T_likesveggie

Q: Pop-up?

I was on ask.fm and suddenly a website came out of nowhere and replaced ask.fm, in which it had a pop-up that said something like "You can win a Macbook or Samsung Galaxy something" and I did not click on any advertisement at all. Is there anything wrong with my mac?

details: I was using/in Safe boot, and I just updated to El Captain 10.11.6 yesterday.

Posted on Jul 21, 2016 12:38 AM

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Q: Pop-up?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Esquared,Apple recommended

    Esquared Esquared Jul 21, 2016 12:43 AM in response to T_likesveggie
    Level 6 (8,410 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 21, 2016 12:43 AM in response to T_likesveggie

    Such pop-ups can be produced by the website you were visiting. If it doesn't happen on other sites, don't worry about it.

  • by Lexiepex,

    Lexiepex Lexiepex Jul 21, 2016 1:16 AM in response to T_likesveggie
    Level 6 (10,477 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 21, 2016 1:16 AM in response to T_likesveggie

    If it comes back on other sites too:

    run a scan with:

    https://www.malwarebytes.com/antimalware/mac/

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jul 21, 2016 8:59 AM in response to T_likesveggie
    Level 10 (207,926 points)
    Applications
    Jul 21, 2016 8:59 AM in response to T_likesveggie

    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.

    Your problem is most likely not caused by malware. It's a Web scam that only affects the browser, and only temporarily. There are several ways to recover.

    1. If you're running Safari 9.1 or later, just close the window or tab. Then go to Step 6.

    2. If you're running an older version of Safari, the easiest thing to do is to force quit the browser. Relaunch it by holding down the shift key and clicking its icon in the Dock, the LaunchPad, or the Applications folder.

    You will lose the state of other open tabs and windows. Either Step 3, Step 4, or Step 5 may enable you to keep that state information. If those steps don't work, fall back to Step 2.

    3. If there is a checkbox in the popup marked

              Don't show more alerts from this web page

    check it, then close the popup.

    4. Press the key combination command-W to close the tab or window. A huge box will pop up. Press the return key and both the box and the page may close. If that doesn't happen, press and hold command-W. You may hear repeating alert sounds. While holding the keys, click the OK button in the popup. A different popup may appear, which you can cancel out of as usual.

    5. From the Safari menu bar, select

              Safari ▹ Preferences... ▹ Security

    and uncheck the box marked Enable JavaScript.

    6. After closing the malicious page, select from the menu bar

              Safari Preferences... Privacy Remove All Website Data

    to get rid of any cookies or other data left by the server. Open the Downloads folder and delete anything you don't recognize.