Anti-spyware for Mac OS X?

Found some spy (key logging) software for the Mac, but nothing for anti-
spyware (key logging) application. Suspect I have spy software put on
my Mac by an angry soon to be ex-spouse, but can't be sure. Any
suggestions?
--
Emily Steed
Please post your response to NG, thanks.

Emily Steed

In article <> , on Fri, 30 Jul 2004 18:54:58 -0700,
Emily Steed <> wrote:

| Found some spy (key logging) software for the Mac, but nothing for anti-
| spyware (key logging) application. Suspect I have spy software put on
| my Mac by an angry soon to be ex-spouse, but can't be sure. Any
| suggestions?

I am not a Mac OS X user so haven't tried any of these, but a quick google
threw up:

<http://macscan.securemac.com/>
<http://www.user-groups.net/shareware/macscan.html>
<http://www.allume.com/mac/cleanup/index.html>

<davidp />

--
David Postill

David Postill

On Fri, 30 Jul 2004 18:54:58 -0700, Emily Steed schrieb :

> Found some spy (key logging) software for the Mac, but nothing for anti-
> spyware (key logging) application. Suspect I have spy software put on my
> Mac by an angry soon to be ex-spouse, but can't be sure. Any suggestions?

Emily,

If it were me, and I even had the slightest suspicion that a user had
intentionally installed (locally) something nasty on my box (no pun
intended), then I would reformat completely. But that's just me.

Who owns the computer ? You ? Can you change the password ? How
technically proficient is your soon-to-be-ex ? Please don't say sysadmin.

I recognise that this is not what you are really asking for, but if it was
me, and I had an ex lurking with physical access to my computer, I'd
reformat (after backing up any crucial data and storing it securely, if it
warrants it) and set a strong password.

Perhaps the links in the post by David Postill will provide more of a clue
for you than this post, but I still think what I've said is worth
considering, even if it seems like 'throwing the baby out with the bath
water'. At least you'd know for sure your system was clean.


Cordially,

Kleeb.

Kleeb

In article <UrSOc.801$>, Kleeb wrote:
>I recognise that this is not what you are really asking for, but if it was
>me, and I had an ex lurking with physical access to my computer, I'd
>reformat (after backing up any crucial data and storing it securely, if it
>warrants it) and set a strong password.

Physical access beats four aces _every time_

Booting single user is usually possible, AND EVEN IF IT'S NOT, someone
can pop the hood, and yank the drive to be "modified" in another
computer.

Yes, a wipe and reinstall will clean off the "current" problems, but it
won't prevent someone with physical access from reinstalling whatever they
want whenever the computer is unguarded.

Old guy

Moe Trin

Emily Steed <> wrote:

> Found some spy (key logging) software for the Mac, but nothing for anti-
> spyware (key logging) application. Suspect I have spy software put on
> my Mac by an angry soon to be ex-spouse, but can't be sure. Any
> suggestions?

okay before you can do any thing you need to be the adminstrator of the
mac in question, i assume as its your mac? that you are running as the
admistrator, system prefs/accounts will tell you, i am going to assume
that you are. as most people do run mac osx as just the admin user.

at the same time as you look at the users look under start up items for
the admin user. there shouldn't be many if any.

go to applications/utilities and start the app called "activity monitor"

this will list every running proccess now a application can hide from
view ie no icon etc, but activity monitor sees all the processes and you
can kill the processes. With luck it will have a reconisable name so
you can tell if there is spy ware or not.

if you have found any spyware software then its time to remove it, if
you do a finder search it should find the software then you can move to
the trash. and deleate. that said finder don't see all files some files
are invisable to the finder. in that case you will need to go into the
murky world of terminal commands.

if you do sucseed in finding and trashing the spyware, restart mac have
a look in activty moniter and start up items do another file search on
it check that it is trully removed.

if you can find and remove the spy ware you will then need to reset
passwords of the mac your e mail etc, make them tought, ie not a dictory
word.

this all been said it may be easyer and easyer on you if you do a clean
wipe of the system, backing up and documents first of course.

if he still has or might have physical access to the mac? then enabling
data vault might be a option, (if you have 10.3 under 10.2 it was very
easy to by pass) it will encript your user, make sure your user
password is both secure (no dictory words) and easy to rember. as once
set if you forget the pass word that is it, cracking the pass word to
get back in is no easy task.

roger

Roger Merriman