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Website You Visited Infected Your Mac With A Virus POP-UP Scam (Mac)

Also Known As: "Website you visited infected your Mac with a virus" virus
Type: Mac Virus
Damage level: Medium

What is Website You Visited Infected Your Mac With A Virus?

"Website You Visited Infected Your Mac With A Virus" is a fake error message similar to Apologies For Interruption!, Phishing/Spyware Were Found On Your Mac, and many others.

This message is displayed by malicious websites that users often visit inadvertently - they are redirected by intrusive advertisements (delivered by other rogue sites) or potentially unwanted programs (PUPs). Be aware that many PUPs infiltrate systems without users’ permission and, as well as causing redirects, deliver advertisements and record sensitive information.

Website You Visited Infected Your Mac With A Virus scam

This error essentially states that the user has visited a malicious website that has infected the computer. The error-displaying site then imitates a computer scanning process and states that the system is infected with Bankworm malware, which must be eliminated immediately.

Therefore, users are encouraged to download a deceptive anti-virus program called Advanced Mac Cleaner. Be aware, however, that "Website You Visited Infected Your Mac With A Virus" is fake - an attempt to trick unsuspecting users into downloading Advanced Mac Cleaner. Note that the 'free' version of this deceptive app is unable to remove malware.

Therefore, users are encouraged to purchase the 'full' version, however, since the error is fake and your computer is mostly probably secure, purchasing this software is a waste of money. In fact, it is not confirmed whether Advanced Mac Cleaner is capable of removing any malware.

Therefore, this app cannot be trusted. Ignore the "Website You Visited Infected Your Mac With A Virus" error and never download this tool. To remove the message, simply close the web browser, however, some rogue sites employ rogue scripts that prevent users from closing browsing tabs/windows.

In these cases, the browser should be terminated using Activity Monitor or simply reboot the system. After re-running the browser, do not restore the previous session, since you will end up reopening the malicious websites.

Potentially unwanted programs deploy coupon, banner, pop-up, and other similar advertisements. To achieve this, they employ scripts that enable placement of third party graphical content on any site. Therefore, intrusive advertisements are likely to conceal underlying website content, significantly diminishing the browsing experience.

Furthermore, they can lead to malicious websites and execute scripts that download and install malware. Therefore, clicking them risks various computer infections. Another significant issue is data tracking. Research shows that potentially unwanted programs are likely to gather IP addresses, website URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, and other similar data.

This information typically includes personal details that PUP developers later sell to third parties who misuse private data to generate revenue. Thus, data tracking can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft. For these reasons, you are strongly advised to eliminate all potentially unwanted programs immediately.

Threat Summary:
Name "Website you visited infected your Mac with a virus" virus
Threat Type Mac malware, Mac virus
Symptoms Your Mac became slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you get redirected to shady websites.
Distribution methods Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake flash player installers, torrent file downloads.
Damage Internet browsing tracking (potential privacy issues), displaying of unwanted ads, redirects to shady websites, loss of private information.
Malware Removal (Mac)

To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your Mac with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner.
▼ Download Combo Cleaner for Mac
To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited seven days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

There are dozens of fake errors that share similarities with Website You Visited Infected Your Mac With A Virus. All claim that system is damaged, however, these claims are merely attempts to encourage users to download certain paid software or call fake 'tech support' and pay for services that are not required. Potentially unwanted programs also share many similarities.

By offering a wide range of "useful features", they attempt to trick users into believing that these programs are legitimate and useful. In fact, the only purpose of all PUPs is to generate revenue for the developers. Therefore, rather than delivering any real value for regular users, they deliver intrusive ads and gather sensitive data, thereby posing a direct threat to your privacy and Internet browsing safety.

How did potentially unwanted programs install on my computer?

Some PUPs have official download websites, however, most infiltrate systems without permission, since developers proliferate them using intrusive advertisements and a deceptive marketing method called "bundling" (stealth installation of third party apps together with regular software/apps).

Developers hide "bundled" apps within "Custom/Advanced" settings (or other sections) of the download/installation processes. Furthermore, many users are likely to rush download/installation processes, skip steps, and click advertisements without understanding the possible consequences.

This behavior often leads to inadvertent installation of potentially unwanted programs - users expose their systems to risk of various infections and compromise their privacy.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Lack of knowledge and careless behavior are the main reasons for computer infections. The key to safety is caution. Therefore, pay close attention when browsing the Internet and downloading/installing software.

Bear in mind that intrusive advertisements typically seem legitimate, since developers invest many resources into their design, but these ads typically redirect to dubious websites (gambling, adult dating, pornography, and so on). If you encounter such ads, immediately remove all suspicious applications and browser plug-ins.

In addition, it is very important to carefully analyze each window of the download/installation dialogs and opt-out of all additionally-included programs. Apps should be downloaded from official sources only, using direct download links. If your computer is already infected with PUPs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.

