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Virus?

TCrowe

TCrowe

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 14, 2014
116
1
Glen Ellen, CA.
I have been building a new Photography Forum and I just put out a link on my Blog to tell people about it. When I finished the article I went to the published article, clicked on the link I had just posted and I got a Nortons Anti-Virus page that would not let me leave the page. It said if I left the page my entire computer would be taken down by a virus from< I guess, either my Blog or my Forum.

This occurred with Google Chrome about an hour ago. I do not have Nortons installed and am now running Avast to check y computer. Virus definitions are up to date as of this morning. I am wondering where and what this is and came from. The only thing new is Google Chrome Canary browser which I installed yesterday and a new member to the forum who posted for the first time today. As it stands I have hidden Google Chrome on the dock and not forced quit it. I cannot quit Google Chrome (not the Canary version as I used that to come here). Mystified. Is this Norton warning a virus?
 
TCrowe

TCrowe

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 14, 2014
116
1
Glen Ellen, CA.
I didn't think so but I operate with an abundance of caution. Thanks for replying to me on such short notice! TCrowe
 
A

ApfelKuchen

macrumors 601
Aug 28, 2012
4,334
3,011
Between the coasts
Sounds like unwanted adware to me. The message from "Norton" is almost undoubtedly fraudulent - you're not going to get a Norton warning if you're not running Norton. You may get around it simply by force-quitting Chrome, though afterwards you'll need to go through and look for possible adware installations (unwanted browser plug-ins, unwanted browser extensions, or other stuff farther "under the hood" - see the resources cited below).

I will ask whether you downloaded Canary directly from Google, or via a link you found elsewhere.

If you're worried about the safety of your message board... check the support forum for your message board software provider, and see if you have the current security patches installed.

For the Mac, consider AdwareMedic http://www.adwaremedic.com and check this Apple support article: http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203987
 
GGJstudios

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,545
943
TCrowe said:
Is this Norton warning a virus?
Click to expand...
No, it's an obnoxious advertisement. No website can arbitrarily scan your computer and determine if you have malware. Some such ads are simply pop-ups or redirection that are coded into a website. Others may present themselves as a result of adware that you installed on your computer.

Remove unwanted adware that displays pop-up ads and graphics on your Mac
Adware can be removed by using this tool: AdwareMedic

Macs are not immune to malware, but no true viruses exist in the wild that can run on Mac OS X, and there never have been any since it was released over 12 years ago. The only malware in the wild that can affect Mac OS X is a handful of trojans, which can be easily avoided by practicing safe computing (see below). 3rd party antivirus apps are not necessary to keep a Mac malware-free, as long as a user practices safe computing, as described in the following link.
​
Read the What security steps should I take? section of the Mac Virus/Malware FAQ for tips on practicing safe computing.
 
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