Mavericks Virus.

True, good point, only when the system is clean, then install Adblock plus.

OP, what are the websites that have nav-links?

I would like to test to see what it looks like behind various ad-blocking programs.

Did you ever install Chrome, and its World Clock extension?

BWestin wrote:

My brouwser was haunted by "Nav-Links" and the problem couldn´t be solved without erasing the disk.

I am confident that it could have been solved without resorting to this, but we all understand the desire to get things back to normal as quickly as possible, but in doing so you haven't really added anything to the knowledge-base of the Adware experts that gathered here in an attempt to help and learn.

Ads are a fact of life. They are all that keep the Internet free. By using tools such as AdBlock you challenge those who make their living from the advertisement business to come up with increasingly more intrusive means of getting in your face. And before you push back on me personally, I am an AdBlock user. I hate ads of all type and would gladly pay for an Internet that was ad-free, but I also realize mine is a minority view. So to some degree, you and I are responsible for such things as uninvited Nav-Links.

Apple doesn´t provide anything in the matter which I think is not satisfying. And If a computer has to be erased I would like all of you apple-fans out there to accept the fact that this is a Virus. Harmful or not, the browser didn´t behave as accurate as it did before.

There's a very specific definition for viruses and this doesn't come close, but most would agree that it's an unwelcome intrusion into our computing experience and some A-V venders might classify it as a special type of malware, known as adware.

In general, Apple has not shown any interest in preventing this activity. The most glaring example is probably Genieo which has been code-signed with a valid Apple Developer ID and despite the fact that several A-V scanners label it as malware and samples have been routinely submitted to Apple for evaluation, they have not chosen to even revoke the developers ID, let alone identify it with XProtect as malware. There are a few adware files that XProtect does detect, but they are not signed and rely on deception for installation. It's possible that your Nav-Links fell into this category and should be detected, but we'll never know.

I hope the you Apple people read it as well

I can almost guarantee that nobody from Apple read any of this discussion. There are very few Apple employees that have the time and they are usually involved in high profile issues requiring quick reaction and looking for details. I don't think either was the case here.

If you want Apple to pay attention, then you need to go directly to them. Apple Genius Bar, AppleCare or Feedback are available to everybody willing to invest the time. There are also means of directly submitting bugs if you are able to isolate them. This Forum is strictly users helping users, graciously hosted by Apple.

My brouwser was haunted by "Nav-Links" and the problem couldn´t be solved without erasing the disk. [...] And If a computer has to be erased I would like all of you apple-fans out there to accept the fact that this is a Virus.

First, the problem almost certainly could be solved without erasing the disk... you just didn't know how. The fact that you do not know how to construct a rocket ship or turn corn into long-chain polymers to make plastic does not mean that these things are not possible. The same is true of your problem.

Second, you seem to have an agenda regarding viruses, as you're arguing against things that nobody here has said. I already told you that you probably had some kind of adware, which many consider to be malware. (By the strictest definition, these are not viruses, but that is not the common usage of the term "virus.") I'm not sure that I understand this argumentative tone... it seems that you are out to prove something, but I'm not sure what.

If you still need assistance with something, you will need to specify what that is. If you are only here to gripe because of some perceived failing on Apple's part, you should be aware that that is not the purpose of these forums, and that is expressly forbidden by the Apple Support Communities Terms of Use.

BWestin wrote:

I think that I have added a thread which I hope that those who have the knowlege of how to step by step get rid of Nav-Links from a apple computer starts to write in this thread, but so long they dont seem to have found their way here yet.

Yes, you started something but you didn't contribute much of anything. Nav-Links has been a long standing Windows issue which doesn't appear to have been seen by any Mac users except you. It would have been nice to see an EtreCheck summary of what all you had installed in places normally used by such Adware or at least a screen-shot of what you were seeing before you reformatted the HD. Double-underlined pop-ups are normal features of all modern browser rendering engines to provide the capability to web site developers to do things like show definitions of unfamiliar terms. Apparently this Adware developer has found a way to overlay them onto normal web pages as a way to re-direct the browser to the ads they get paid to deliver to you.

