Adware Medic

Adware Medic is an older name of 'malwarebytes for mac' so the official link should

divert you to that site: get latest product from malwarebytes.com/mac and it runs free.

http://www.adwaremedic.com/index.php

..automatically goes to..

https://www.malwarebytes.com/mac/

Your Mac should be using macOS 10.10.5 or later.

Another fairly good product that can help provide a report and remove

bad stuff from your macOS, is Etrecheck https://etrecheck.com/features

and you can copy the log of report into your ASC post, for us to read.

There are two utilities virtually any experienced Mac users on this site will recommend. MalwareBytes for Mac and EtreCheck.

MalwareBytes installs a kernel extension, which it uses mostly for two things. To check for and download definition and app updates in the background, and to watch for signs of ransomware trying to encrypt your data.

It's completely normal for the OS to initially block a kernel extension from loading the first time a particular extension and vendor it hasn't seen before. That gives the user a chance to check and make sure they recognize what is trying to gain kernel access.

Go ahead and let it load. You can then run MalwareBytes for Mac and see if it finds anything that shouldn't be on your Mac. You can then uninstall the app if you want. For this app, you use the uninstall option within the app's menu choices. That will also uninstall the kernel extension. You can download and install the app again anytime you want to run it.

"Safe" is a very broad subject. Excerpted from Effective defenses against malware and other threats:

• Never install something without first knowing what it is, what it does, how it works, and how to get rid of it when you don't want it any more.

"Malwarebytes" is no different than anything else you may choose to install, in that it can cause unexpected consequences. Read iMac becoming very slow for one example. If you should choose to install it or anything else, first have a plan for getting rid of it. Time Machine offers the simplest solution, and you already have it. All you need to do is use it.

I keep getting pop-ups to download new flash player. I checked System Preferences and it is not in my finder.

Those scams can occur whether you are using Adobe Flash Player or not. Read Beware bogus Adobe Flash "installers" - Apple Community. If you installed something that caused those popups to occur, it is never necessary to install something else to get rid of them.

It's best not to install junk to begin with. Of course no one does that intentionally; they first have to be convinced that it's "safe". Read How to install adware for one description of how people are deceived into doing things that are not safe.

The version malwarebytes for mac from their site as download may not avoid built-in macOS security

so you are likely to be asked to allow parts of their application (or utilities, etc) to install. I did so, to

get their product to install. ~ You could contact 'malwarebytes for mac expert' Thomas R. on their site.

He was creator of original adware medic and still has web site with manual how-to-remove info. He

also visits these ASC pages and still contributes on occasion; while he's busy elsewhere too.

For other software, a "limited version" may be available from Mac App Store and some with limitation

don't provide the same features as direct download from maker-site. (..I cannot attest if this is true w/

the malwarebytes for mac; others have separate versions with idiomatic quirks for each version.)

• Safely open apps on your Mac - Apple Support

When you install Mac apps, plug-ins, and installer packages from outside the App Store, macOS

checks the Developer ID signature and notarization status to verify that the software is from an

identified developer and that it has not been altered. (This article covers security in mac OS X.)

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202491

(The built-in 'system integrity protection' automatically looks to see if the app came from Mac App

Store, but some softwares direct from makers-site, may not include that encoded information.)

I have and use MalwareBytes for Mac; got it via download from makers-site (in link provided above.)

And also have Etrecheck direct from the maker-site, too. Both work. ~ But I haven't seen much activity

because I am very careful to avoid temptation of ?? sites; or 'unbelievably' great ads, etc. My browsing

is limited by me; but does not mean I'm immune due to avoiding possible sources of trouble.

Newer versions of macOS check for application security in different ways; their makers also need to go

further to enable later systems compatibility. Older systems eventually fade as they get locked in time.

If you still are using OS X 10.10.5, the next more recent version (El Capitan 10.11.6) would be more secure.

And with introduction of El Capitan, better more secure had evolved & were included in macOS X. For

later users, they could 'disable system integrity protection' ~ while an older OS X needs you to override.

This article from 2015 covers the change in Mac OS X affecting El Capitan10.11.6 and later:

How to Disable System Integrity Protection (rootless) in Mac OS X

Oct 5, 2015 - 80 Comments Apple has enabled a new default security oriented featured called

System Integrity Protection, often called rootless or SIP, in Mac OS from versions 10.11 onward.

osxdaily.com/2015/10/05/disable-rootless-system-integrity-protection-mac-os-x/

So my belief and experience by using downloads from 'MalwareBytes for Mac' and Etrecheck

both from their makers sites, (with other user confirmations online & by email) these are safe.