how to protect against malware infection

Browser pop ups are scams. Your computer cannot be scanned for viruses by a remote website.

Don't interact with these scams. Don't call the phone numbers they may display. Close the window and avoid visiting again those sites where you encounter these scams.

For more info and guidance, please see these support documents:

• Effective Defenses Against Malware - Apple Community

• Avoid phishing emails, fake 'virus' alerts…and other scams - Apple Support

No, you don't need any extra anti-virus apps for your Mac. In fact, these apps and others like cleaning, optimizing and VPN software often cause problems on the Mac. Best to avoid this by not installing these junk apps.

1. By visiting a malicious website.

2. You're protected by the OS.

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This is called a TOAD. It's a malicious scheme to get you to call the number listed. They will then attempt to trick you into disclosing sensitive information. These pop-ups are unfortunately rather common.

-Ensure you dont have notifications enabled for any suspicious sites.

You can verify which sites you have enabled notifications for in Safari by going to:

Safari > Safari settings (top left) > Click on the "Websites" tab > Then select "notifications" on the left pane > remove any unfamiliar sites!

In this same settings pane, go ahead and click on the "Pop-up Windows" header and clear out any unfamiliar sites as well.

This should help prevent these from popping up again. As long as you didn't download any files or provide any sensitive data such as passwords, you should be fine. Apple has an extensive layered Anti-Virus approach. Make sure you have the latest available updates and be vigilant!