Strange Voice

[dbaldwin]

There is a strange voice that whispers the time on my mac every 15 mins as of tonight and is very annoying. Anyone know what this is or how to get rid of it?

 

[GGJstudios]

There is a strange voice that whispers the time on my mac every 15 mins as of tonight and is very annoying. Anyone know what this is or how to get rid of it?

System Preferences

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[dbaldwin]

Strange voice: Thanks & follow up question

thank you so very much. the whisper voice was very, very CREEPY!!!!

one more question: does this mean i have a virus that could potentially be doing MORE harm on my computer right now?

i realized the voice suddenly "appeared" after a friend of mine sent me an email with a link (the following one) - DON'T CLICK ON IT OR YOU MAY HAVE A VIRUS TOO.

http://imhirion.com/wp-post-thumbnail/bing.php?simple176.gif

i am so stupid - i know better than to open attachments unless i know what they are, but this one got me b/c it looked like a link (underlined in the email) vs. a file (an icon) in the email. also, i thought macs were impervious to viruses - silly me!!??

 

[simsaladimbamba]

It is just SPAM for a SCAM, nothing more, though the address is masked as a .gif.
And you don't have a virus:
Currently there are zero viruses affecting Mac OS X in public circulation, but there are other kinds of malware existing, that can infect your Mac.
But as long as you don't install software from unknown and untrusted sources, you are safe, as malware needs administrative permissions to run successfully, which means, you need to install the malware yourself, it can't install itself (one of the reasons, why a Mac OS X virus hasn't appeared yet).
To learn more about malware in Mac OS X and what steps can be taken to protect yourself, read the following F.A.Q.:

Mac Virus/Malware Info by GGJstudios
The above F.A.Q. includes the following topics:

• Malware terminology - What is the difference between viruses, worms, and Trojans?
• Antivirus apps
• What security steps should I take?
• What about sending files to Windows users?
• Why am I being redirected to other sites?
• Recent threats in the news

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[GGJstudios]

one more question: does this mean i have a virus that could potentially be doing MORE harm on my computer right now?

i realized the voice suddenly "appeared" after a friend of mine sent me an email with a link (the following one) - DON'T CLICK ON IT OR YOU MAY HAVE A VIRUS TOO.

http://imhirion.com/wp-post-thumbnail/bing.php?simple176.gif

i am so stupid - i know better than to open attachments unless i know what they are, but this one got me b/c it looked like a link (underlined in the email) vs. a file (an icon) in the email. also, i thought macs were impervious to viruses - silly me!!??

You don't need any 3rd party antivirus app to keep your Mac malware-free. 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 10 years ago. You cannot infect your Mac simply by visiting a website, unzipping a file, opening an email attachment or joining a network. The only malware in the wild that can affect Mac OS X is a handful of trojans, which cannot infect your Mac unless you actively install them, and they can be easily avoided with some basic education, common sense and care in what software you install. Also, Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Lion have anti-malware protection built in, further reducing the need for 3rd party antivirus apps.

Mac Virus/Malware FAQ​

1. Make sure your built-in Mac firewall is enabled in System Preferences > Security > Firewall
2. Uncheck "Enable Java" in Safari > Preferences > Security.
3. Uncheck "Open "safe" files after downloading" in Safari > Preferences > General
4. Be careful to only install software from trusted, reputable sites. Never install pirated software. If you're not sure about an app, ask in this forum before installing.
5. Never let someone else have physical access to install anything on your Mac.
6. Always keep your Mac and application software updated. Use Software Update for your Mac software. For other software, it's safer to get updates from the developer's site or from the menu item "Check for updates", rather than installing from any notification window that pops up while you're surfing the web.

That's all you need to do to keep your Mac completely free of any virus, trojan, spyware, keylogger, or other malware. You don't need any 3rd party software to keep your Mac secure.

 

[snberk103]

Much more likely is that you have friend/room-mate/sibling who had fun messing around with your Mac. Put a password on your log-in account. If you already have one, change it.

If there is even the faintest possibility that you have a friend/room-mate/sibling who likes to mess around .... be careful about logging out or putting the password protected screensaver on when you leave the system. I've seen most of my nieces and nephews have their Facebook Wall hijacked by a "friend" or sibling who found their computer still signed in. The nice friends/siblings merely have their victim tell the world that they like poo or something.... but one nephew had some serious fence-mending to do when his FB Wall made several posts that were homophobic and racist.

With friends like that.....

 

[Tumbleweed666]

i realized the voice suddenly "appeared" after a friend of mine sent me an email with a link (the following one)

Coincidence. Nothing to do with the link or clicking on it.

 

[chown33]

Much more likely is that you have friend/room-mate/sibling who had fun messing around with your Mac. Put a password on your log-in account. If you already have one, change it.

And if you have a master password for the computer, change that, too. Because a master password can be used to reset the passwords on other accounts. Google search terms: mac os master password.