Sturdyfrog

Q: Is it possible for my Mac to be cloned

I Received a message saying that a photo link that I clicked on was a threat.

AFter closing down down my Mac I received a message that said that another device with the same ip was using my internet connection.

HAve it a virus? Has my machine been cloned?

 

how do find out if the machine is infected?

 

any help would be appreciated.

Many thanks

sue

iMac with Retina 5K display

Posted on Jan 2, 2016 2:25 PM

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Q: Is it possible for my Mac to be cloned

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  • by Kurt Lang,Helpful

    Kurt Lang Kurt Lang Jan 2, 2016 2:37 PM in response to Sturdyfrog
    Level 8 (37,815 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 2, 2016 2:37 PM in response to Sturdyfrog

    If that original message was in a web browser, then it was nothing more than a scam.

     

    As far as the IP message, you will receive that message any time your router has assigned the same IP address to two different devices. OS X notices the conflict and tells you. Without more information, it's difficult to say what happened there. One way to fix it is to open the System Preferences. Under the Network settings, click on the Ethernet icon at the left. Then click on the Renew Lease button. That tells the router to assign your device a new, unused address.

     

    No, it's not possible to clone any drive that quickly.

  • by Sturdyfrog,

    Sturdyfrog Sturdyfrog Jan 2, 2016 2:54 PM in response to Kurt Lang
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 2, 2016 2:54 PM in response to Kurt Lang

    Thank you for the prompt reply Kurt.

    The message had a code that I was supposed to send to Apple but I was so flustered I just shut the machine down and then restarted it when I got the duplicate ip message.

     

    I Looked on the net and cleared the history which has now allowed me to get back on the net.

     

    BUt but how can I be sure that my machine does not have a virus?

  • by Kurt Lang,Helpful

    Kurt Lang Kurt Lang Jan 3, 2016 1:16 AM in response to Sturdyfrog
    Level 8 (37,815 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 3, 2016 1:16 AM in response to Sturdyfrog

    There are various types of malware (short for malicious software), of which a virus is one type. To date, there has never been a virus that can affect OS X, so you don't have one.

     

    If this, as mentioned earlier, was just a scam web site and you did nothing it prompted you for, then nothing was installed on, or even downloaded to your Mac. The only way such "drive by" infections can currently happen on a Mac is if you have Oracle's Java 8 installed, and you then have its browser support turned on. And even that is unlikely. The only known way for that to happen was with Flashback. And that has been patched against for years.