Stopping McAfee Scan Manager freezes on Mac | Instructions Terminal Code Copy

If you are working on a managed Mac operating system with Mcafee installed, chances are you’ve likely experienced a slow-down or freeze with your Mac getting hot and fan sounds equal to a small plane taking off.

Mcafee can be set to run managed scans with the AntiMalware VSControl – OAS. The purpose of the On-Access Scanner is to scan files and folders as they are being accessed and catch any infections.

As a modern digital creative, these scans can impact workflow. As an experience designer/developer I am consistently going between multiple files & folders, rapidly opening and accessing. Having a freeze requires a lot of back tracking and asset management, beyond standard file saving or data loss.

After some investigating, I’ve found running a single-line command via terminal has helped limit the issue. Directions assume you are comfortable with command line and with running sudo commands.

Stopping OAS

1. Open Terminal
2. Type sudo /usr/local/McAfee/AntiMalware/VSControl stopoas
   sudo will request/require password
3. If OAS is running, Terminal should output the following:
   Stopping OAS…
/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.mcafee.ssm.ScanManager.plist: Operation now in progress
/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.mcafee.ssm.ScanFactory.plist: Operation now in progress

Note: If you run the command after successful stop, Terminal will output a message confirming the service has been terminated:
Stopping OAS…
/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.mcafee.ssm.ScanManager.plist: Could not find specified service
/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.mcafee.ssm.ScanFactory.plist: Could not find specified service

For additional options on managing OAS, git this: https://gist.github.com/tegansnyder/f8d4f3f283e1df26cf86

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CR Rollyson is a Digital User Experience & Web Manager for a S&P 500 Fintech company and is the COO of Side Role, a marketing team in Charlotte North Carolina partnering with In-house Teams & Agencies, Non-profits, and Start-Ups. Learn more about Side Role here.