On my iMac Im getting pop up ads and redirection to other sites in browsing. I have norton anti-virus and shows no virus in scan. do i have spyware?

Completely uninstall Norton Antivirus.

Norton AV is notorious for not reporting correctly or false reporting of viruses and malware. and is really not needed on a Mac running OS X.

Some anti-virus solutions can cause operational issues and slow down your Mac, but to be honest, the best anit-virus app is you, the user and your brain.

• Don't visit questionable websites or website you are unsure about.
• Don't install pirated software or software downloaded from a questionable or unknown websites or untrutsted sources.
• Java is a vulnerability right now, if you do not need it, don't use it.
• Use a browser filter and pop-up blocker
• Don't open email attachments from email addresses that you do not recognize.
• Install security updates when they become available
• Educate yourself as to what threats are common and active.
• In effect, use your own brain as the antivirus filter.

Follw that advise and in MOST cases, you will be fine and won't feel the need to have to install antivirus software.

See tis link for more info about not needing AV software on the Mac.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5099902?answerId=22236401022#22236401022

Switch DNS servers to OpenDNS. They are patched against redirects.

Enter the following in Sys Prefs>Network>Advanced>DNS and hit Apply.

208.67.222.220

208.67.220.222

If this doesn't help then please post back.

Get rid of Norton. It's not very good at detecting Mac malware, and it's got a bad reputation for causing problems. See my Mac Malware Guide for information about how to protect yourself from malware.

As to this particular problem, it could by one of many things. Most likely, though, you have installed a questionable (but not actually malware) browser extension. For help figuring out what's causing the problem, see:

Eliminating browser redirects and advertisements

MMore than likely there is something on your iMac whether the scanner shows it or not.

You could have easily picked up something for a ***** you visited on your own, or on accident.

Recently I had the same issue and it was getting so bad that I couldn't even do my work on my iMac but I did however, contact apple and explained everything to them on what was going on and I got connected to this awesome dude that connected to my iMac some how where he even had his own mouse on my screen and was able to click on things himself. He walked me through everything and was able to remove whatever it was on my iMac causing those pop ups. I know they normally charge 29.99$ for the service but i think they don't charge you the first time if the iMac is relatively new. Most people know about this but maybe I'm helping someone reading on this post. Hope so! Have a blessed day.

lindseyfromgeorgia wrote:

I know they normally charge 29.99$ for the service but i think they don't charge you the first time if the iMac is relatively new.

There is no charge for the first 90 days after purchasing the product.

It would help if you told us what version of the Mac OS you have. Also tell us your iMac model; iMacs have been in continuous production since 1998 in four broad families and literally hundreds of variants. Each family has different troubleshooting methods. This forum covers iMacs made between 1998 and 2005.