Phishing Warnings, Help?

[Tissue Paper]

Hi,
I bought a new MacBook recently and I'm experiencing some weird things. The most prominent thing is the phishing warnings I keep getting everytime I open Safari. When I open my browser or sometimes the browser is already opened-- I open a new tab and as soon as I type anything in the search/address bar, AVG's antivirus warns me that it has blocked a phishing attempt. At this point I still haven't even pressed the enter button to actually go to the site so I'm very concerned. Other than that I do feel my computer is slowing down sometimes when I'm minimizing the browser or when I'm toggling between things or typing things in the browser it slows down.

I can't think of anything that might have caused them because I'm usually careful. The only two things I could think of is that I have installed an ad blocker but I made sure that I installed it from Safari's library and the other thing is that I'm sucker for sappy Korean drama shows and I use these horrible sites to watch episodes but with the add blocker somewhat things have been fine and I have been watching my shows for years and never had any issues.

I tried installing Bitdefender Internet security yesterday but I wasn't able to run the trial. I keep going to security to allow the app to function but for some reason it doesn't register and keeps telling me the trial is expired.

Is there any other good antivirus that I could possibly use?

There's also another issue I've been experiencing for a few weeks but I'm not sure if it's related. Sometimes when I open the MacBook, my screen completely goes black/blank and glitches struggling to show anything and then it start flickering nonstop- kind of like an old TV. At first I thought it's a hardware problem. I restart the computer and sometimes that fixes it.

I'm seriously upset. The computer costed me a fortune and I can't even browse now without these annoyances.

Any advice would really help. A good antivirus suggestion would be seriously appreciated. Thank you.

 

[keysofanxiety]

That's very odd. The first thing I'd ensure is that the time & date is correct. Make sure it's set to sync with Internet server time and that daylight savings time (if applicable) is enabled.

Next I'd get rid of AVG. Drag it from the Applications folder into AppCleaner: https://freemacsoft.net/appcleaner/

Download MalwareBytes and run that: https://www.malwarebytes.com/mac-download/

 

[Tissue Paper]

Get rid of AVG? Really? But it's what's blocking these phishing attempts!
[doublepost=1533135485][/doublepost]Oh wow. MalwareBytes was able to find 3 threatening files from MacKeeper something. plist or whatever.

I deleted the files but I also didn't delete AVG yet.

I deleted Kaspersky's trial though.

 

[MSastre]

If you have MacKeeper ... get rid of it. it causes more problems than it fixes

 

[Tissue Paper]

If you have MacKeeper ... get rid of it. it causes more problems than it fixes

I don't have MacKeeper, I don't even know what it is :/ I know the name cuz sometimes it pops up in ads and I'm thinking maybe I clicked on one add by mistake, I'm not sure.

Malwarebytes seems to be good but it says it only protects against hacking and stuff with Windows and Android on their website. In this case, should I be installing another software?

 

[MSastre]

Macs do not need anti-virus apps. An occasional check with MalwareBytes is generally good enough.

 

[Ulenspiegel]

You don't need an AV for Mac!
The free version of Malwarebytes is more than enough, if you want to be 100% on the safe side. Run it time to time.
Not on-demand AV applications tend to cause more problems on Macs than you can imagine.

What concerns your problem:

1. Uninstall AVG with AppCleaner as keysofanxiety advised.
2. Download EasyFind and look for AVG leftovers and delete them. Be careful during this process.
3. Do the same as above with MacKeeper.
4. Check the extensions of Safari, if you find anything that you are not familiar with and/or you have not installed, delete it.
5. In Safari Develop Menu empty cashes.
6. Remove all website data in Safari (Preferences, Privacy).
7. Restart the computer.

The Ad Blcoker will take care of the phishing sites, you just have to set the relevant filter(s).
(I use Adguard, it has a "built-in" Phishing and malware protection).

Good luck!

