Virus "Torjan Gen 2 "detected today .. how do i get rid of this Trojan do i need to take my computer in

Trojan.Gen.2 is a somewhat generic Windows trojan name used by Symantec products. If you have a Symantec product on your Mac, such as Norton Antivirus, that should be removed immediately. Symantec products are well-known for causing (sometimes severe) performance and stability problems on the Mac, and their detection of Mac malware is only so-so. Mac OS X does a better job of detecting and blocking Mac malware right out of the box.

As for what this is, it's either a false positive or some Windows malware. In the latter case, it's probably attached to an e-mail message or mixed in with some files that have been transferred from a Windows computer. You should not allow Norton, or any other program, to remove this for you, as doing so can have unfortunate side-effects. For example, if the malware is attached to an e-mail message, removing it could corrupt your mailboxes and may leave the malware on the mail server (from which it could get re-synced back to your hard drive). For proper removal, see:

How to remove infected files

The good news is that you're not infected with any Mac malware, so you do not need to take it to a tech and pay for service on the machine. 🙂

(Fair disclosure: I may receive compensation from links to my sites, TheSafeMac.com and AdwareMedic.com, in the form of buttons allowing for donations. Donations are not required to use my site or software.)

Helpful Links Regarding Malware Problems

If you are having an immediate problem with ads popping up see The Safe Mac » Adware Removal Guide, AdwareMedic, or Remove unwanted adware that displays pop-up ads and graphics on your Mac - Apple Support.

Open Safari, select Preferences from the Safari menu. Click on Extensions icon in the toolbar. Disable all Extensions. If this stops your problem, then re-enable them one by one until the problem returns. Now remove that extension as it is causing the problem.

The following comes from user stevejobsfan0123. I have made minor changes to adapt to this presentation.

Fix Some Browser Pop-ups That Take Over Safari.

Common pop-ups include a message saying the government has seized your computer and you must pay to have it released (often called "Moneypak"), or a phony message saying that your computer has been infected, and you need to call a tech support number (sometimes claiming to be Apple) to get it resolved. First, understand that these pop-ups are not caused by a virus and your computer has not been affected. This "hijack" is limited to your web browser. Also understand that these messages are scams, so do not pay any money, call the listed number, or provide any personal information. This article will outline the solution to dismiss the pop-up.

Quit Safari

Usually, these pop-ups will not go away by either clicking "OK" or "Cancel." Furthermore, several menus in the menu bar may become disabled and show in gray, including the option to quit Safari. You will likely have to force quit Safari. To do this, press Command + option + esc, select Safari, and press Force Quit.

Relaunch Safari

If you relaunch Safari, the page will reopen. To prevent this from happening, hold down the 'Shift' key while opening Safari. This will prevent windows from the last time Safari was running from reopening.

This will not work in all cases. The shift key must be held at the right time, and in some cases, even if done correctly, the window reappears. In these circumstances, after force quitting Safari, turn off Wi-Fi or disconnect Ethernet, depending on how you connect to the Internet. Then relaunch Safari normally. It will try to reload the malicious webpage, but without a connection, it won't be able to. Navigate away from that page by entering a different URL, i.e. www.apple.com, and trying to load it. Now you can reconnect to the Internet, and the page you entered will appear rather than the malicious one.

What detected the trojan and reported it to you?