Researchers warn users to watch out for fake mac.advancesystemcare.co alerts

Cybercriminals are always looking for new ways to trick computer users and lately there were reports about fake alerts displayed by mac.advancesystemcare.co that run some system scan or at least it is how it looks like. Naturally, the threats identified in this scan do not exist. According to computer security specialists, the actual problem is most likely some adware application or another unreliable program that the user installed unknowingly. It appears to be the hackers behind these fictitious notifications might seek to steal user’s private data or convince him to install potentially dangerous software. For more detailed information about this threat, we encourage you to continue reading our article. Further, in the report, we will not only talk about how these suspicious alerts by mac.advancesystemcare.co might appear on the system or how they may act, but also explain what you can do to get rid of them and make sure these pop-ups never come back.

To begin with, it is essential to mention the fake alerts shown by mac.advancesystemcare.co should be targeted at Mac computer users, although there is a possibility there could be variants for devices running Windows as well; it is just they would be related to a different URL address. Our computer security specialists believe the threat could enter the system together with some adware application, a potentially unwanted program, etc. Such software can be downloaded from various file-sharing web pages distributing pirated applications, unreliable freeware, and so on. Needless to say, to avoid potentially dangerous programs we would recommend avoiding such sites as well as paying more attention to the tools you choose to install. Before adding a new application, it is crucial to make sure it will not put your system at risk and to find this out researchers recommend checking developers, reading expert/user reviews, etc.

Soon after the adware related or bundled with the fake alerts is installed the user should get redirected to mac.advancesystemcare.co. There he might see a couple of pop-up warning claiming something is wrong with the system. One particular notification should even display a report similar to ones shown by security tools. This pop-up should be in red frames, and it might be titled “Potential Threats Detected” or similarly. The fake scan results could list threats like viruses, Trojans, keyloggers, and so on. As a solution, the false alert is supposed to ask to download updates or suspicious applications. Also, mac.advancesystemcare.co pop-up may offer to scan the computer again; probably, to make the situation look more realistic and convincible. In fact, the notification could even show logos of legitimate security tools, such as Norton or McAfee. Needless to say, if you come across such a threat you should avoid downloading any of the suggested tools as doing so could lead to you accidentally installing malware or revealing sensitive data without even realizing it.

Truth to be told, it would be even better if the user would not interact with the warning at all. Instead, our computer security specialists advise closing the browser or just the tab with mac.advancesystemcare.co right away. The next step in removing the threat would be locating and uninstalling possible adware or other suspicious applications on the computer. Then, it is advisable to reset the browser that showed the fake alerts. We realize such tasks might appear to be a bit challenging for less experienced users, which is why at the end of this article we will add a removal guide showing how to complete them manually. Users who have more questions about mac.advancesystemcare.co pop-ups can also leave us messages in the comments section available below or contact us via social media.

Get rid of threats related to the fake alert

  1. Open the Finder application.
  2. Select Applications and identify potential threats.
  3. Mark the program’s icon by clicking it once.
  4. Open the File menu (top-left corner of the screen).
  5. Choose Move To Trash.
  6. Press and hold the Trash icon till a pop-up menu opens up.
  7. Select Empty Trash.

Reset the affected browser

Safari

  1. Open the browser.
  2. Click History and select Clear History.
  3. Choose all history and pick Clear History again.
  4. Come back to the Safari menu and pick Preferences.
  5. Select the Advanced tab.
  6. Pick Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  7. Go to Develop menu and click Empty Caches.
  8. Click on Safari to open the menu and go to Preferences again.
  9. Navigate to Privacy and select Remove all Website Data.
  10. Then delete unreliable extensions by opening Preferences and selecting Extensions.
  11. Review the provided list of add-ons, select the ones that look potentially dangerous to you and erase or disable them.
  12. Go to Security and uncheck an option called Allow Plug-ins.
  13. Access the Go tab and click Option.
  14. Select Library and go to the Preferences folder.
  15. Delete all files named com.apple.Safari.
  16. Restart the browser.

Mozilla Firefox

  1. Launch Mozilla Firefox.
  2. Press the Help icon.
  3. Select Troubleshooting information.
  4. Click Refresh Firefox.
  5. Press Refresh Firefox again.
  6. Click Finish.
  7. Reboot the browser.

Google Chrome

  1. Open Google Chrome.
  2. Press Alt+F.
  3. Select Settings.
  4. Slide down and click on Advanced.
  5. Scroll down again to select Reset.
  6. Press the Reset button.
  7. Restart the browser.