Google Chrome notification of virus

I've started receiving these notifications and immediately came here in search of answers. I found an old thread with a link for a diagnostic test (EtreCheckPro) that I've downloaded and run. I would like to post a copy of the report here for assistance because it shows no malware.


Thanks in advance.




iMac 21.5″, macOS 11.6

Posted on Feb 13, 2023 11:04 AM

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Posted on Feb 13, 2023 1:15 PM

Chrome (and every other web browser) CANNOT look at your system and find viruses! Web browsers are sandboxed and prevented from looking at anything outside of the code and resources associated with the web browser.


What you have received is an Advertisement. And the Advertisement LIED! Lies, Lies, Lies.


The Ad wants to scare you into clicking on their link, installing their software, calling their phone number, etc... all so they can most likely get money from you. Or worse get you to install something that will harvest all your data for nefarious purposes (none of which are good for you).


Ignore the advertisement. At most clean Chromes browser cache.

9 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Feb 13, 2023 1:15 PM in response to IdrathRBsleep

Chrome (and every other web browser) CANNOT look at your system and find viruses! Web browsers are sandboxed and prevented from looking at anything outside of the code and resources associated with the web browser.


What you have received is an Advertisement. And the Advertisement LIED! Lies, Lies, Lies.


The Ad wants to scare you into clicking on their link, installing their software, calling their phone number, etc... all so they can most likely get money from you. Or worse get you to install something that will harvest all your data for nefarious purposes (none of which are good for you).


Ignore the advertisement. At most clean Chromes browser cache.

Feb 13, 2023 2:14 PM in response to IdrathRBsleep

Notifications:
Google Chrome Helper (Alerts).app
one notification


The context of your question and the Etrecheck report both suggest that you agreed to have a Google Chrome webpage send you Notifications. You ought to be able to disable them in Google Chrome's Settings or Preferences.


Even though it specifically refers to Safari, the following excerpt from Effective defenses against malware and other threats - Apple Community probably explains what you encountered:


  • Beware spontaneously appearing, unsolicited popups demanding immediate action. Think before you click.


Investigate Google Chrome's equivalent website notification settings.


When a webpage offers to send you Notifications it's usually best to decline the offer. Most of them are needless and annoying. A Notification by itself can do nothing, nor can the webpage that loads when you click it. All it can do is cause needless concern in an effort to convince you to install something on your Mac and (perhaps) extort money from you to fix it. That's the threat. "Just say no" slams the door on that threat.

Feb 19, 2023 5:05 PM in response to IdrathRBsleep

Further advice, if you encounter one of these erroneous popup threat pages the first thing I do is:


command-option-escape on a Mac

Select the browser that I was running and hit Force Quit.


On Windows

control-alt-delete, select task manager

find the browser in the last of tasks and end task on it.


Once done hold the shift key when you reopen each web browser that was not running. It will allow you to choose not to open the last page. You want to open the homepage or blank page instead.


This gives you a chance to dump the caches, and start with a clean slate. Granted any of your browsing history during the incident will be gone, but better safe than to accidentally run into that page again.

Feb 14, 2023 12:28 AM in response to IdrathRBsleep

Your youngest might as well learn early that the primary reason for the Internet in general — and Google in particular — is to sell you stuff you don't need. The clearly defined parameters you seek can best be summed up in that undeniable fact of life.


Avoiding advertisements, encompassing a range from enticing to threatening to outrageous lies as BobHarris explained is a nearly impossible task, if for no other reason that Google derives nearly all its revenue from them. There is no "truth in advertising" clause on the Internet. Anyone anywhere around the globe can lie with impunity, and they do so with reckless abandon.


You don't have to play their game; just remain vigilant. Effective defenses against malware and other threats - Apple Community and the links within it is a good place to start. It's family-friendly, and appropriate for all ages.

Feb 13, 2023 7:18 PM in response to John Galt

Thank you John. This iMac is used by my youngest 3 kiddos for classwork and I feared that my son had clicked on something or "allowed" something that he didn't remember. I had walked out of the library to finish cooking and wasn't informed of the notification until I was summoned. Meanwhile, a couple of my older children were nearby and attempting to "fix" by searching for a Mcafee download. I trust that my middle children didn't do anything other than a google search but my younger ones often mistakenly click those blasted google ads that have the teensiest "x" that will pop up in the middle of the text they're reading. The sites allowed are educational and approved and the ads aren't inappropriate per se, but sometimes they pop up in inconvenient places, usually without the ability to easily close or report them to Google. Luckily, my eldest 2 were alerted to the situation when they heard "Mcafee".


Unfortunately, I'm still unsure what exactly prompted this debacle to begin with. Which is precisely what I need to know to ensure that parameters are clearly defined to avoid it in the future!

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Google Chrome notification of virus

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