 

[Tissue Paper]

You don't need an AV for Mac!
The free version of Malwarebytes is more than enough, if you want to be 100% on the safe side. Run it time to time.
Not on-demand AV applications tend to cause more problems on Macs than you can imagine.

What concerns your problem:

1. Uninstall AVG with AppCleaner as keysofanxiety advised.
2. Download EasyFind and look for AVG leftovers and delete them. Be careful during this process.
3. Do the same as above with MacKeeper.
4. Check the extensions of Safari, if you find anything that you are not familiar with and/or you have not installed, delete it.
5. In Safari Develop Menu empty cashes.
6. Remove all website data in Safari (Preferences, Privacy).
7. Restart the computer.

The Ad Blcoker will take care of the phishing sites, you just have to set the relevant filter(s).
(I use Adguard, it has a "built-in" Phishing and malware protection).

Good luck!

Can I uninstall AVG using Cleanmymac 3? I always use this one to delete things instead of EasyFind?
[doublepost=1533153784][/doublepost]Also I need to ask something. AVG is an antivirus similar to Melwarebyte? I thought the latter is only for like phishing and ads? So if I delete AVG will Melwarebyte be able to scan my computer for viruses?

Yes I know Apple does't need antivirus but I just emotionally feel better knowing there's one in my computer.

 

[Ulenspiegel]

Stay away from CleanMyMac! The Forum (and the Internet) is full of threads/topics dealing with problems caused by these application: 1. 2. 3., just to name a few from MR.
So, I would use AppCleaner and EasyFind to completely uninstall AVG.
Malwarebytes fully protects your Mac from malware (viruses, adware etc.). Evidently, the answer is yes, it will scan your computer for viruses.

 

[MSastre]

CleanMyMac is another app to definitely avoid.

 

[Tissue Paper]

Wow really? I've used CleanMyMac for so many years :/ It became like a weekly routine to clean my cache using it and uninstalling and stuff. I don't know a lot about these things so I felt having 1 program to do all of these functions was useful.

I kinda feel like my computer gets lighter and faster when I use it to clean the cache and stuff...
Anyway, ok I will try to do that but then what do I do to clean then?

Is there harm in just keeping it there for like a month not functioning unless I need to?
[doublepost=1533174386][/doublepost]Ok what about Gemini 2 and Adware Doctor?
[doublepost=1533174628][/doublepost]Also what do you guys do then when you want to scan a particular file that someone sent you or you're worried about then before opening? Melwarebyte doesn't scan individual files, no?

 

[keysofanxiety]

Wow really? I've used CleanMyMac for so many years :/ It became like a weekly routine to clean my cache using it and uninstalling and stuff. I don't know a lot about these things so I felt having 1 program to do all of these functions was useful.

I kinda feel like my computer gets lighter and faster when I use it to clean the cache and stuff...
Anyway, ok I will try to do that but then what do I do to clean then?

Is there harm in just keeping it there for like a month not functioning unless I need to?
[doublepost=1533174386][/doublepost]Ok what about Gemini 2 and Adware Doctor?
[doublepost=1533174628][/doublepost]Also what do you guys do then when you want to scan a particular file that someone sent you or you're worried about then before opening? Melwarebyte doesn't scan individual files, no?

This isn’t Windows. You don’t need to performance maintenance on your Mac. macOS looks after itself. Shut down regularly, keep the OS up to date, and avoid downloading weird apps. They do more harm than good.

Your computer does not get lighter and faster when you clear the caches. Besides it doesn’t really tell you what it’s deleting. That’s what they rely on making you think with all their little animations and colourful messages. It’s purely psychological.

Uninstall all antivirus apps you have by dragging them into appcleaner. Do the same for any cleaning apps you have. Use MalwareBytes and avoid installing Java/Flash — uninstall them if you’ve installed them already.

Remember that the best antivirus is the squishy thing using the computer. No native viruses exist for macOS, it’s all malware. This means that the only infection you can get is if you download and install something that is not legitimate. Downloading only won’t do damage. You need to install it too. So you’ll only run into trouble if you install something that you do not 100% know is safe.