Text presented in "Website You Visited Infected Your Mac With A Virus" scam's pop-ups:

VIRUS FOUND
A website you visited today has infected your Mac with a virus.
Press OK to begin the repair process.

A website you have visited today has infected your Mac with a virus.
A full system scan is now required to find and remove harmful files or applications from your Mac OS X 10_13_4 device.

DEVICE INFORMATIONBrand: Apple
Device: Mac OS X 10_13_4
Browser: Safari 11.1IP:
Provider:
Location:
Bankworm virus detected!


DOWNLOAD REQUIRED
Please download the Advanced Mac Cleaner application to remove Bankworm from your Mac.VIRUS INFORMATIONVirus Name: BankwormRisk: HIGH
Infected File: /os/apps/worm.icvVIRUS REMOVALApplication: Advanced Mac CleanerRating: 9.9/10Price: Free

Appearance of "Website You Visited Infected Your Mac With A Virus" scam (GIF):

Appearance of Website You Visited Infected Your Mac With A Virus scam (GIF)

Instant automatic Mac malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of Mac malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner for Mac By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited seven days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Quick menu:

How to identify a pop-up scam?

Pop-up windows with various fake messages are a common type of lures cybercriminals use. They collect sensitive personal data, trick Internet users into calling fake tech support numbers, subscribe to useless online services, invest in shady cryptocurrency schemes, etc.

While in the majority of cases these pop-ups don't infect users' devices with malware, they can cause direct monetary loss or could result in identity theft.

Cybercriminals strive to create their rogue pop-up windows to look trustworthy, however, scams typically have the following characteristics:

  • Spelling mistakes and non-professional images - Closely inspect the information displayed in a pop-up. Spelling mistakes and unprofessional images could be a sign of a scam.
  • Sense of urgency - Countdown timer with a couple of minutes on it, asking you to enter your personal information or subscribe to some online service.
  • Statements that you won something - If you haven't participated in a lottery, online competition, etc., and you see a pop-up window stating that you won.
  • Computer or mobile device scan - A pop-up window that scans your device and informs of detected issues - is undoubtedly a scam; webpages cannot perform such actions.
  • Exclusivity - Pop-up windows stating that only you are given secret access to a financial scheme that can quickly make you rich.

Example of a pop-up scam:

Example of a pop-up scam

How do pop-up scams work?

Cybercriminals and deceptive marketers usually use various advertising networks, search engine poisoning techniques, and shady websites to generate traffic to their pop-ups. Users land on their online lures after clicking on fake download buttons, using a torrent website, or simply clicking on an Internet search engine result.

Based on users' location and device information, they are presented with a scam pop-up. Lures presented in such pop-ups range from get-rich-quick schemes to fake virus scans.

How to remove fake pop-ups?

In most cases, pop-up scams do not infect users' devices with malware. If you encountered a scam pop-up, simply closing it should be enough. In some cases scam, pop-ups may be hard to close; in such cases - close your Internet browser and restart it.

In extremely rare cases, you might need to reset your Internet browser. For this, use our instructions explaining how to reset Internet browser settings.

How to prevent fake pop-ups?

To prevent seeing pop-up scams, you should visit only reputable websites. Torrent, Crack, free online movie streaming, YouTube video download, and other websites of similar reputation commonly redirect Internet users to pop-up scams.

To minimize the risk of encountering pop-up scams, you should keep your Internet browsers up-to-date and use reputable anti-malware application. For this purpose, we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS.

What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?

This depends on the type of scam that you fell for. Most commonly, pop-up scams try to trick users into sending money, giving away personal information, or giving access to one's device.

  • If you sent money to scammers: You should contact your financial institution and explain that you were scammed. If informed promptly, there's a chance to get your money back.
  • If you gave away your personal information: You should change your passwords and enable two-factor authentication in all online services that you use. Visit Federal Trade Commission to report identity theft and get personalized recovery steps.
  • If you let scammers connect to your device: You should scan your computer with reputable anti-malware (we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS) - cyber criminals could have planted trojans, keyloggers, and other malware, don't use your computer until removing possible threats.
  • Help other Internet users: report Internet scams to Federal Trade Commission.

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About the author:

Tomas Meskauskas

Tomas Meskauskas - expert security researcher, professional malware analyst.

I am passionate about computer security and technology. I have an experience of over 10 years working in various companies related to computer technical issue solving and Internet security. I have been working as an author and editor for pcrisk.com since 2010. Follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay informed about the latest online security threats. Contact Tomas Meskauskas.

PCrisk security portal is brought by a company RCS LT. Joined forces of security researchers help educate computer users about the latest online security threats. More information about the company RCS LT.

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Malware activity

Global malware activity level today:

Medium threat activity

Increased attack rate of infections detected within the last 24 hours.

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