The silver lining of the Flashback outbreak is the realization, finally, that Macs need real-time virus protection, too. Prepare for the next Mac malware attack by installing free AV software Click Disable under the entry for the Java plug-in.

To do the same in Chrome, enter chrome://plugins in the browser's address bar and press Enter.

In Firefox, disable Java by going to Tools > Add-ons > Plug-ins and choosing the Disable button for the Java plug-in. Disable Java in the Safari browser by opening the Preferences dialog and unchecking Enable Java under the Security tab. To disable Java in the Safari browser, go to Safari > Preferences > Security and uncheck Enable Java. Since Java isn't installed by default with OS X Lion, you may be prompted to install the Java runtime when you attempt to open Java Preferences in the Applications/Utilities folder. Topher Kessler explains on the MacFixIt blog how to disable Java on a Mac. F-Secure's Flashback Removal Tool gives you the all-clear after it scans your Mac for the Flashback Trojan. Alternatively, F-Secure's free Flashback Removal Tool works with earlier versions of Mac OS X and alerts you to the results of its scan Apple's tool does nothing unless its scan finds Flashback. Tools for detecting and removing FlashbackĪpple's Flashback malware removal tool is recommended for Mac OS X Lion without the Java runtime environment installed. Likewise, the company's decision to release its own Java patches rather than rely on Oracle's public release may have helped spread the later Java-based version of Flashback: by last February Oracle had patched the Java vulnerability leveraged by Flashback, but Apple didn't get around to plugging the hole until this month. The initial release of Flashback mimicked Adobe's Flash installer. Apple refuses to preinstall Adobe's Flash player, so Mac users are prompted to download and install the plug-in when they encounter a Web site that uses Flash. The FAQ explains that Flashback's creators may have exploited Apple's go-it-alone strategy.

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Best free virus protection for mac