AlexSlazh

Q: Redirected to a **** site

Hey guys,

 

I have a 2016 macbook pro, 13 inch display.

 

So i was on a gaming forum, and i clicked a link which redirected me to a website called xvideos.com. Im worried that my macbook has caught a virus or something - i could not open google or youtube for a while. Is there any way to check?

 

Thanks

MacBook Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.5)

Posted on May 21, 2016 2:08 AM

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Q: Redirected to a **** site

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  • by OGELTHORPE,

    OGELTHORPE OGELTHORPE May 21, 2016 3:23 AM in response to AlexSlazh
    Level 9 (52,172 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 21, 2016 3:23 AM in response to AlexSlazh

    If you were using Safari, force quit Safari and restart it holding the shift key.  This will usually work but some of the redirects cannot be eliminated.

     

    Ciao.

  • by K Shaffer,

    K Shaffer K Shaffer May 21, 2016 3:30 AM in response to AlexSlazh
    Level 6 (14,304 points)
    Desktops
    May 21, 2016 3:30 AM in response to AlexSlazh

    If your browser of choice is Safari, there are a few things you can do regarding Extensions

    and/or other items such as adware. Your surfing may have acquired some unwanted bits

    that make or enable the redirect to occur...  You can turn off Safari Extensions in browser

    preferences, as well as choose to add or remove new ones. I have none running in Safari.

     

    {There isn't a virus involved in the browser activity you've experienced. No antivirus could

    solve a problem when the answer is another direction. The worse, is usually an adware.

    A few malware-like items can be a pest. The false ransomware scam is troublesome.}

     

    • If Safari is slow, stops responding, quits unexpectedly, or has other issues - Apple Support

     

    See how to close the browser & start up without it automatically re-opening the page again,

    as part of this Support page overview:

     

    • Stop pop-up ads in Safari - Apple Support

     

    There are several details in the above Support page that are worth a try. And there used

    to be more until that page was modified recently; it is not as helpful overall and better info

    is now missing. Seems like two topics were rolled into one, with best parts removed.

     

    Since you appear to be using El Capitan 10.11, if you have some issues in Safari loaded

    om the previously visited site, the OS X will attempt to remove adware by itself... on restart.

    But note the Safari versions cited in the above Support links, & actions to try based on that.

     

    Several Apple support web pages have been changed, so links within them aren't what

    they used to be; some pages they had a few months ago linked within, go elsewhere now.

     

    If there is an adware or other problem, you could try some manual methods to isolate and

    remove the problem; there are a few free apps that could help handle adware. Anyway...

     

    I spent additional time before posting this reading through several bookmarked places that

    had more information to resolve issues in earlier OS X versions, they've been changed now

    the main OS X in use is supposed to be El Capitan. My newest OS X is Mavericks 10.9.5

    so I have other methods I'd use in most older OS X versions for issues, to solve them.

     

    Hopefully the two links will be of some usefulness. There are other sources of info on how

    to deal with browser redirects that are more difficult than you describe. I seldom use any

    because I am careful when browsing...

     

    You may be able to see some items that could affect your computer if you were to use

    Etrecheck to generate a report and post that in a reply to your thread. Others who read

    it may see something that indicates an issue; sometimes an issue is not what you think.

    http://etrecheck.com/#about another (free) helps remove adware http://adwaremedic.com/

     

    Both of these ^ items were developed by contributors to these ASC discussions & work.

     

    There are manual methods of discovering information inside the OS X and also how to

    find & remove bad bits from system; there is a learning curve, and worth the time. Avoid

    mackeeper, cleanmymac, & other retail questionable products that can break your files.

     

    • Eliminating browser redirects and advertisements:

    http://www.thesafemac.com/eliminating-browser-redirects-and-advertisements/

     

    • Tech Guides - malware, adware, performance:

    http://www.thesafemac.com/tech-guides/

     

    At nearly 2:30AM local time, I didn't see a posted reply earlier...

     

    In any event...

    Good luck & happy computing!

     

    edited

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis May 21, 2016 9:39 AM in response to AlexSlazh
    Level 10 (207,936 points)
    Applications
    May 21, 2016 9:39 AM in response to AlexSlazh

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


    You weren't infected with anything. You could be infected by downloading and running unknown software that you don't need, just because something or someone on a web page prompted you to.