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In Messages app, there is annoying red warning:
"Caution! Apple and other trustworthy senders will never text you to change your credentials, run commands in terminal, or share sensitive data. That's phishing - a scam that uses urgency and technology (importantster websites, apps, or malware) to trick you! ..."
How to disable/remove this warning from Messages app? Thank you for your help.
[Image Edited by Moderator]
MacBook Pro
The warning message is automatically shown in Messages app, when the folder "/AppleInternal" exists on the hard drive.
In my case, this folder has been empty. I just do in Terminal:
sudo rmdir /AppleInternal
Then I restart the Messages app and everything is now fixed (no more warning messages in new conversations).
The warning message is automatically shown in Messages app, when the folder "/AppleInternal" exists on the hard drive.
In my case, this folder has been empty. I just do in Terminal:
sudo rmdir /AppleInternal
Then I restart the Messages app and everything is now fixed (no more warning messages in new conversations).
I don't think so. There were no suspected messages/smses in any of conversations. This warning seems to be shown in all conversations sent from numbers, which I don't have saved in my contacts list, like verification sms from my bank, info sms from various services, even from Apple (AppleID verification messages). Also sms from some customers (ie. real people mobile phone numbers) which I don't have in my contacts list (but not from all of them). Each of them are trustworthy numbers and messages, nothing unusual.
Adding contact in my contacts list removes the warning from particular conversation, but I don't want to mess my contacts with numbers of everyone who writes me. Adding and removing the contact has no effect, the warning is restored again.
Checking/unchecking "Notify from unknown contacts" setting doesn't seem to have any effect (I also tried to restart application after setting change).
However, you bring me an idea. What about some privacy settings? I am using Terminal and "find" command and I am not sure (can't remember), if there were some privacy settings/dialog, which had to be confirmed to allow "find" command searching all paths on my disk. However, I can't find any Message app security settings in Security settings dialog, so what about some "plist" file or something like that?
Create a new user account in System Prefs, Users and groups. Full admin access. Same AppleID and iCloud settings.
Set up Messages jn that account. If the problem goes away then yes its probably a plist. Just need to then find it
By any chance is that Mac "managed"? In other words, is it yours alone, or does it belong to—or is otherwise registered with—an employer, school, or similar institution?
To find out open (Apple menu) > System Preferences... and look for a Profiles preference pane. Even if you don't see one, make absolutely certain a Profile has not been installed by selecting View > Customize... I have yet to encounter anything that attempted to hide itself in such manner but any hidden preference panes would become visible there.
The reason for asking is that message does not come from Apple. It arose from something else, and if it's not one of the aforementioned possibilities it could conceivably be from your phone service provider or ISP. Its reference to "IS&T HelpLine" is one clue. Does it have any meaning to you?
Does anyone other than you have Administrator privileges for that Mac? Has anyone else used it in the past?
Thank you for your questions. My mac is mine and only mine from the beginning, it is about three years old, bought from authorized Apple dealer (we don't have Apple stores in our country) and it is MacBook Pro with customized settings (so its shipping takes about 5-7 weeks). Unpacked in front of me. No one has access to my computer any time (I am working from home). The interesting thing is, that we don't have any company called "IS&T" in our country.
The warning message started showing up about 1 year ago.
There is no Profiles menu in my preferences (following all your instructions).
However, when I tried to google IS&T HelpLine company, the first result leads to solution of this problem, see:
I'm using bunch of developer tools (all of them are well-known, there is no place for "underground" software on my computer), so it is possible that some installation temporarily creates this folder as workaround for some other feature. I don't know. However, the problem is solved and that's good. And I hope, that I don't need this kind of folder for proper work.
I don't seem to have those but have you tried Preferences in Messages about Notify from unknown contacts?
Is there a (suspected) phishing message in your message history that could be deleted?
I've never seen a similar message in Messages.
Followed your instructions. Warning message appears also in this new account.
Glad you found the solution. FWIW, someone or something created the /AppleInternal directory. It doesn't normally exist on a new Mac.
And if both admin accounts are affected it must have been on the root drive surely?
Yep. Hence /AppleInternal. "/" is root.
Based on the link you posted, I'm guessing you are correct as far as how it got there. I can't say if removing it will cause an issue with your developer tools.
Phishing warning in Messages app
