# Strange files suddenly appearing on my desktop



## AM_SOS (Jul 8, 2010)

Hi all,

After what seemed like a mild virus attack - a reputed e-commerce site showed a pop-up spamming me with ads etc. and my hotmail and yahoomail accounts (I use mostly on my Samsung) had been compromised - I had installed Sophos a couple of weeks ago. My computer (Retina, early 2015 MBP, 13in) is running fine, but I see some strange activity again.

I am uploading this screenshot of these files that have suddenly come up from somewhere. e.g. the first one is named - 

BHpWRh9SPys&fs=1&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999

dxK52-jPeO8&fs=1&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999

l0HWWGmU9R4&fs=1&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999

pDYyiKhnZVw&fs=1&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999

rRMdpfJVu4c&fs=1&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999

I normally restart my laptop only once a week or so, and I this had come up soon after I restarted it. Also, I had just put in my ext HDD so perhaps this has something to do with that. I had also just plugged in the camera card into the reader which I took out right away. The Sophos scan does not show any threats.

Should I just delete these files and forget about it?

I have never used antivirus for Mac but at this point I just feel the need for one. I selected Sophos reading website recos, but it would be nice if members suggested which ones work best on the Mac (and are free of charge).

Thanks!


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## MartyF81 (Jan 23, 2013)

I would use this tool to scan for malware: https://www.malwarebytes.org/mac-download/

I have not seen files like that... but I wouldnt' think any Malware or Virus would drop files on your desktop. Their objective is to go un-noticed and putting files on the desktop does not help them stay hidden in the shadows.


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## AM_SOS (Jul 8, 2010)

Thanks I'll also try this one out.

Meanwhile, I also checked for disk permissions and was rather surprised to get the following results (see attachment).

Something I should worry about? Or should I just repair the disk?

Thanks


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## MartyF81 (Jan 23, 2013)

It is pretty normal to see Permissions that aren't what they should be, I am surprised the list is that small to be honest. They get put out of line by programs poorly coded etc...

You can go ahead and repair them.


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