When I open Safari, I see a webpage from jimbrie.com instead of a Safari address. Is the correct?

Go step by step and test.

1. Safari > Preferences > Extensions

Select and uninstall jimbrie extension

Turn all extension off or disable them, then relaunch Safari to test.

Turn those on one by one and test.

2. Safari > Preferences > Search > Search Engine :

Select your preferred search engine.

3. Safari > Preferences > General > Homepage:

Set your Homepage.

If this doesn’t help:

4. Use free AdwareMedic / Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac to remove adware

http://www.adwaremedic.com/index.php

Install , open, and run it by clicking “Scan for Adware” button to remove adware.

Once done, quit AdwareMedic.

or

Remove the adware manually by following the “HowTo” from Apple.

http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203987

First, never use any kind of "anti-virus" or "anti-malware" software on a Mac. That's how you create problems, not how you solve them.

In Safari, first load the home page you want, then select

Safari ▹ Preferences... ▹ General

and click

Set to Current Page

Mr. Davis

I am confused. Are you saying that, if we have Jimbrie as an Extension, we should not do what dominic23 is suggesting to do and do only what you suggest or do what you both are suggesting?

Thank you both in advance.

Try doing both.

jknutsenrc wrote:

When opening Safari, I get the webpage, jimbrie.com, not a Safari address. This page looks different that what I have seen in the recent past. Is this correct?

If not, what address should I change my preference to?

There's no such thing as a "Safari address." It sounds like you have adware or malware on your system that is causing your homepage to be hijacked and redirected. I'd follow dominic23's advice to get rid of it.

I am confused.

You should remove the extension, and any others that you don't know you need, and then reset the home page and search engine, if either one has been changed. Repost if those steps don't solve the problem.

What you should not do is run any kind of "anti-virus" or "anti-malware" software, or any unknown software for that matter, merely because some stranger on a message board told you to. That's how you become infected with malware.

Linc Davis wrote:

What you should not do is run any kind of "anti-virus" or "anti-malware" software, or any unknown software for that matter, merely because some stranger on a message board told you to. That's how you become infected with malware.

Dear Mr. Linc Davis,

I admire your depth of knowledge and capacity to solve problems.

I will agree to the point that I am a "stranger on a message board".

Sir, can you prove that you are an Apple authorized specialist and not a "stranger on a message board"?

Best.

dominic23

dominic23,

Don't get offended by Linc Davis' advice. It is sound advice. Many malware programs are installed by piggybacking on so called malware removal software. If it is also free, even more reason to avoid. I believe this is common knowledge and you wouldn't have to be an Apple authorized specialist to know it.

sabre --

Regardless, AdwareMedic, now called MalwareBytes, is a proven effective tool developed by another respected helper on the boards here. Thomas Reed developed the app specifically for posters in this forum, after seeing so much damage being cause by malware.

Another exception to the "common Knowledge" rule that you reference, is "EtreCheck." It was developed by yet another helper here to enable people trying to help others, identify apps that are runnning, or have been installed. Many times, we forget some things we install, and this app is a godsend and saves tons of time trying to troubleshoot.

Hello sabrejim,

This thread is over two months old. All of the people involved have long since moved on. I only found it because ~Bee mentioned "EtreCheck".

However, I probably should correct some misinformation. It is important to differentiate true malware like the recent Transmission-hack ransomware (see http://arstechnica.com/security/2016/03/first-mac-targeting-ransomware-hits-tran smission-users-researchers-say/) and everyday adware. It is adware that is the subject of this thread. While not technically malware, adware is certainly unwanted and is reaching epidemic proportions these days.

Another contemporary and unfortunate Mac epidemic is scam-ware. There are quite a few scam-ware anti-malware programs around. But an interesting fact is that scam-ware usually is not free. Scamware only exists to scam people out of money. So if you see software that is free, or uses different methods to generate revenue, it is probably not scamware. Almost all of the popular, but legitimate, anti-malware tools, such as MalwareBytes for Mac, is free for end users and requires a paid license only for commercial use. That is how they make their money.

Adware often uses a free "bait" program, but I don't know of any bait software that takes the form of anti-malware programs. Usually they are video players, downloaders, or, alas, Oracle Java. If you are savvy, sometimes you can go deep into the advanced options on the bait's installer or preferences, turn off the adware, and then use the bait software for free.

There is little relationship between scamware and adware. Scamware is successful because they blanket the internet with ads. Since adware is a big ad delivery platform, and scamware vendors are savvy advertisers, they will use adware to market their products. But that is really the only relationship. With scamware, the end user is being ripped off. With adware, some company is ripping off some other company by putting ads in front of end-users.

ETre --

I was addressing this comment:

Many malware programs are installed by piggybacking on so called malware removal software. If it is also free, even more reason to avoid.

And explaining why MWB & EC were different. And that by downloading from the developer, there are no piggybacks installed.

Hello ~Bee,

I did not mean to imply that you were the source of any misinformation. I was referring to other "common knowledge" here and elsewhere on the Internet. Sorry for any confusion. But unfortunately, sometimes bait does include adware even when downloaded directly from the developer. MPlayerX is a notorious example, but Oracle's Java really isn't any different. In fact, Oracle is worse than MPlayerX because it uses Java security updates to try to install yet more adware. The best strategy is to take the recommendation of other community members.

Thanks for your comment, which is completely accurate. One is never more vulnerable to attack by Internet criminals than when looking for help with a malware infection. You only have to do a web search for instructions to remove Windows malware to see that. You'll get thousands of hits, and quite likely every one them will be a scam.

The "anti-malware" approach is as thoroughly proven a failure as anything can be. Windows and Android users have been conditioned for years to rely on such software, and the result is that their platforms are saturated with malware—not just nuisance stuff like ad injection, but identity theft, ransomware, DDoS attacks, and worse. It's great for the "anti-malware" industry, which has $75 billion a year in sales. The Mac platform will go the same way if its users put their trust in the same industry to protect them, rather than relying on themselves.

There will never be any shortage of ignorant people who are eager to persuade you that you're as ignorant as they are. You aren't.

There will never be any shortage of ignorant people who are eager to persuade you that you're as ignorant as they are.

Funny, I was about to say the same thing.