My Cryptid Crush Mac OS

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Aug 21, 2018 OS Version: The version of the Mac OS that was running at the time of the crash. An interesting side note: Console still uses OS X as the operating system name, although the version number is correct. Report Version: The version number of the crash report style in use. MacOS Big Sur elevates the most advanced desktop operating system in the world to a new level of power and beauty. Experience Mac to the fullest with a refined new design. Enjoy the biggest Safari update ever. Discover new features for Maps and Messages.

The question why do MacBook Pro/Air, iMac, and Mac mini permanently crash pops up on the Apple support community pretty often. Very few Mac users manage to keep calm when a ‘spinning beach ball of death’ appears on their Mac’s screen. Even worse, macOS Sierra/High Sierra can get stuck on the ‘grey screen of death’ after routine updates. In spite of having a bulletproof reputation, Macs do freeze and crash sometimes, so you have to know how to handle these issues. Read on to learn step-by-step troubleshooting instructions for all possible situations.

Macs can crash for a variety of reasons, which is why each particular situation needs separate troubleshooting activities. However, the typical reasons causing Mac crashes are as follows:

Malware/virus infection which infiltrated a Mac through third-party apps;

Insufficient RAM for applications to run properly;

Mac

Insufficient CPU capacity for resource-intensive programs;

Several apps are competing for disk access and system resources.

How to fix the Finder app that keeps crashing on your Mac? The best option is deleting potentially corrupted Finder system preference files with .plist extension:

  1. If the Finder app still launches in spite of crashing, open the Finder window.
  2. Go to Home -> Library -> Preferences.
  3. Find and remove these files:apple.finder.plist and com.apple.sidebarlists.plist.
  4. Log out, and log back in.
  5. Empty the Trash.

Alternatively, you can use the Terminal app to remove the files, if Finder won’t launch.

  1. Run the following commands:

rm ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.finder.plist, then press Return.

rm ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.sidebarlists.plist, then press Return.

  1. Log out, and log back in.
  2. Empty the Trash.

One of the most frequent issues with MacBook Pro is related to random crashes known as ‘kernel panic.’ These crashes may occur after hardware replacement or software updates. To identify what’s causing the problem, run Apple Diagnostics (or, Apple hardware test on Macs manufactured before 2013).

1.Unplug all external devices (keep the keyboard, mouse, monitor, Ethernet connection, and AC power plugged). Apple Hardware Test might show an error message if other devices are not unplugged.

2. Turn off your Mac, and turn it on again holding the D key while it is booting. Wait until the Apple Diagnostics screen (Apple Hardware Test icon) shows up:

3. If you’re running the Apple Hardware Test, choose the language by pressing the ‘up’ and ‘down’ arrows, then hit the Return key to confirm. Apple Diagnostics performs the further steps automatically.

4. Next, click the Test button (T key) or Return to begin testing. Running an in-depth test needs a bit more time to complete. Select Perform extended testing before the test begins.

5. Once the test is over, you can see the results in the bottom-right part of the window.

6. To exit the diagnostics, click Restart (R key)/ Shut Down (S key) in the lower part of the window.

“A Mac update crashed my computer!” is another frequent plea for help on the Apple support community. Users know that installing Mac OS /software updates is the best way to keep their Mac protected. Still, many users have experienced crashes in the middle of a system upgrade. On older Mac models, upgrading to macOS Sierra on top of OS X El Capitan caused slow work and freeze ups. To fix the issues caused by upgrading to the latest Mac OS, you can do the following:

restart your Mac in a Safe Mode and disable the antivirus software (especially if you’re using third-party antivirus software);

switch to another Wi-Fi network

try downgrading to the previous Mac OS version

perform a clean install of the new operating system

If your Mac crashed during the automatic software update, find and delete the following files:

  • /Library/Preferences/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate.plist
  • /Home/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate.xyz.plist (“xyz” is a number).
  • /Home/Library/Caches/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate/ (purge the entire folder).

Alternatively, use a Time Machine backup to revert to the previous state.

