. As you can see in these screen shots, Avast Free antivirus was helpful in identifying some of these.
The days of going without a Mac Antivirus are over!