Mac: Malware isn’t too crazy on Macs, but it’s still out there. If you’d prefer to create your own solution instead of downloading clunky software, blogger Jacob Salmela shows off how to roll your own system using Folder Actions.
Folder Actions is a handy built-in feature of OS X that allows you to run a script when you add an item to a folder. In this case, you can monitor if malware tries to access your Mac’s folders that manage system processes. You’ll want to set up these folder actions in the following folders to monitor for malware:
- /Library/LaunchDaemons
- /Library/LaunchAgents
- /System/Library/LaunchDaemons
- /System/Library/LaunchAgents
- /Users/<username>/Library/LaunchAgents
That’s it. When it’s all set up, you’ll get a popup window every time something is added to one of those folders. If you didn’t install something on purpose, chances are it’s malware or at least worth investigating. Head over to Salmela’s site for the full guide. (We’d still suggest proper security software, but this is a handy potential addition.)
OS X: Roll Your Own Malware Detection [Jacob Salmela]
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