If you use one of the earlier Mac OS X versions, follow the below instructions to fix freeze-ups and system crashes. Choose an option depending on the severity of the problem:

  1. Try rebooting your Mac in a Safe Mode. For this, hold down the Shift key while restarting your computer until the Apple logo appears. If the startup fails, most likely you don’t have enough free space on your startup disk.
  2. Try resetting the NVRAM. For this, restart your Mac and press down the Command-Option-P-R keys altogether after hearing the start-up chime. Release the keys after you hear the startup chime for the second time.
  3. Boot into the Recovery Mode. For this, restart your Mac holding down the Command ()-R key combination after hearing the start-up sound. Check your hard drive for errors using the Disk Utility.
  4. If the problem persists, reinstalling Mac OS X from scratch is your best option. First, reboot your computer into the Recovery Mode. In the OS X Utilities menu, select Reinstall OS X, then click Continue.

Note: reinstalling OS X on top of the current system does not delete your files and settings. However, this may help in fixing some system-wide issues.

If your Mac crashes several times in a row, it is crucial to single out the problem. Find out if a particular application is a reason, or the entire operating system is affected. In the first case, you will get an application crash report with comments. To fix the issue, click Reopen to relaunch the app, or click OK to quit the alert window.

If the problem stems from the macOS itself, there can be a plethora of reasons causing it. Try the below steps to eliminate the issue:

  1. Reset the SMC (System Management Controller). Unplug all accessories before resetting. Press and hold down the Power button for 10 seconds to turn off your Mac. Disconnect the AC adapter and wait 15 seconds, then plug the power cord back in and switch on your Mac in 5 seconds.
  2. Reboot in Safe Mode. Restart your Mac while pressing down the Shift key after you hear the start-up chime.
  3. Reset NVRAM/PRAM. Restart Mac while holding down the Command-Option-P-R key combination.
  4. Uninstall third-party apps, plug-ins, antivirus software, PPTP VPN software, which may be incompatible with the current macOS version.
  5. Clean up your Mac’s startup disk to ensure there is enough space for macOS to operate properly.

Mac crashes can stem from different reasons, which signal about serious application or system-related issues. Isolating and identifying the problem is the best way to single out all possible causes. To prevent your Mac from occasional freeze-ups and crashes, use the latest Mac OS and software compatible with your machine’s hardware. macOS High Sierra is the recommended version of the operating system to date. Upgrade to the latest stable version to maximize your macOS experience.

A common myth often regaled around the office water cooler is that Macs do not become infected with viruses. This was partly spread by a 2009 Apple advertising campaign that formed part of the “Get a Mac” campaign. One of the key selling points of this campaign was that Macs did not suffer from the “thousands” of viruses (now commonly referred to as 'malware'), which plagued Microsoft computers. Over time, it was proven that Macs were not exposed to the multitude of malware strains that targeted Windows systems. The reasons for this are the following:

  • Small market share. There is some truth to the “security through obscurity” argument. Many virus writers are motivated by the power they can command and money they can make by seizing control of large numbers of computers. That puts a financial premium on Windows malware, since, globally, there are far more Windows computers than those running Mac OS.
  • With Unix-based file systems and kernel, Mac Operating Systems are harder to infect with self-replicating programs. Windows allows users to develop and run executable code outside their own protected memory space, whereas Mac OS X does not.

The myth that Macs are in some ways invulnerable, and come with built-in anti-malware 'force fields', is not true. Macs are affected by malware and have been for most of their existence. One of the first malware infections to become popularised, ElkCloner, affected Apple computers rather than the MS-DOS computers of the time. Security research firms are annually discovering malware targeting Macs on a more frequent basis.

With the surge in popularity of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and many others utilizing blockchain technology, a new type of malware has risen in conjunction with cryptocurrencies. These new malware strains are called 'crypto miners' and some have been infecting Macs.

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What exactly are Crypto Miners?

