I have turned on the popup blocker in safari but I still get popups from Mac Keeper and other sites telling me I have a virus. I have bitefinder anti-virus software which I purchased about a year ago and installed on my iMac. What are the key settings in safari that I need to have to avoid these annoying popups?
iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)
Bitdefender, and any other AV software is worthless. There are no Mac viruses to find. Remove it.
What you installed was adware, along with something else you installed. Once place to check is in Safari's preferences under the Extensions tab. Disable all of them. If the ads stop, one of them is the culprit. Turn them on one at a time and test. When you find the one displaying the ads (there may be more than one), disable it again and remove it.
Adware can come from other types of Trojan installs that are not extensions. You can use MalwareBytes Anti-Malware for Mac. Despite its name, it is not AV software. It's sole job is to find and remove adware.
https://www.malwarebytes.org/antimalware/mac/
There are manual instructions also for all known adware. Some of it requires following some extensive steps. I'm having trouble finding the correct page from my iPad, but I'm sure someone will come along with a link.
Mackeeper is not a pop-up, per se - but rather a pop-over/under Window and very persistent in nature.
Our friend stevejobsfan0123 (et al) has a free Safari Xtns - ScamZapper - Apple Club - the XTNS is available for both Intel and PPC Safari versions.
I use Firefox myself with P.U.K a rude PopUp/Under Killer(prev: killjasmin) :: Add-ons for Firefox and NEVER see a Mackeeper intrusion
- ÇÇÇ
You may have installed ad-injection malware ("adware").
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.
Some of the most common types of adware can be removed by following Apple's instructions.
If you're not already running the latest version of OS X ("El Capitan"), updating or upgrading in the App Store may cause the adware to be removed automatically. Back up all data before taking that step. If you're already running the latest version of El Capitan, you can nevertheless download the current updater from the Apple Support Downloads page and run it. Again, some kinds of malware will be removed. That may be all you need to do as far as removal is concerned, but you'll still need to make changes to the way you use the computer to protect yourself from further attacks.
If the above steps don't work for you, see below.
This easy procedure will detect any kind of adware that I know of. Deactivating it is a separate, and even easier, procedure.
Some legitimate software is ad-supported and may display ads in its own windows or in a web browser while it's running. That's not malware and it may not show up. Also, some websites carry intrusive popup ads that may be mistaken for adware.
If none of your web browsers is working well enough to carry out these instructions, restart the computer in safe mode. That will disable the malware temporarily.
Step 1
Please triple-click the line below on this page to select it, then copy the text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C:
~/Library/LaunchAgents
In the Finder, select
Go ▹ Go to Folder...
from the menu bar and paste into the box that opens by pressing command-V. Press return. Either a folder named "LaunchAgents" will open, or you'll get a notice that the folder can't be found. If the folder isn't found, go to the next step.
If the folder does open, press the key combination command-2 to select list view, if it's not already selected. Please don't skip this step.
There should be a column in the Finder window headed Date Modified. Click that heading twice to sort the contents by date with the newest at the top. If necessary, enlarge the window so that all of the contents are showing.
Follow the instructions in this support article under the heading "Take a screenshot of a window." An image file with a name beginning in "Screen Shot" should be saved to the Desktop. Open the screenshot and make sure it's readable. If not, capture a smaller part of the screen showing only what needs to be shown.
Start a reply to this message. Drag the image file into the editing window to upload it. You can also include text in the reply.
Leave the folder open for now.
Step 2
Do as in Step 1 with this line:
/Library/LaunchAgents
The folder that may open will have the same name, but is not the same, as the one in Step 1. As in that step, the folder may not exist.
Step 3
Repeat with this line:
/Library/LaunchDaemons
This time the folder will be named "LaunchDaemons."
Step 4
Open the Safari preferences window and select the Extensions tab. If any extensions are listed, post a screenshot. If there are no extensions, or if you can't launch Safari, skip this step.
Step 5
If you use the Firefox or Chrome browser, open its extension list and do as in Step 4.
Kurt,
Thank you! The malwarebytes.org site you gave me cleared up the problem right away!
You're welcome. 🙂
Linc,
Thanks but Kurt Lang provided the link above to a malware removal tool that did the trick. I am sure your method would have worked, too, but it seemed to involve too many steps.
I do appreciate the time you took to type out your input, though.
Blessings on you and Merry Christmas!
Richard
the easiest way is to get ad block i have had it for a year now it has gotten me no viruses and takes up barely any storage
Ad blockers are of little to no use against adware. Ad blockers stop ads from appearing on web sites where the ads are directly part of the web page's design. Adware bypasses that by pulling the ads from ad servers and showing them in separate popup windows they create on their own. Adware is software running directly on you computer, not your browser passively displaying an ad served up by a web site. Lastly, you can't get something that has yet to exist. There are no known viruses in OS X.
stop popups even when I have turned popups off in safari
