apple security pop up message on Firefox

Question

SkeLo Author

Level 1

14 points

apple security pop up message on Firefox

iMac (27 inch - mid 2011)

macOS - High Sierra

Version 10.13.6

3.1 GHz

16GB 13333 MHz DDR3

As per the above image, this message keeps popping frequently now, and once it does, an audible voice continues in a loop directing me to contact Apple (as per the number in the image).

I downloaded Malware Bytes app and it still doesn't stop this pop from continually appearing!

I am my wits end... can anyone please help, help, help me!!!!

The only thing I can do is force quit firefox but means i have start everything all over again that I was viewing, doing...

thanks to anyone for an help you can offer.

iMac, iOS 11.2.6, null

Posted on Sep 14, 2018 5:10 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

i_rina

Community Specialist

Sep 16, 2018 11:19 AM in response to SkeLo

Hello SkeLo,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities!

I understand from your post that you are receiving a pop up telling you to contact Apple Support. The following article has information on what to do when you receive pops up like this one:

Avoid phishing emails, fake 'virus' alerts, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support

If you see pop-up alerts or ads

When you browse the web, you might see a pop-up ad or a page warning you about a problem with your device. It might even look like the alert is coming from macOS or iOS. It isn’t. These alerts are pop-ups, designed to trick you into calling a phony support number or buying an app that claims to fix the issue. Don’t call the number. Simply navigate away from that page, or close the window or tab, and continue browsing.

Best Regards.

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Answer 2

dialabrain

Level 10

136,127 points

Sep 17, 2018 3:27 AM in response to SkeLo

Well, your iMac is quite the mess. But that's not what your question was. I don't see any adware/malware so I would suggest checking Firefox Add-ons for anything suspicious, clear "Cookies & Site Data" from Firefox > Preferences > Privacy & Security. If you delete all cookies you may have to re-login to certain sites. Of course you want to stay off the site/s that brought up the pop-up.

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Answer 3

dialabrain

Level 10

136,127 points

Sep 17, 2018 5:08 AM in response to SkeLo

If it were mine I would just do a clean install and start over. I noticed you have uTorrent installed. There really is only one legitimate reason for having a torrent app installed other than downloading illegal software, music and videos. It's a great source for acquiring malware.

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Answer 4

dialabrain

Level 10

136,127 points

Sep 17, 2018 1:23 AM in response to SkeLo

When you ran Malwarebytes did it actually find any malware?

You could run EtreCheck and post the results.

http://etrecheck.com/

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Answer 5

SkeLo Author

Level 1

14 points

Sep 17, 2018 12:58 AM in response to i_rina

Hi @i_rina

Yes I totally understand what you are saying... but that does not actually answer or fix my dilemma... which is that this pop ad keeps recurring and interrupting me when I am browsing or do something online...

I want to "stop" it from continually popping up... not just ignore it when it comes up..

Hope that makes more sense.

Thanks

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Answer 6

SkeLo Author

Level 1

14 points

Sep 17, 2018 1:49 AM in response to dialabrain

No everytime I ran Malwarebytes it never found any malware which was really strange?

Ok so let me try this EtreCheck... so once I have installed it... and finally get to the point of selecting what the issue is... I just put all the info of what the problem is in the free text area, is that right?

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Answer 7

SkeLo Author

Level 1

14 points

Sep 17, 2018 4:24 AM in response to dialabrain

My MAC is really a mess, that bad is it?

Are you able to advise how I can get it cleaned up and get it working optimally again please @dialabrain

Your wisdom is greatly appreciated, I will review the fire-fox add-ons as you have advised...

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Answer 8

dialabrain

Level 10

136,127 points

Sep 17, 2018 1:51 AM in response to SkeLo

You don't have to fill in the info on what is wrong. You already described that in your original post.

