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Safari is all jacked up.

I think I have a virus/malware/adware on my MacBook Pro. Every time I open Safari I get a ton of pages that pop up and then it freezes.

Posted on Sep 1, 2015 6:38 AM

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3 replies

Sep 1, 2015 7:24 AM in response to IzzyBeth

Clickhereand follow the instructions, or if there’s a type of adware not covered by them on the computer,these ones. If you'd rather not remove it manually, you can instead runMalwareBytes for Mac.

MalwareBytes is a removal tool and doesn't stop adware or other malware from getting onto the computer. To prevent future incidents, avoid downloading software from sources other than the Mac App Store or the developer websites.

(132692)

Sep 1, 2015 9:33 AM in response to IzzyBeth

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 may not be caused by malware, but rather by 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.

Safari is all jacked up.

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