Currently, there are two ways you can get cryptocurrencies. The first is to buy them and the second is to mine them. There have been instances of hacks targeting the wallets of cryptocurrency buyers. These often rely on hackers exploiting vulnerabilities within wallets on websites or servers. Crypto miners rely on mining the actual currency. A crypto miner, sometimes referred to as a 'crypto jacker', can be defined as malware that uses CPU power of the target device to mine cryptocurrency, with the profits returned to the wallet of the attacker.

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Use and popularity of crypto miners and crypto jackers has become so widespread that researchers believe that they are fast becoming more popular than the use of ransomware by cyber criminals. Security researchers have stated that activity generated by Crypto Miners was the most detected network event in devices connected to home routers in 2017. This ascent of malware use is considerable. In October 2017, prevalence of Crypto Miner detections peaked at 116,361 events, with many of those detections occurring in Japan, India, Taiwan, the U.S., and Australia. To understand the appeal of Crypto Miners to cybercriminals, one needs to understand the financial motivation. In February 2018, it was reported that one operation that installed malware on servers running Jenkins (automation software designed for web development) mined roughly 3.4 million worth of Monero. That is essentially, a considerable sum by any standards. Monero is a popular choice for criminals to mine because of its increased privacy and anonymity features. This situation is further made problematic by the availability of applications such as Coinhive, which allows owners of websites to mine currency when visitors visit their webpage. These applications are abused by cyber criminals to maliciously mine for maximum profit.

Crypto Miners present very real Dangers

Besides the ethical issues and issues of the illegality of crypto miners, these types of malware can provide real problems. Problems that can result in major financial loss for the victims, be they individuals or companies. In February of this year, Metro reported that a two-floor apartment building in Artem, near Vladivostok, went up in flames. The fire was caused by a resident illegally using the apartment blocks' electricity to mine Bitcoin. It is believed that a power surge caused the circuits to overheat, fail, and result in a fire that gutted the apartment building. Fortunately, in this instance, nobody lost their life. The above example did not involve a Crypto Miner but it is not outside the realms of possibility one could cause such an event.

As the miner uses devices' CPU resources (a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer), it causes an extra load upon the chipset. At the very least, this will increase the power consumption of the device. The device will also become noticeably slower. While the CPU can handle increased loads for short periods, running at 100% for extended periods can cause a critical failure. In a recent article, security researchers at Radiflow, a company that specializes in securing critical infrastructure, noticed miners infecting industrial control systems. The researchers feared such miners would inevitably have a severe impact on systems. In the same article, Marco Cardacci, a consultant for the firm RedTeam Security, which specializes in industrial control, said:

The major concern is that industrial control systems require high processor availability, and any impact to that can cause serious safety concerns. Such systems control things like power grids and dam wall, a catastrophic failure in those instances could be disastrous.

The above is a nightmare scenario, but Crypto Miners can easily cause major failures on the devices we use daily. Russian security firm Kaspersky reported detecting mobile malware that mines Monero, bombards users with unwanted ads, and can even be used to launch denial of service attacks. After two days of testing an infected device, it showed physical trauma: the overworked battery swelled up, damaging the phone’s outer shell. Some cyber criminals want their miners to run for as long as possible and evade detection. They are thus programmed to operate when CPU cycles are not being utilized on other task. Not all malware authors are as cunning. A hacker who simply copies code in the hope of striking it rich could drive a CPU incredibly hard for an extended period of time, thus placing the CPU at risk of catastrophic failure. This will result in the CPU or the entire device being replaced at obvious expense to the victim.

How to detect if your Mac is infected

As mentioned above, Macs are not invulnerable to malware infections, or indeed, Crypto Miners. Security researchers recently reported on a miner being distributed via MacUpdate. The miner was called OSX.CreativeUpdate was designed to hide in the background and use the computer’s CPU to mine Monero. The malware was spread by hacking the MacUpdate site, which was distributing maliciously-modified copies of Firefox, OnyX, and other applications.

