For a long time, computers using Apple's Macintosh software were largely ignored by hackers who create viruses, because Microsoft was still the major operating system. But, as Apple products continue to gain popularity, Mac users may need to worry more about virus removal, too.

In fact, a Trojan virus known as the "Flashback" virus has affected nearly 600,000 Mac computers over the past year, according to PC Magazine. Apple responded formally to the virus issue on April 10, 2012, and announced that the company has already begun working on antivirus software for Flashback specifically.

"A recent version of malicious software called Flashback exploits a security flaw in Java in order to install itself on Macs," reads the statement from Apple on its help forum. "Apple released a Java update on April 3, 2012 that fixes the Java security flaw for systems running OS X v10.7 and Mac OS X v10.6. By default, your Mac automatically checks for software updates every week, but you can change that setting in Software Update preferences. You can also run Software Update at any time to manually check for the latest updates."

According to PC Magazine, the majority of virus attacks took place in the U.S., and were spread simply from users browsing on websites that were not secure. To ensure that you are preventing yourself from viruses and other malware as much as possible, don't spend time on websites with heavy amount of pop-up ads or strange links, and make sure that you have updated your Web browser to its latest version. And of course, never download an unfamiliar file.

If you think your computer may need virus or spyware removal, contact a local Washington, D.C. Mac repair center near you.