ATTENTION - Your sensitive Information is at risk popup help??

Linc Davis,

I know this is an old post so hopefully you will still receive this. You have solved my Mac problems before and I'm hoping you can help me out again. I keep getting frustrating popups similar to what's mentioned above. I took screen shots as I went through your steps. And I included the extensions from Chrome even though I very rarely use it.

Hope you can help.

Thanks!!!!

This is a SCAM so do not click on it. It will probably result in the introduction of malware into your MBP.

See if clearing Firefox history and caches will rid you of the problem.

Ciao

What Ogelthorpe said is true.

It has gotten to the point where anything that pops up in a browser with a call to action (fear of not doing something) clickable button is a scam, and are not warning messages that originate with OS X or Apple. I avoid websites that host this trash.

Sometimes these pop-ups will take over Safari and you cannot escape the pop-up, or properly quit Safari. You would then press option+command+Esc keys to force quit Safari, and then press the shift key when launching Safari again. From the Safari application menu, select Clear History…, and once done, also clear (option+command+E) the Safari cache. This rids Safari of that last invasive encounter.

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.

Back up all data first.

Some of the most common types of adware can be removed by following Apple's instructions. But before you follow those instructions, you can attempt an automatic removal.

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. 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—not all. There is no such thing as automatic removal of all possible malware, either by OS X or by third-party software. That's why you can't rely on software to protect you.

If the malware is removed in your case, you'll still need to make changes to the way you use the computer to protect yourself from further attacks. Ask if you need guidance.

If the malware is not removed automatically, and you can't remove it yourself by following Apple's instructions, 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.

Dear Linc Davis,

I have this Attention malware on my MacBook Pro. I would sure like to get rid of it. I am running El Capitan version 10.11.4.

Please delete items #2 through #4 in the first screenshot, then log out or restart the computer. If there is an item in the Applications folder named "SoftwareUpdater" and/or "ShopTool," delete that too.

Thank you so much.

Dear Linc Davis

Hi i recently got this pop up too, kinda weird how it just appears... ive had a similar problem a couple months ago but a friend seemed to have got rid of it

This comment is addressed to others who may find the discussion.

You may have installed a fake "utility" called "Advanced Mac Cleaner." Like any software that purports to automatically "clean up" or "speed up" a Mac, it's a scam, and some or all variants of it are ad-injection malware.

To remove it, please take the steps below. Some of the files listed may be absent in your case. Back up all data before proceeding.

Malware is always changing to get around the defenses against it. This procedure works as of now, as far as I know. It may not work in the future. Anyone finding this comment a few days or more after it was posted should look for a more recent discussion, or start a new one.

If you paid for the software with a credit card, consider reporting the charge to the bank as fraudulent.

Step 1

Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:

~/Library/LaunchAgents

Right-click or control-click the highlighted line and select

Services ▹ Open

from the contextual menu.* A folder named "LaunchAgents" may open. If it does, look inside it for files with a name that begins like this:

com.pcv.

Move any such file to the Trash.

Log out or restart the computer and empty the Trash.

*If you don't see the contextual menu item, copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. In the Finder, select

Go ▹ Go to Folder...

from the menu bar and paste into the box that opens by pressing command-V. You may not see what you pasted because a line break is included. Press return.

Step 2

The malware is now permanently inactivated, as long as you don't reinstall it. This step is optional.

Delete the following items, if they exist, as in Step 1:

/Library/Application Support/amc

~/Library/AdvancedMacCleaner

There's no need to log out or restart after taking this step.

The problem may have started when you downloaded something, such as the application "FileZilla," from the "Sourceforge" website or some other Internet cesspit. Never visit that site again. All legitimate software should be downloaded directly from the developer's website or from the Mac App Store, if applicable.

"Advanced Mac Cleaner" may have been bundled with other malware that was installed at the same time. If you still have problems with web browsers after removing it, and if the problems are not solved by taking the steps in my first comment above, please start your own discussion, including the information from Steps 1-5 in that comment.

Macbook Pro Early 2011, Running El Capitan 10.11.2. Several warning boxes/ads pop up while using Google Chrome.

Items #1 through #3 in your screenshot are malware. See my earlier comments.

This is another comment addressed to all who find this discussion.

The "recommendation" made by the hosts of this site is uninformed. If you see the popup shown in the original poster's screenshot, you are already infected with malware. Clearing your browser cache will have no effect.

hi,

i have been getting the pop up for a few weeks if you can help me get rid of it that would be amazing