Bad, Bad Software

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I just posted a link from MacWorld about a virus that is making the rounds, so to speak, that could affect Macs. It mentions the bad, bad program MacKeeper. I am therefore wondering if it would be a good idea to have a thread that contains a list of bad software for Macs. So, I though I'd start one. Here goes.

The two I am acutely aware of are:

1. MacKeeper
2. CleanMyMac

I suspect there are others, but I do not know of any other programs. Maybe some of the more experienced gurus (Cory Cooper, Spawn_Dooley, oldscribe, where are you?) could add to this list.
 
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Cory Cooper

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Here are a few more:

-Most antivirus apps - especially Norton, Avira, Avast, and almost all available on the App Store
-Adobe Flash and Acrobat Reader
-Oracle Java
-All third-party browser toolbars and search extensions
-Some online backup software like Carbonite

More to come...

C
 
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Here are a few more:

-Most antivirus apps - especially Norton, Avira, Avast, and almost all available on the App Store
-Adobe Flash and Acrobat Reader
-Oracle Java
-All third-party browser toolbars and search extensions
-Some online backup software like Carbonite

More to come...

C
I was a late comer getting on the computer/internet bandwagon. In 2009, my quandary over Mac v. PC was resolved by the ubiquitous bus stop ad campaign showcasing the sexy and slender MacBook Air. I was the hapless naive user who thought it was way cool that I stumbled upon this app that would "clean all the clutter on my mac" and I would watch as a hammer goes up and down while a wrench turns a bolt (gifted people such as myself are able to discern the technical meaning of this). Pretty soon, never-before-seen toolbars would magically replace my normal browser interface. Baby, I was on a roll! One day, Satan saw my glee and so persuaded God to render my hard drive useless. I reproached God for taking counsel from Satan, whom he surely knew was corrupt and malicious. God, feeling a little silly for having not vetted his top advisor more carefully, was a little embarrassed and i found myself with the mid 2013 MacBook Air which is greatly improved over the earlier version, as was its user.

Sorry for that long paragraph, but aside from the satirical Biblical overlay, it's an accurate description of my experience. Jumping now to the present, when I was looking at the version of this page that had advertising (before I registered), directly below your post was none other than a promo slot for MacKeeper replete with the same ridiculous Michelin-Tire-looking superhero mascot. Presently, MacKeeper and CleanMyMac promotion appear all over the web including websites one might assume would have high ethical standards for advertising. It may be naive of me, but if I were working in public relations for Apple I would expose these menaces in a big way as the fraud that they actually are.

A little less clear to me, and by extension probably to many others, is the importance of removing Adobe Flash and Acrobat, and Oracle Java - simply because so much content on the internet won't work unless you're running them.
 
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Regarding MacKeeper and CleanMyMac, apparently there are some folks who have used such products without any issues. But, that number is low. There are other choices out there, both free and not free, that have been around along time, have numerous positive reviews, and just seem to work fine. A few that I know of:

1. Onyx (free, and I use it)
2. Coctail
3. Yasu (free)
4. TinkerTool (free)
5. TechTool Pro (I use it)
6. Disk Warrior
7. Drive Genius
 
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Regarding MacKeeper and CleanMyMac, apparently there are some folks who have used such products without any issues. But, that number is low. There are other choices out there, both free and not free, that have been around along time, have numerous positive reviews, and just seem to work fine. A few that I know of:

1. Onyx (free, and I use it)
2. Coctail
3. Yasu (free)
4. TinkerTool (free)
5. TechTool Pro (I use it)
6. Disk Warrior
7. Drive Genius
Thanks for the tip. Do you eschew Oracle Java and Adobe Acrobat as well?
 
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I have no issues with either of those. In actuality, I have Adobe Acrobat Pro installed on both of my Macs, so I can read PDFs fine.
 
