momshrader

Q: I have the smith virus freezing my browser. Help!

Can anyone suggest what I should do to get rid of the smith virus that has frozen my safari internet?

Posted on Sep 22, 2014 8:49 AM

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Q: I have the smith virus freezing my browser. Help!

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  • by John Galt,Solvedanswer

    John Galt John Galt Sep 22, 2014 8:55 AM in response to momshrader
    Level 9 (50,265 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 22, 2014 8:55 AM in response to momshrader

    I am not familiar with "the smith virus" but if you are experiencing a Safari page that refuses to go away it's simply a variation of a very common scam. It's not a virus and you don't need to download anything to fix it.


    Do not pursue an "anti-virus" solution for it. It won't help and is likely to result in additional, unrelated problems.

     

    1. Force Safari to quit by following these instructions: OS X: How to quit an unresponsive application using Force Quit.
    2. Hold a Shift key while launching Safari again.


    If that does not fix the problem:


    1. Force Safari to quit again.
    2. Disconnect from the Internet by selecting Wi-Fi "off" in the Mac's menu bar, or disconnecting its Ethernet cable if you're not using wireless.
    3. Launch Safari again by holding a Shift key.
      • No pages will be able to load since you're not connected to the Internet.
    4. Select the Safari menu > Preferences > General, and review your home page selection.
    5. Select Remove All Website Data... > Remove Now.
      • After you reconnect to the Internet, you will need to sign in again with all websites that require authentication (such as this one).
    6. Turn Wi-Fi back on again or reconnect your Ethernet cable.


    You'll be back in business.


    In an abundance of caution, consider the following additional actions. They are not required to eliminate the scam webpage but you should review them to determine certain Safari settings have not been unexpectedly altered.


    1. Open Safari's Preferences... and select Extensions. Uninstall any Extensions that you are not certain you require by clicking the Uninstall button.
      • If you are not sure what to uninstall, uninstall all of them. None are required for normal operation.
    2. Select the Privacy pane. Verify "Block cookies and other website data" is configured the way you expect. If you are uncertain, choose "From third parties and advertisers".
    • by momshrader,

      momshrader momshrader Sep 22, 2014 9:58 AM in response to John Galt
      Level 1 (0 points)
      Sep 22, 2014 9:58 AM in response to John Galt

      Dear John,

      Thank you for your help! I can't tell you how relieved I am. It worked just like you said and took all of the precautions you advised. I did get notified that someone tried to access my facebook and cloud accounts in the middle of the night. So, I will change all of my passwords and notify apple of the compromise.

      Thanks again!!!

      Denise  : )

    • by John Galt,

      John Galt John Galt Sep 22, 2014 10:01 AM in response to momshrader
      Level 9 (50,265 points)
      Mac OS X
      Sep 22, 2014 10:01 AM in response to momshrader

      You're welcome. Thanks for the update.