Apple has been quietly increasing its anti-malware protection all the time by secretly introducing a new anti-malware tool called “XProtect Remediator.”
Mac blogger Howard Oakley (opens in a new tab)who first discovered the feature noted that macOS malware protection has “changed more than in the past seven years” in the last six months.
“It has now become fully anticipatory, as active as many commercial antimalware products,” he added.
What’s new?
While Apple has provided Mac users with at least some level of malware protection through XProtect since Mac OS X Snow Leopard’s release in 2008, the new tool that was introduced with macOS 12.3 Monterey is taking a step forward in terms of being proactive.
XProtect Remediator frequently scans for malware in the background and repairs it when detected.
These scans take place at least once a day, though sometimes as often as every few hours, and typically occur when your Mac is turned on but not actively in use.
The tool contains executable code modules that can find and repair many types of popular malware strains, including the endemic Adload Trojan, the DubRobber Trojan dropper, and the Genio adware browser hijacker.
Can I use this feature?
The new tool is available for macOS Monterey, macOS Big Sur, and macOS Catalina users, but unfortunately not for users of previous iterations of iOS.
Apple certainly hasn’t slowed down when it comes to deploying security updates, and has recently patched two zero-day vulnerabilities that have been exploited in the wild with macOS Monterey 12.5.1, iOS 15.6.1, and iPadOS 15.6.1.
- You are not using a Mac? Check out our list for some of the best malware removers for PCs