Most of the OS X Adware expertise is already in this conversation, so if there were a simple step-by-step solution available, I'm confident you would have heard it by now.

Starting the discussion of a new problem may turn out to be useful in this case, but in general the Forum doesn't work that way. Many users seem prone to post the same questions over and over without bothering to search to see if it's already been answered and other users have to be asked to start a new discussion when it's obvious they have a somewhat different situation and the thread has gotten out-of-hand.

I'd just request that if and when you run into one of these mysteries in the future you drop by here in your quest for information on solving it to give us a crack at either giving you the right fix or exploring the situation for the benefit of others that might have similar issues. That's worked very well in the past and we have some very smart people around to help.

I hope that those who have the knowlege of how to step by step get rid of Nav-Links from a apple computer starts to write in this thread, but so long they dont seem to have found their way here yet.

Did you not see the link to my Adware Removal Guide that I gave you earlier?

BWestin if you would please provide a link or directions regarding how you came to install this virus, please post step-by-step instructions so that I can duplicate what you describe. If I can do that, and can find a way to eradicate it without completely erasing the disk, I will post those instructions for others to folllow.

Thanks!

The following not just directed towards you, MadMacs0. Just kind of general stuff.

Ads are a fact of life. They are all that keep the Internet free. … I hate ads of all type and would gladly pay for an Internet that was ad-free, but I also realize mine is a minority view.

That's the part that really stinks. We all pay for the Internet via our IP service fees, but get deluged with ads anyway. Those monthly fees are supposed to cover the costs of maintaining and running the system, but that doesn't stop the ads.

There's two sides to that, both of which Internet providers and cable companies both now do. You never used to see ads on the Internet (or almost never), and cable was originally designed and touted to be ad free. That's why you paid for it instead of network television's business model of advertisers covering their costs, so it's free for you.

Over time though, that has changed on both venues. Ads increase both a web site's and cable network's revenue without charging the customer more. That I think is the biggest reason for cable in particular. More ads mean keeping monthly fees flat, or even reducing them some, while increasing revenue at the same time. But the concept of ad free cable was thrown out in the process.

For the Internet, your IP isn't gaining anything other than what they charge for your monthly access fee. It's the web site owners who are making all of the ad revenue for the ads they allow to be placed on their site. And that's the entire reason for it. Income. Doesn't matter whether you click on it or not. Each time an ad shows, the owner of the ad gets charged a few cents just for being visible.

Adware is even worse. They take over every site by forcing themselves onto every page you visit. The owner of the web site you're viewing doesn't even know it's happening, and they get nothing for the ads being poured onto your computer's monitor. Not that adware owners don't work for their income. They do have some expense of usually a minor web site of their own, and of course do have to actively and daily find people to pay for ad promotion. But you the user are the one who gets deluged with unwanted ads.

I wasn't referring to Internet access, which is what your ISP provides, I was referring to the Internet itself with all the free services and access we currently recieve in order to do searches, public DNS, shopping, news, many e-mail providers, blogs, social networking, etc. We don't pay a cent for any of that unless we donate or buy something that we found on one of these free services.

I do understand your point about ISP and cable advertising which recently emerged. I can only guess that this keeps our rates lower, but only their accountant really knows.

I was referring to the Internet itself with all the free services and access we currently receive in order to do searches, public DNS, shopping, news, many e-mail providers, blogs, social networking, etc.

Ah! Yes, and they really have no choice. How would Google bill millions, heck, billions of users per day a cent or two for each search? It would be a logistics nightmare. The only manageable solution to paying their own bills is to sell advertising. Facebook of course is all about advertising. Free for you, income from all the ads.

John Galt wrote:

BWestin if you would please provide a link or directions regarding how you came to install this virus, please post step-by-step instructions so that I can duplicate what you describe.

*crickets*