In your Activity Monitor, select Memory, and then hit the down arrow to sort based on the most memory-intensive processes. Open your Applications folder, click Utilities, and then select Activity Monitor. You can also check your Activity Monitor to see if any suspicious processes are running in the background. If you notice an unfamiliar app or an icon with a weird name, look it up online to see if anyone else has had issues or if there are any news articles about a similarly named malware strain. Unsurprisingly, spyware won’t be called “Best Spyware App.” Remember, spyware is designed to evade detection. Check to make sure all apps are legitimate. This will sort your apps chronologically and show you what was added most recently. Then, click the date icon and select Date Added. Open Finder and select Applications on the left-hand menu. Here’s how to check your recent apps to see if anything questionable snuck in. Suspicious or unfamiliar apps: Any app that you don’t remember downloading is a red flag. Tons of ads: If you’re seeing tons of ads and pop-ups, even when you’re not connected to the internet, it could be an adware infection or a spying app that also serves you ads.Ĭhanged settings: If you suddenly have a new homepage, different browser settings, or you’re being redirected to spammy websites, malware or a virus is the likely culprit. But if your Mac speed suddenly takes a plunge, it could indicate malware. Slow performance: Most electronics gradually run slower with age. How to manually check for spyware on a Macįirst, look for the common signs of Mac malware:

But whether you want to do it manually or with a specialized tool, here’s how to check your Mac for spyware. Spyware in particular - which is designed to hide - can easily evade detection. When it comes to finding malware, it’s best to use dedicated software.

Or, skip ahead to learn how to remove Mac spyware ASAP to limit the damage. In the next section, we’ll show you how to detect spyware on a Mac.

In this article, we’ll help you find and remove spyware quickly and easily. No matter which type of spyware you have, you should take action fast. Other spyware is more similar to adware, because it spams your Mac with ads while spying on you. Some spyware can take screenshots or even access your Mac’s webcam and microphone. It can take the form of keyloggers that record everything you type in order to collect sensitive data like your usernames, passwords, and credit card numbers.

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