Can't Open Websites (Everything a Mess Now) Help

[Tissue Paper]

I had problems with my browser and some phishing issues -- You can follow the previous conversation here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/phishing-warnings-help.2130479/

I tried doing what everyone suggested. I removed AVG and I installed Malewarebyte. I didn't delete Clean My Mac because I've been using it for years and I'm just keeping it now on the side. Not really gonna clean weekly like I usually do.

The thing is, I can't open websites now. I tried going to Gmail for god's sake and it won't open. It keeps telling me: Safari can't open the page -- cannot establish a secure connection to the website.
Not just happening on Gmail but several websites; other websites are working fine though.

I don't understand what's the problem now. I turned off Malewarebyte's real time protection, it didn't work. I also stopped AdGuard Blocker from securing this particular website but it doesn't work.

This is why I don't like tinkering with things too much cuz unlike so many computer geniuses out there, I can't figure what's what now and this is stressing me out.

Please help;.

 

[960design]

Hopefully you have used iCloud to store documents and Photos.
Wipe everything and then restore to original.
https://support.apple.com/kb/ph25649?locale=en_US

Log into iCloud and iTunes and all of your shows, documents and photos should show right up.

DO NOT install anything other than Malwarebyte ( and only from the actual malwarebyte site, as there are many fake versions available ).

Virus 'protection' software is the easiest way to give outside users root access to your machine.


PS. CleanMyMac may have 'cleaned' something important. Only way back is fresh install. DO NOT reinstall CleanMyMac! Not necessary.

 

[Tissue Paper]

Hopefully you have used iCloud to store documents and Photos.
Wipe everything and then restore to original.
https://support.apple.com/kb/ph25649?locale=en_US

Log into iCloud and iTunes and all of your shows, documents and photos should show right up.

DO NOT install anything other than Malwarebyte ( and only from the actual malwarebyte site, as there are many fake versions available ).

Virus 'protection' software is the easiest way to give outside users root access to your machine.


PS. CleanMyMac may have 'cleaned' something important. Only way back is fresh install. DO NOT reinstall CleanMyMac! Not necessary.

I downloaded Malewarebyte from this site https://www.malwarebytes.com/mac-download/ that the other forum gave me. It looks legit, no?

The browser is running the pages fine now. I don't understand why earlier it was not opening theme nd now it's opening them fine. Should I be concerned? Or should I just ignore it?

 

[Fishrrman]

The OP wrote:
"I didn't delete Clean My Mac because I've been using it for years and I'm just keeping it now on the side"

I'd suggest you temporarily remove Clean My Mac, for the time being. It may be mucking things up, maybe not.

If you want to remove it, do this:
1. Download AppCleaner (small, useful, free):
http://freemacsoft.net/appcleaner/
2. Put it into your Applications folder
3. Open AppCleaner -- just "let it be" for a moment
4. Open your Applications folder "in the finder" so you can see everything in it.
5. Now, "drag and drop" the icon for "clean my mac" onto the AppCleaner icon
6. AppCleaner will "round up" all relevant files
7. Click the "remove" button and all the files will be moved to the trash
8. Empty the trash
9. Quit AppCleaner
10. Now - important - shut down the mac, ALL THE WAY OFF

Now, do this:
1. Reboot and get to the finder
2. Open MalwareBytes
3. Run MalwareBytes -- click "scan" and let it go
4. If it finds anything, remove it.

Final advice:
I'd STOP USING Chrome -- resource hog.

 

[smirking]

I didn't delete Clean My Mac because I've been using it for years and I'm just keeping it now on the side.

I originally echoed Fishy and said you needed to kill Clean my Mac, but I was thinking of MacKeeper. Clean My Mac looks legit.
[doublepost=1533223605][/doublepost]

I don't understand why earlier it was not opening theme nd now it's opening them fine. Should I be concerned? Or should I just ignore it?

If it's fine now, just ignore it. If you had malware, it's entirely possible that your DNS configurations were messed up and that could cause pages to not be found and DNS issues don't always resolve when the issue behind the resolves because your browser will store some DNS data in an effort to be more efficient and more responsive.

 

[Fishrrman]

Re smirking...

Now that you mentioned it, yes, I was thinking Clean My Mac might be as bad for a Mac as "MacKeeper".

Maybe it's ok, I never actually tried it.
So, perhaps my original post 4 above was "too drastic".

I've amended the post to reflect this.
Thanks for your input!

 

[Tissue Paper]

There's so much hate towards Clean My Mac. I'm kinda torn myself. I understand that a Mac doesn't need all these cleaning utilities (there's also a Mac housekeeper maid called Hazel, have you heard of her too?). Anyway, in the past I really didn't know what I was doing and I was seriously pushing all the features for different types of cleans for in my old Mac which kinda did screw up a few things or here but I really doubt this company is fishy or similar to MacKeeper.

I've been using their apps for years. They also have another app called Gemini to detect duplicate files. Also you never find their ads like Mackeeper everywhere and they don't try to stick their face everywhere.

Having said that, I learned a few things from the people here in the past 24 hours. I know now that I don't need to use all of these utilities and it is possible that it's all 'psychological'. I'm obsessed with cleaning in real life. I clean when I'm depressed and stressed. I get a nice 'feeling' when everything is neat and tidy. I'm kinda obsessed with that feeling so I think that's the reason why I like to clean my mac every friggin weekend. I don't have any files on my desktop, I hate notifications, I like things CLEAN. But I think this situation has become similar to cleaning your ears too much, it becomes infected.

Anyway, things seem ok. I wish I felt in control like most people here who know what the hell they're doing with their Macs.

 

[960design]

Now that you mentioned it, yes, I was thinking Clean My Mac might be as bad for a Mac as "MacKeeper".

Haha! Yes MacKeeper IS Malware and produces a path to inject and remove files from your computer.

Clean My Mac is NOT malware but can be too zealous occasionally and remove really, really important files which can crash applications, or slightly worse create a continual crash loop for the OS, or worse of all break the chain of authority to your files causing you to lose access to them all ( except for the ones duplicated to iCloud ).

Legit applications on macs are bundled into disk images ( .dmg ) and not spread around in your system. This is why Clean My Mac is not necessary. Dragging and dropping the .dmg icon will remove the entire application, except for local user settings which are typically saved under:
Users > username > Library > Application Support > application name

The settings files are non executable and very small and most often should not be removed.

 

[Tissue Paper]

Haha! Yes MacKeeper IS Malware and produces a path to inject and remove files from your computer.

Clean My Mac is NOT malware but can be too zealous occasionally and remove really, really important files which can crash applications, or slightly worse create a continual crash loop for the OS, or worse of all break the chain of authority to your files causing you to lose access to them all ( except for the ones duplicated to iCloud ).

Legit applications on macs are bundled into disk images ( .dmg ) and not spread around in your system. This is why Clean My Mac is not necessary. Dragging and dropping the .dmg icon will remove the entire application, except for local user settings which are typically saved under:
Users > username > Library > Application Support > application name

The settings files are non executable and very small and most often should not be removed.

That's what people are saying but I tried deleting something like people suggested using AppCleaner and it removed the app but then I checked with Clean My Mac and there were still 2 files left that weren't removed so I felt like Clean My Mac was doing a good job deleting.... dunno really.