Important Antivirus Notice for Apple macOS users

Owned by Preston Merkel
Last updated: Oct 31, 2022
3 min read

Students, staff, and faculty who have upgraded their Apple Mac operating system to the latest version, macOS 13 Ventura. If you are using an ITS-provided (Microsoft Defender) or third-party antivirus solution (e.g. Malwarebytes, Avast, McAfee, Norton, AVG, etc.) please be advised that the latest update may cause antiviral software to malfunction, leaving your system unprotected. Apple is currently working on a fix for this software bug, but in the meantime, there is a workaround to ensure your system stays protected in the interim.

How do I know if the version of macOS I am using is affected?

Only macOS Ventura 13 is affected at this time. See this article: Find out which macOS your Mac is using - Apple Support to determine if you are running macOS Ventura version 13.

How do I know if my Mac has antivirus installed?

Macs with Microsoft Defender, provided by ITS, installed; a shield icon, example:  

, will be visible in the menu bar towards the top right of your display. This icon may be located near other icons such as the Wi-Fi icon, battery level, or the time. If you see this icon on your machine and are running macOS Ventura version 13, please follow the next section in this document to verify Microsoft Defender has access to all your files.

Macs with a third-party antivirus solution installed may have an icon or logo in the top right of your display visible to indicate the system is protected or may only show the application in your application folder. If you do not remember installing third-party antivirus software on your computer, and do not see the Microsoft Defender shield icon listed above, it’s likely that your system does not have third-party antivirus installed and you do not need to take any action.

I have identified my Mac has antivirus installed, now what?

Soon, hopefully, Apple will release an update to Ventura that makes this workaround unnecessary. Until then, here are the steps you need to take to get your antivirus software working properly again.

  1. On your Mac, click the System Settings icon in the Dock or choose Apple menu > System Settings

  2. Go to Privacy & Security 

  3. Click Full Disk Access (you may need to scroll down in the left sidebar to see this option).

  4. Click once on Microsoft Defender ATP or your affected security tool to select it.

  5. If you are using Microsoft Defender ATP, uncheck and recheck the following checked boxes listed below:

  6. If you are using Microsoft Defender ATP and you have unchecked and rechecked (or checked the boxes if they were not checked) you are done. If you have any issues checking the above boxes, please contact the Service Desk at servicedesk@seattleu.edu or by phone at (206) 296-5571.

  7. If you are using another antivirus that is not Microsoft Defender ATP, continue with the steps 8-11.

  8. Click the minus button (–) at the bottom of the list to remove the tool.

  9. Open Malwarebytes or your affected security tool and try enabling real-time protection.

  10. The app should guide you through the process of giving it Full Disk Access.

  11. Go back to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access. Your security software should have been added back to the list, so turn on Full Disk Access.

 

Information in this article was originally obtained from http://macobserver.com . To view the original article, click here: Bug in macOS Ventura May Have Silently Broken Your Malware Protection; Here’s How to Fix It - The Mac Observer