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When I open my iMac, I get a pop up window asking to allow or deny network activity involving BrowserActivity.gqa. Is this an Apple or Safari function? Or is this something I should be wary about? I'm not familiar with the extension gqa.
Thanks for any info.
Lee
iMac 27″, 10.15
Check the list of Login Items that are set to launch at login. Go to System Preferences > Users & Groups to find the list.
Is there anything there that you don't recognize, didn't expect or did not authorize? If so, you can remove those items from the list by selecting them and clicking the minus (–) button below. You may have to unlock the panel to do this.
You may also wish to download and run Malwarebytes to scan your Mac for adware/malware.
It’s a safe and recommended utility from a trusted developer and respected ASC contributor. The application scans for adware and malware and is a popular tool among veteran users here in the Community. See if it can identify any malware you may have accidentally installed. The free version is probably all you need at this point.
Check the list of Login Items that are set to launch at login. Go to System Preferences > Users & Groups to find the list.
Is there anything there that you don't recognize, didn't expect or did not authorize? If so, you can remove those items from the list by selecting them and clicking the minus (–) button below. You may have to unlock the panel to do this.
You may also wish to download and run Malwarebytes to scan your Mac for adware/malware.
It’s a safe and recommended utility from a trusted developer and respected ASC contributor. The application scans for adware and malware and is a popular tool among veteran users here in the Community. See if it can identify any malware you may have accidentally installed. The free version is probably all you need at this point.
D.L. Johnson,
Thanks for the reply.
Checked login items -- all were legit.
Ran an old malware checker I had. Scanned 100,000+ files (see next item) with no problems id'd.
Downloaded Malwarebytes and ran it in free trial mode which used the premium options. Scanned 74,000+ files (Not 100,000+ ?). Found 16 infections - all of them Adware. I found in the problem report BrowserActivity.service.plist in 2 libraries. I quarantined all the infections and restarted. Hard drive worked for quite awhile after restart so I started Activity Monitor.
I found the BrowserActivity.gqa process running whose user was root. It was the topmost process in the Network tab receiving and sending packets. If this is a root process I guess it's OK because, if root was compromised, I'd be seeing much worse problems.
Perhaps the plist for BrowserActivity having an adware problem caused the odd pop up windows. We'll see if I get anymore pop up windows.
But I consider this issue solved for now.
Thanks for your help. CLee
You’re welcome. Glad to know you sorted things out.
Pop up window with unfamiliar file name - BrowserActivity.gqa
