If you are a Mac user, you’d probably be aware of the security update that Apple pushed some days back (Security Update 2011-003). This security update addresses the recent malware threat that hit many Macs across the world. The security update enables you to update the malware definitions periodically. But what if you want to force update the definitions manually to be extra careful? Here’s how to force update your Mac’s malware definition.
Step-1:
Copy and paste the following code in your Mac’s terminal (Hit Cmd + Spacebar and type terminal) and press enter.
more /System/Library/CoreServices/CoreTypes.bundle/Contents/Resources/XProtect.meta.plist
Step – 2:
Once you press enter after pasting the code, you will get a code like below:
Now, check the string inside <key>LastModification</key>. The date shows when your definitions were updated previously. In my Mac, it was last updated on 26th May 2011 at 02:24:41 GMT.
The next step is to force update the definitions.
Step-3:
Go to System Preferences > Security > General. And uncheck and re-check the box named “Automatically update safe downloads list”. Once you uncheck and re-check if again, you’ll be able to see the request going to the Apple’s safe download list server.
Step -4:
Now, go back to your terminal window, and copy and paste the code mentioned in step-1 and hit enter. You will see that the definitions were updated today. Here’s a screenshot for your reference.
Hope this tip was helpful. Thanks to Macworld for pointing this out.