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Answer 9

SkeLo Author

Level 1

14 points

Sep 17, 2018 2:03 AM in response to dialabrain

Ok here's the report from EtreCheck as below:

EtreCheck version:4.3.6 (4D041)

Report generated:2018-09-17 20:57:51

Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com

Runtime:5:04

Performance:Below Average

Problem:Other problem

Description:

maleware apple ad-pop up

Major Issues:

Anything that appears on this list needs immediate attention.

No Time Machine backup- Time Machine backup not found.

Minor Issues:

These issues do not need immediate attention but they may indicate future problems.

Heavy RAM usage- This machine is using a large amount of RAM.

Apps crashing- There have been numerous app crashes.

Clean up- There are orphan files that could be removed.

Unsigned files- There are unsigned software file installed. They appear to be legitimate but should be reviewed.

System modifications- There are a large number of system modifications running in the background.

Low performance- EtreCheck report took over 5 minutes to run. This is unusual.

32-bit Apps- This machine has 32-bits apps that may have problems in the future.

Abnormal shutdown- Your machine shut down abnormally.

Hardware Information:

iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)

iMac Model: iMac12,2

1 3.1 GHz Intel Core i5 (i5-2400) CPU: 4-core

16 GB RAM -At maximum

BANK 0/DIMM0 - 4 GB DDR3 1333 ok

BANK 1/DIMM0 - 4 GB DDR3 1333 ok

BANK 0/DIMM1 - 4 GB DDR3 1333 ok

BANK 1/DIMM1 - 4 GB DDR3 1333 ok

Video Information:

AMD Radeon HD 6970M - VRAM: 1024 MB

iMac 2560 x 1440

Drives:

disk0 - ST31000528AS 1.00 TB (Mechanical)

Internal SATA 3 Gigabit Serial ATA

disk0s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB

disk0s2 - S********c (Journaled HFS+) 999.35 GB

disk0s3 - Recovery HD (Journaled HFS+) [Recovery] 650 MB

disk1 - Disk Image 24 MB (Disk Image)

External Disk Image

disk1s1 [Partition Map] 32 KB

disk1s2 - Flash Player (HFS+) 24 MB

disk2 - Ext HDD 1021 1.50 TB

External USB

disk4 - Disk Image 24 MB (Disk Image)

External Disk Image

disk4s1 [Partition Map] 32 KB

disk4s2 - Flash Player (HFS+) 24 MB

disk5 - Verbatim Portable USB 3.0 Drive 2.00 TB

External USB 480 Mbit/s

disk5s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB

disk5s2 - E*******N (UFSD_NTFS) 2.00 TB

disk6 - Western Digital Ext HDD 1021 1.50 TB

External USB 480 Mbit/s

disk6s1 - S*******B (MS-DOS FAT32) 1.50 TB

Mounted Volumes:

disk0s2 - S********c 999.35 GB (599.10 GB free)

Journaled HFS+

Mount point: /

disk5s2 - E*******N 2.00 TB (41.11 GB free)

UFSD_NTFS

Mount point: /Volumes/E*******N

disk6s1 - S*******B 1.50 TB (78.84 GB free)

MS-DOS FAT32

Mount point: /Volumes/S*******B

Network:

Interface usbmodemFD1340: ALCATEL 2045

Interface usbmodemFD1342: ALCATEL 2046

Interface en0: Ethernet

Interface en6: iPad

Interface en5: iPhone

Interface fw0: FireWire

Interface en1: Wi-Fi

802.11 a/b/g/n

One IPv4 address

Interface en4: Bluetooth PAN

Interface bridge0: Thunderbolt Bridge

System Software:

macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 (17G65)

Time since boot: About 6 days

System Load: 2.46 (1 min ago) 2.39 (5 min ago) 2.22 (15 min ago)

Configuration Files:

/etc/hosts - Count: 17

Security:

System	Status
Gatekeeper	Mac App Store and identified developers
System Integrity Protection	Enabled

Unsigned Files:

Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.divx.dms.agent.plist

Executable: /Library/Application Support/DivX/DivXMediaServer.app/Contents/MacOS/DivXMediaServer