Redirection problem. Is it spyware?

dhall357 wrote:

Have a problem with redirection. May be adware.

I you suspect you have installed adware/malware:

>System Preferences>Profiles. found next to Accessibility (click into it and then remove all the suspicious things from the list.) This Preference pane may not be present if no profiles found.

Adware Removal Guide—Manual removal of : http://www.thesafemac.com/arg-identification/

also Verify you are not using SOCKS proxy:

>System Preferences>Networks>Advanced>Proxy uncheck the box

Adware/malware launch daemons can set SOCKS proxies without user participation.

(SOCKS is an Internet protocol that exchanges network packets between a client and server through a proxy server.)

or as mentioned above you can

Try running this trusted utility https://www.malwarebytes.com/mac/

Install the free version of Malwarebytes (NOT the free trial) and run it,

It should locate any adware.

Use the help menu to uninstall it soon after.

Better solution than Peter_Watt's solution:

Enable "anti-virus" on your router (for everyone else's sake, I'll point out that it's actually anti-malware).

Look up your router on Google to find out how to do that.

And then set your DNS to 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1

Sure. It catches malware at the home network level, to help protect all of your WiFi devices, instead of just one, and once you've got it enabled and set the router DNS to Cloudflare's servers, you avoid DNS hijacking while using Cloudflare's DNS.

I would not use the words antivirus which should NEVER be installed on a Mac. Malwarebytes free is different, or it was unless they quit updating the free version.

I have never seen A/V installed on a router so you had better explain how to dhall357

"I would not use the words antivirus" ... that's fine, you don't have to use the word. It is what it is, regardless. Any software that deals in the detection and removal of malware is antivirus, regardless of whether or not you personally believe that Apple products are immune to malware. Sure, Mac is superior to Windows, but even Linux distros, which are objectively superior to both Mac and Windows, provides various antivirus software and security policy countermeasures.

"which should NEVER be installed on a Mac." ... that is a Mac myth. See reason mentioned above.

"Malwarebytes free is different" ... yeah, no it's not. All antivirus programs work differently, that's fair to say, but antivirus is still antivirus. Obviously, malware doesn't work the same way on Unix-based systems, but Malwarebytes is literally an antivirus program.

"A/V installed on a router" ... it would be pointless for me to explain it, as all routers have different configurations and capabilities. dhall357 would need to google it, to see what their router is capable of doing. I've got a TP-Link Archer (my roommate wasn't interested in an OpenWRT router, and even that commonly uses ClamAV), and so our Archer has TrendMicro installed (unfortunately, no SSH capability, so I can't change that).

Recap:

You should correct your current understanding of what antivirus is, what it does, and what systems they're used on (pretty much everything), and it's up to Mr Hall to find out what will work for his specific router - I merely threw the point out there to keep in mind, in case the previous solution didn't work.

Read what I actually typed - I know the differences.

"Any software that deals in the detection and removal of malware is antivirus..." is the first part. That's because "virus" is the only type of malware that is used interchangeably with the actual word "malware", throughout the entire world. Antivirus programs (which are actually called "antivirus") always seek out other non-virus forms of malware, including: trojans, adware, spyware, keyloggers, etc.

... "regardless of whether or not you personally believe that Apple products are immune to malware." was the second part. I have often heard Apple users brag about how Apple products don't get malware (even though they might mean viruses), but when I helped out my friend at his repair shop, the people who brought in infected Apple computers and phones weren't the ones saying that.

Yes, they could cause problems, just as they could on Windows PCs and Linux boxes. So obviously, if you have an issue with one, then either figure out what the problem is and address it, or use something else. I use Norton on my Macbook Air, simply because my brother received a family plan when he bought his laptop, and it runs just fine. Is it highly effective? I don't know, I don't go to risky sites to find out, and my router blocks a lot of the spam adware before it ever reaches any devices on my network. But as an extra layer, it doesn't suck.

In this reply, I'm not trying to be rude like I was to Peter, but I have a tendency to be a bit forward, so forgive me if anything in this response came across that way.

I forgive you.

You can put your beliefs here but be prepared for several people with 15 years experience to jump on you.

".... I use Norton on my Macbook Air,..."

I have a penguin trap in my bedroom. It hasnt caught one but I know I'm safe, I've seen photos of penguins so I know the critters are out there. It slows me down but its worth it.

Again, read what I actually typed. It's obvious from my reply that's not what I believe. I'm not the anti-malware developer who improperly mislabeled everything out there as "anti-virus". Take that up with them.

Anti-malware software has been mislabeled by the developers, and so now it's called "anti-virus". I am not the person who incorrectly labeled it. I never created any anti-malware software, so no, it's not my fault. Sorry not sorry.

"I don't recommend that at all." --- And I do. DNSSEC and net neutrality, compared to ISPs.

"How is redirecting your traffic through a third party going to make it safer?" --- DNSSEC.

"your windoze kit" --- No one here said anything about Windows. Except for Bootcamp occasionally, I don't use it. Or are you saying that you do?

"This is an Apple forum" --- You are correct.

"you do not appear to be Apple Savvy." --- And you do not appear to be security savvy.

"Most home routers from internet providers do not have the facility to apply Anti Malware software." --- Who uses stock ISP routers? And if that's the case, then the obvious solution is...

[Edited by Moderator]

[Edited by poster, to include a version of what I previously said at the same level of "politeness" that he replied]

You left your suggestion, and Peter left his suggestion. I think we should let the OP decide what method works best for them. If using Malwarebytes works for them, great! If it doesn’t , then they should try the DNS method.

Still being a peacemaker, lol.

Sure. I've just kept on addressing the counter-arguments because I don't want someone who finds this forum to read his comments and be made to believe that his beliefs were true. (ie. anti-virus programs only deal with viruses, using a DNSSEC-capable service like Cloudflare is pointless, enabling anti-virus-which-is-technically-anti-malware on your router is difficult or pointless, etc). I can't let mistakes like that slide, because other humans actually read these forums looking for the same answers, and computer literacy is bad enough.

No, you brought up the A/V on a router idea, you explain it to the OP.

Change your user name. It is misleading.

How is it misleading? I'm just curious. I didn't understand lol