Malware removal from a MacBook Air 2020 Apple M1

It is likely a Safari notification. Turn off notifications in Safari.

Also uninstall all third party anti virus apps you installed on your Mac. They are not needed, use system resources while providing no benefit, and they may cause problems.

Any Extensions installed at Safari > Settings > Extensions?

As mentioned previously, I also recommend removing all Antivirus software using their supplied uninstaller.

If booting in Safe Mode solved the problem, then it is third-party software causing your problem. After removal of the anti-virus, you can run EtreCheck for the free one time scan and post the report here using the "Additional Text" option when posting. EtreCheck is a diagnostic tool that is used frequently here and the report does not contain any personal information that needs redacted. I only recommend the single scan, it is not needed to run on every launch.

https://etrecheck.com/en/index.html

Go to Safari > Settings > Websites > Notifications. Block all notifications unless you specifically need one from a known site, but I recommend blocking all. You can do the same for Pop-Up Windows.

reidwithani wrote:

Thanks for the reply. I turned off notifications and rebooted the machine. Unfortunately, the pop-ups restarted almost immediately.

As a troubleshooting step try booting into safe mode.

Turning the general notifications off for Safari isn't the same as turning off notifications within Safari's settings. Follow Mac Jim ID's directions.