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Q: How to remove mac -pic-update.us virus

removing macpic-update.us virus

MacBook Pro (13-inch Mid 2009), OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on Aug 22, 2015 9:43 PM

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Q: How to remove mac -pic-update.us virus

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  • by Kappy,

    Kappy Kappy Aug 22, 2015 9:46 PM in response to kevinfromsurprise
    Level 10 (271,367 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 22, 2015 9:46 PM in response to kevinfromsurprise

    Remove Browser Pop-up Problems

     

         Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 1.0.1.7

         Adblock Plus 1.8.9, GlimmerBlocker, or AdBlock

         Remove adware that displays pop-up ads and graphics on your Mac

         How to remove the FlashMall adware from OS X


    Helpful Links Regarding Malware Problems

     

    If you are having an immediate problem with ads popping up see The Safe Mac » Adware Removal Guide, remove adware that displays pop-up ads and graphics on your Mac, and MalwareBytes for Mac. If you require anti-virus protection Thomas Reed recommends using ClamXAV. (Thank you to Thomas Reed for this recommendation.) You might consider adding this Safari extensions: Adblock Plus 1.8.9.

     

    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.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Aug 23, 2015 11:27 AM in response to kevinfromsurprise
    Level 10 (208,000 points)
    Applications
    Aug 23, 2015 11:27 AM in response to kevinfromsurprise

    Don't use any kind of "anti-virus" or "anti-malware" product on a Mac. There is never a need for it, and relying on it for protection makes you more vulnerable to attack, not less.

    Your problem is most likely not caused by malware. It's a Web scam that only affects the browser, and only temporarily. There are several ways to recover.

    1. The easiest thing to do is to force quit Safari. Relaunch it by holding down the shift key and clicking its icon in the Dock.

    You will lose the state of other open tabs and windows. Either Step 2 or Step 3 may enable you to keep that state information. If those steps don't work, fall back to Step 1.

    2. Press the key combination command-W to close the tab or window. A huge box will pop up. Press the return key and both the box and the page may close. If that doesn't happen, press and hold command-W. You may hear repeating alert sounds. While holding the keys, click the OK button in the popup. A different popup may appear, which you can cancel out of as usual.

    3. From the Safari menu bar, select

              Safari ▹ Preferences... ▹ Security

    and uncheck the box marked Enable JavaScript.

    After closing the malicious page, select from the menu bar

              Safari Preferences... Privacy Remove All Website Data

    to get rid of any cookies or other data left by the server. Open the Downloads folder and delete anything you don't recognize.

  • by John Galt,

    John Galt John Galt Aug 23, 2015 8:54 PM in response to kevinfromsurprise
    Level 8 (49,654 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 23, 2015 8:54 PM in response to kevinfromsurprise

    It is not a "virus". Pursuing an "anti-virus" solution will lead to other, unrelated problems.

     

    Read Phony "tech support" / "ransomware" popups and web pages.

  • by cjl in kansas,

    cjl in kansas cjl in kansas Oct 8, 2015 6:22 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 8, 2015 6:22 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Very good, thank you so much for saving me! I freaked when those pop-up started. I was able to force quit Safari after a couple of try's and I restarted, just like the message said I shouldn't have. But all worked out fine. So glad to hear that it was only a browser thing and, after I clicked on Anderson Cooper holding a fat cat! I only wish that the cookies had dates added in Safari so I didn't have to delete everyone of them. So I selected some to delete and left the rest. Fingers crossed!

     

    Thanks again! ~CJ

  • by cjl in kansas,

    cjl in kansas cjl in kansas Oct 8, 2015 6:51 PM in response to cjl in kansas
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 8, 2015 6:51 PM in response to cjl in kansas

    AND John Galt!!