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I am aware of:
1. MacKeeper
2. VirusBarrier (you can lose many important files)
3. Any keylogger tools, for example: Elite Keylogger

I have used both "Mac Keeper "and "Clean My Mac". I don't think they did any damage to my Macs. I dropped Mac Keeper because it tries to bully users into paying for it or upgrading ,and I do not like to be nagged. As forClean "My Mac 3" I am still using and find it very useful. It does all the maintenance required, jumps up with a 'Force Quit' option when a program is stuck and has a good App delete,which cleans up all the rubbish. I have not had any issues with either of these programs but I know a lot of Mac users shun them and put them down. (?)
 
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how did you get rid of MacKeeper? If you just dragged its icon to the Trash, that did not get rid of all of the associated "pieces". You might want to do a search of MacKeeper and see if any other associated files appear.

You could still be at risk with CleanMyMac. Also, I suspect it is nowhere as robust as either TechTool Pro or Disk Warrior. Besides doing some of my own Disk Cleanup, I use Onyx and TechTool Pro, and rarely, if ever, do I have issues with either of my Macs.
 
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The real problem with MacKeeper and other third party apps is where you download them from. Opportunists out there will take a clean copy of MacKeeper, then create a new installer with their affiliate software. So in essence getting commissions on whatever you purchase. They are able to track your web history and change your home page. Malware is a low level threat but definitely a threat.
 
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That can also happen with reputable software. That is why I only go to the developer's/company's site myself and download software/updates. I am then just about 100% sure all will be fine.
 
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I've got bad experience with Transmission, cause there were few times with Malware attack. After second time (it was last year), i decided to fill it in my black app list
 
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I've got bad experience with Transmission, cause there were few times with Malware attack. After second time (it was last year), i decided to fill it in my black app list

I have never had any issues with Transmission. It has always served me well.
 
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I have never had any issues with Transmission. It has always served me well.
I'm talking about my own experience. Maybe Transmission won't destroy my OS system, but I prefer to avoid dangerous apps, especially when it's possible to find much better alternative tool
 
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Very useful topic, I do not have anything to add. I only used CleanMyMac and I found out on my Mac what a bad program it was.
 
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Very useful topic, I do not have anything to add. I only used CleanMyMac and I found out on my Mac what a bad program it was.

Glad you got rid of CleanMyMac. There is a free, reputable, well reviewed program called Onyx that has been around for quite some time. It has quite a few useful cleaning tasks. I use it, and in fact, depend on it (along with TechTool Pro). You can get Onyx from here:

https://www.titanium-software.fr/en/onyx.html

Note that there are specific versions of it for each specific Mac OS, so you need to insure that you download the correct version.
 
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how did you get rid of MacKeeper? If you just dragged its icon to the Trash, that did not get rid of all of the associated "pieces". You might want to do a search of MacKeeper and see if any other associated files appear.

You could still be at risk with CleanMyMac. Also, I suspect it is nowhere as robust as either TechTool Pro or Disk Warrior. Besides doing some of my own Disk Cleanup, I use Onyx and TechTool Pro, and rarely, if ever, do I have issues with either of my Macs.
 
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I still like Mac.Keeper, In particular, the Find your Mac if it's stolen. I got rid of it by using the Delete Applications feature in Clean my Mac. One thing I certainly did not like was the incessant 'nagging' when using the free version, I told them so in no uncertain terms. Anyway the original distribution has been taken over by another company. I find Clean my Mac useful for getting rid of applications and searching old files. I hope it's not the cause of my current shutdown problems - that would be really annoying.......
 
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Glad you got rid of CleanMyMac. There is a free, reputable, well reviewed program called Onyx that has been around for quite some time. It has quite a few useful cleaning tasks. I use it, and in fact, depend on it (along with TechTool Pro). You can get Onyx from here:

https://www.titanium-software.fr/en/onyx.html

Note that there are specific versions of it for each specific Mac OS, so you need to insure that you download the correct version.
Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely try.
 

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