Richard Thomas

Q: Adware/Malware...how do I stop it?

I seem to have run into a nuisance issue...I keep getting popups for ZipCloud, and a couple of other "fix your Mac" places to call. One of them has a popup that I have to click cancel 10 times before it will go away. Have also noticed on many sites that by a highlighted word there is a little partial circle with an arrow pointing out of it that has a survey for me to complete in order to get some kind of freebee prize. What do I have to do to stop these things?  MACBOOK PRO (RETINA, 15-INCH, LATE 2013), OS X Mavericks (10.9)

 

Thanks...

MACBOOK PRO (RETINA, 15-INCH, LATE 2013), OS X Mavericks (10.9)

Posted on Jan 7, 2015 12:59 PM

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Q: Adware/Malware...how do I stop it?

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  • by Kappy,Helpful

    Kappy Kappy Jan 7, 2015 12:59 PM in response to Richard Thomas
    Level 10 (271,392 points)
    Desktops
    Jan 7, 2015 12:59 PM in response to Richard Thomas

    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.

     

    An excellent link to read is Tom Reed's Mac Malware Guide.

    Also, visit The XLab FAQs and read Detecting and avoiding malware and spyware.

    See these Apple articles:

     

      Mac OS X Snow Leopard and malware detection

      OS X Lion- Protect your Mac from malware

      OS X Mountain Lion- Protect your Mac from malware

      OS X Mavericks- Protect your Mac from malware

      About file quarantine in OS X

     

    If you require anti-virus protection Thomas Reed recommends using ClamXAV. (Thank you to Thomas Reed for this recommendation.)

     

    From user Joe Bailey comes this equally useful advice:

     

    The facts are:

     

    1. There is no anti-malware software that can detect 100% of the malware out there.

    2. There is no anti-malware that can detect everything targeting the Mac.

    3. The very best way to prevent the most attacks is for you as the user to be aware that

         the most successful malware attacks rely on very sophisticated social engineering

         techniques preying on human avarice, ****, and fear.

    4. Internet popups saying the FBI, NSA, Microsoft, your ISP has detected malware on

        your computer is intended to entice you to install their malware thinking it is a

        protection against malware.

    5. Some of the anti-malware products on the market are worse than the malware

        from which they purport to protect you.

    6. Be cautious where you go on the internet.

    7. Only download anything from sites you know are safe.

    8. Avoid links you receive in email, always be suspicious even if you get something

        you think is from a friend, but you were not expecting.

    9. If there is any question in your mind, then assume it is malware.

  • by Richard Thomas,

    Richard Thomas Richard Thomas Feb 2, 2015 8:42 PM in response to Kappy
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Notebooks
    Feb 2, 2015 8:42 PM in response to Kappy

    This issue got more complicated than I wanted to deal with, so I took my computer to the local computer fixit guy to remove the malware. He did, successful, I might add it seems. He also loaded a month's worth of Kaspersky Internet Security on my computer. I have about 13 days worth of the trial version to go. Is it worth downloading (paying for it, as well)? It does seem to give me some peace of mind, although I never gave ad/malware much of a thought for about 15 years. After my recent experience I am gun shy about downloading almost anything. Thanks.

  • by Kappy,

    Kappy Kappy Feb 3, 2015 11:50 AM in response to Richard Thomas
    Level 10 (271,392 points)
    Desktops
    Feb 3, 2015 11:50 AM in response to Richard Thomas

    I would uninstall the Kaspersky software. Don't bother downloading any more anti-malware. You don't need it. The  problem you did have could have been taken care of had you read the first paragraph of my original post.

  • by MadMacs0,

    MadMacs0 MadMacs0 Feb 3, 2015 11:16 PM in response to Richard Thomas
    Level 5 (4,791 points)
    Feb 3, 2015 11:16 PM in response to Richard Thomas

    Richard Thomas wrote:

     

    Is it worth downloading (paying for it, as well)? It does seem to give me some peace of mind, although I never gave ad/malware much of a thought for about 15 years.

    Kaspersky is a malware detector that isn't any better than what is already built into OS X and will not do much of anything to protect you against adware. Keep your software fully up-to-date, practice safe browsing and don't download software from anywhere else but the App Store or a developers site and you will be fine.

     

    Your original problem wasn't even adware, but simply a pop-up that came from the web site you visited. Kappy's instructions for "Fix Some Browser Pop-ups That Take Over Safari." should have taken care of that particular issue for you.

  • by Richard Thomas,

    Richard Thomas Richard Thomas Feb 7, 2015 2:20 PM in response to MadMacs0
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Notebooks
    Feb 7, 2015 2:20 PM in response to MadMacs0

    MadMacs0...thanks for your help. Guess I lost my nerve when I took my MBP to the computer guy. He fixed it. I will uninstall the Kapersky thing, or just let it expire and then remove it.

  • by Richard Thomas,Helpful

    Richard Thomas Richard Thomas Feb 7, 2015 2:26 PM in response to Kappy
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Notebooks
    Feb 7, 2015 2:26 PM in response to Kappy

    Thanks Kappy for your help. Guess I got a little gun shy when I read your reply and looked at the unfamiliar (to me anyway) site to fix malware. I will let the Kapersky software expire then remove it. If I have any more issues, I will give one of your "helper" sites a go.

    Thanks again.