As a rule of thumb:

- Never ever install cleaner apps or anything which claims to speed up your computer.
- Never trust any pop ups saying your Mac has an issue.
- If your computer’s running slow, update it if applicable, then turn it off and on again. Restarting clears the RAM and therefore any disk paging.

 

[hobowankenobi]

Good advice all around.

If you want to use a free, safe tool to occasionally clean cache and other scheduled routines, Oynx has been around forever, always been safe, effective, and trustworthy.

You don't really need it, or anything like it very often....but beware of all the products out there preying on previous Windows users. 99% of the tools are not needed on Macs, won't fix much of anything....and can actually be attack or snooping vectors. Long-time Windows users (at least up to Win 7) are so used to their machine being slow and full of cruft, they bring that assumption to other platforms.

Run Malwarebytes once in a while, or if you see strangeness. Pay attention to all browser extensions and add-ons; the less the better. When in doubt, deactivate and remove.

 

[Tissue Paper]

This isn’t Windows. You don’t need to performance maintenance on your Mac. macOS looks after itself. Shut down regularly, keep the OS up to date, and avoid downloading weird apps. They do more harm than good.

Your computer does not get lighter and faster when you clear the caches. Besides it doesn’t really tell you what it’s deleting. That’s what they rely on making you think with all their little animations and colourful messages. It’s purely psychological.

Uninstall all antivirus apps you have by dragging them into appcleaner. Do the same for any cleaning apps you have. Use MalwareBytes and avoid installing Java/Flash — uninstall them if you’ve installed them already.

Remember that the best antivirus is the squishy thing using the computer. No native viruses exist for macOS, it’s all malware. This means that the only infection you can get is if you download and install something that is not legitimate. Downloading only won’t do damage. You need to install it too. So you’ll only run into trouble if you install something that you do not 100% know is safe.

As a rule of thumb:

- Never ever install cleaner apps or anything which claims to speed up your computer.
- Never trust any pop ups saying your Mac has an issue.
- If your computer’s running slow, update it if applicable, then turn it off and on again. Restarting clears the RAM and therefore any disk paging.

Keys can you please take a look at this https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/cant-open-websites-everything-a-mess-now-help.2130611/

I wasn't able to open gmail or postbox- Safari keeps telling me it can't connect to a secure server but it was running other websites just fine. This happened right after I followed everything here... I took a nap and then woke up and now the browser is opening them just fine... what's happening?? Should I be concerned? Or should I just carry on with my life now?

 

[hobowankenobi]

There are a handful of things that may need to get cleaned manually. The good news is, they are typically merely nuisances.

Check these instructions:

Symantec
MacWorld
MalwareTips Blog
CultOfMac

Lots of overlap. But good advice in all the links.

And...typically, cleaning your Mac is mostly a placebo effect.

 

[Tissue Paper]

There are a handful of things that may need to get cleaned manually. The good news is, they are typically merely nuisances.

Check these instructions:

Symantec
MacWorld
MalwareTips Blog
CultOfMac

Lots of overlap. But good advice in all the links.

And...typically, cleaning your Mac is mostly a placebo effect.

Got it... thank you so much.

 

[Sackofnickels]

Never used anti-virus on my Macs and thats going back to the 1990's. I understand there are viruses out there for Mac OS, but I give it the same odds as getting struck by lightening. I stay away from questionable websites, pay attention to emails I open, and never give out passwords. No troubles for me.

And then using apps to uninstall apps? Whatever happened to dragging the program into the trash? All these cleaners, scanners, etc., can cause more trouble than they are worth.

I have tried to explain this to my 80 year old dad multiple times. He insists his virus protection is finding viruses on his iMac. What he fails to understand is the viruses he is finding are phishing email links with executable files written for Windows. He also does a clean install every time something goes wrong. He thinks he's still using Windows 95, trying to make his computer "faster" by deleting files he thinks he doesn't need. I gave up.