Unknown process. Need help

iPaulie81

macrumors member

Original poster

Mar 6, 2014

38

12

• Nov 18, 2014

• #1

Hi all

I noticed in my activity monitor a suspicious process that is running. Can anyone tell me what this process is and if its safe or not? If it is potentially harmful can you tell me how to remove it. It seems to appear even after a system restart.

Please refer to the process named http://shanghaiist.com/

Sometime the process name changes to another website e.g. redrockethobbies.com. When I click on the process I get some information that inclues the following.... Process group: Spotlight Web Content (389).

Thanks

 

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m4v3r1ck

macrumors 68030

Nov 2, 2011

2,606

554

The Netherlands

• Nov 18, 2014

• #2

iPaulie81 said:

Hi all

I noticed in my activity monitor a suspicious process that is running. Can anyone tell me what this process is and if its safe or not? If it is potentially harmful can you tell me how to remove it. It seems to appear even after a system restart.

Please refer to the process named http://shanghaiist.com/

Sometime the process name changes to another website e.g. redrockethobbies.com. When I click on the process I get some information that inclues the following.... Process group: Spotlight Web Content (389).

Thanks

Click to expand...

It's a process run by e.g Safari! You are online on that website!

In your case it's you doing a search in Spotlight for "shanghaiist"

So no worries!

 

iPaulie81

macrumors member

Original poster

Mar 6, 2014

38

12

• Nov 18, 2014

• #3

BDM STUDIOS NL said:

It's a process run by Safari! You are online on that website!

Image

So no worries!

Click to expand...

Thanks or the quick reply. The thing is I'm not on the website. Its not a website I have visited intentionally before.

 

m4v3r1ck

macrumors 68030

Nov 2, 2011

2,606

554

The Netherlands

• Nov 18, 2014

• #4

iPaulie81 said:

Thanks or the quick reply. The thing is I'm not on the website. Its not a website I have visited intentionally before.

Click to expand...

Please post the screen that appears after you click-click on it in Activity Monotor?

 

iPaulie81

macrumors member

Original poster

Mar 6, 2014

38

12

• Nov 18, 2014

• #5

BDM STUDIOS NL said:

Please post the screen that appears after you click-click on it in Activity Monotor?

Click to expand...

here you go..

 

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m4v3r1ck

macrumors 68030

Nov 2, 2011

2,606

554

The Netherlands

• Nov 18, 2014

• #6

iPaulie81 said:

here you go..

Click to expand...

That's the output when you click-click on the http://shangaiist.com in AM?

----------

BDM STUDIOS NL said:

That's the output when you click-click on the http://shangaiist.com in AM?

Click to expand...

If so you used Spotlight to look it up?

 

iPaulie81

macrumors member

Original poster

Mar 6, 2014

38

12

• Nov 18, 2014

• #7

BDM STUDIOS NL said:

That's the output when you click-click on the http://shangaiist.com in AM?

----------



If so you used Spotlight to look it up?

Click to expand...

Yes thats its. Its changed to reddit.com now. Again, a site that I have not visited. I googled around since last night and apparently its due to some new spotlight feature that was introduced into 10.10. Still does not explain why it displays website that I don't visit.

 

M

mac8867

macrumors 6502

Apr 5, 2010

457

22

Saint Augustine, FL

• Nov 18, 2014

• #8

Ahhh html... you didn't visit that site, but the site you did visit pulled content from there. Your browser doesn't know the difference. Like the Add at the top of your screen right now did not come from macrumors.

 

m4v3r1ck

macrumors 68030

Nov 2, 2011

2,606

554

The Netherlands

• Nov 18, 2014

• #9

I don't see any .com (not others) in my AM

mac8867 said:

Ahhh html... you didn't visit that site, but the site you did visit pulled content from there. Your browser doesn't know the difference. Like the Add at the top of your screen right now did not come from macrumors.

Click to expand...

That seems a bit odd to me, when I visit macrumors with a browser without adblocker, I don't see any .com (not others) in my AM. Care to explain (to both of us) a bit more why the .com (or others) will show up AM? Thanks in advance!

Cheers

 

iPaulie81

macrumors member

Original poster

Mar 6, 2014

38

12

• Nov 18, 2014

• #10

BDM STUDIOS NL said:

That seems a bit odd to me, when I visit macrumors with a browser without adblocker, I don't see any .com (not others) in my AM. Care to explain (to both of us) a bit more why the .com (or others) will show up AM? Thanks in advance!

Cheers

Click to expand...

But are you using Yosemite?

 

m4v3r1ck

macrumors 68030

Nov 2, 2011

2,606

554

The Netherlands

• Nov 19, 2014

• #11

iPaulie81 said:

But are you using Yosemite?

Click to expand...

Yep, check my traffic light buttons in post #3!

OSX 10.10 (14A389)

 

Weaselboy

Moderator

Staff member

Jan 23, 2005

34,469

16,167

California

• Nov 19, 2014

• #12

iPaulie81 said:

Yes thats its. Its changed to reddit.com now. Again, a site that I have not visited. I googled around since last night and apparently its due to some new spotlight feature that was introduced into 10.10. Still does not explain why it displays website that I don't visit.

Click to expand...

I had the same thing going on and it was the Spotlight suggestions feature that caused it. I think what was happening is you would be looking for "receipt for TV" and start typing R E and SL suggestions would search the Internet and start to preload reddit.com and that would sit there in activity monitor exactly like you are seeing. I turned off the SL suggestions and it stopped.