It is inevitable that these now popular malware strains will evolve and change in the near future. They will have different key identifiers and some will develop even more cunning ways to avoid detection. That does not mean that they cannot be detected. One of the key indicators that your Mac may be infected, is CPU usage. This can be checked by simply opening a resource monitor on your computer to check if CPU usage is abnormally high. On a Mac, a resource monitor can be found in the Activity Monitor that comes with the operating system.

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The following could be indicators of infection:

  • If you see a spike in CPU usage when visiting a particular website that should not otherwise be taxing the processor.
  • If you have all programs closed but CPU usage is still very high, then you may have a crypto mining malware problem.
  • It is hard to say what “normal” CPU usage looks like, since computer processing power and the applications people run vary considerably. Nevertheless, a sudden, elevated level of CPU usage would indicate an abnormal increase in demand for processing power and possible infection.

Some miners are only active when you are visiting a website that features the miner in question. In these instances, the website or an advertisement may be infected and using your CPU to mine a cryptocurrency. To prevent this, you can take the following actions to prevent such abuse. You can also block JavaScript from running on a site known to be infected by simply using the default privacy and content controls in your browser. It is also advisable that you install an Ad-blocker. Ad-blocking software can also filter out known types of in-browser miners, such as Coin Hive (which is not necessarily malware). It can be embedded in websites without the knowledge of a visitor, although its developers encourage website owners to disclose the script’s presence to users.

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The above are examples of measures you can easily adopt to prevent such infections from occurring, or at least to allow you to detect them. Researchers at IBM have recently detected more sophisticated malicious miners. These are delivered through infected image files or by clicking on links leading to a malicious site. Such attacks tend to target enterprise networks, which have far more CPUs and resources on offer to the attacker. As with their less sophisticated cousins, however, they can be detected by monitoring CPU usage. For these more sophisticated strains, there are methods to help remove them if your system has been infected. There are excellent third-party applications designed for the detection and removal of Crypto Miners such as Combo Cleaner.

Crypto Miners not the only Malware infecting Macs

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While much of the above article addresses the understanding and detection of Crypto Miners, it is not only these strains of malware that can infect a Mac. While miners are predicted to be the dominant malware trend of this year, that nefarious title was held by ransomware for the previous year. Ransomware can be defined as a malicious program that seeks to encrypt data so that users cannot access their files. Once files are encrypted, a ransom note is delivered, instructing how payment must be made to decrypt the data. The data is effectively taken from victims until they pay a ransom. Payment is often required in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies of cyber criminals' choice. A recent strain of ransomware seen to infect Macs was discovered in 2017. Called McRansom (not an original name), it was by no means the most sophisticated of ransomware. It could only encrypt a maximum of 128 files. The danger it posed was due to how poorly it was designed. In encrypting the files, it also 'mangled' them, so when the victim paid a 700 USD ransom, there was still no guarantee that the files could be accessed. Another variant called KeRanger was discovered in 2016. It affected some 7,000 Mac users and was distributed via a compromised Transmission installer.

Adware is another type of very prevalent malware that can infect Macs. This is software designed to display advertisements, usually within a web browser. It can do this by either disguising itself as legitimate, or piggybacks on another program in order to be installed. Once the system is infected, the adware changes the way the browser behaves by injecting ads into web pages, causing pop-up windows or tabs to open, and changing the homepage or search engine settings. This is done to funnel advertising dollars away from companies who pay for online ads, and into their own accounts. This is incredibly frustrating for the victims. To this extent, Mac users are advised to make sure browser pop-up blockers are activated to help prevent further infections.

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Conclusion

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It would be great if Macs were invulnerable to all types of malware infection. Unfortunately, they are not. It is vital that users educate themselves as to the threats they face - this greatly helps prevent your day been spoiled by a cyber criminal. Unfortunately, some are incredibly cunning and you might not be able to detect that you have a problem until it is too late. Programs such as Combo Cleaner are an extra measure of defense recommended for Mac users. The company specializes in the detection and removal of malware that targets Mac OS. They also have a dedicated team of researchers who work continually to detect future threats before they become your problem.