Apple Wants To Make Changes POP-UP Virus (Mac)
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is Apple Wants To Make Changes?
Many users have recently been encountering a pop-up window that contains a message stating "Apple Wants To Make Changes".
The message also requires users to enter a username and password. This is a scam. The "Apple Wants To Make Changes" pop-up indicates that your computer is infected with various potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) such as adware.
As the name suggests, the "Apple Wants To Make Changes" pop-up states that Apple wants to perform changes on users' computers and, therefore, they are encouraged to enter their account details. In fact, this pop-up is fake and Apple certainly has nothing to do with it. Apple has developed the MacOS operating system, which runs on all Mac computers.
Genuine error messages do not contain this company name. "Apple Wants To Make Changes" is simply a fake variant of the genuine warning message "Finder wants to make changes", which typically appears when there is a issue regarding accessibility permissions (in most cases, file access).
Furthermore, these pop-ups are delivered by the operating system itself, not the web browser. No web browser is capable of detecting and removing system errors/issues. Research shows that "Apple Wants To Make Changes" pop-up is often delivered by various rogue applications.
It is likely that criminals attempt to gather account details, which then be used to perform malicious actions that would require certain permissions. Therefore, ignore "Apple Wants To Make Changes" and do NOT enter the required information.
If you encounter these pop-ups, immediately scan the system with a reputable anti-virus/anti-spyware suite (such as Combo Cleaner) and eliminate all detected threats. We also recommend that you clean the browsing history, cache, and uninstall all dubious applications/browser plug-ins.
Potentially unwanted applications are likely to deliver intrusive advertisements, such as coupons, banners, pop-ups, and similar. To achieve this, developers employ tools that enable placement of third party graphical content on any site. Therefore, intrusive advertisements conceal underlying content, thereby significantly diminishing the browsing experience.
In addition, they can redirect to malicious websites, and execute scripts that download and install unwanted apps (or even high-risk malware) into the system. Therefore, clicking them is risky and might result in high-risk computer infections.
Some PUAs are also known to cause unwanted redirects and modify browser options (e.g., homepage, new tab URL, default search engine, etc.). so that users are forced to visit certain URLs. In doing so, these unwanted apps generate traffic for specific websites.
Most unwanted apps record information relating to browsing activity, including IP addresses, website URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, etc. The data usually includes personal details that are shared with third parties and possibly misused to generate revenue.
Therefore, the presence of unwanted applications might lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft. If you encounter redirects to "Apple Wants To Make Changes" pop-ups, immediately remove all dubious applications and browser plug-ins.
| Name | "Apple wants to make changes" 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. |
There are many fake pop-ups such as "Apple Wants To Make Changes", however, most do not ask users to enter their details - they claim that the system is damaged (e.g., infected, missing files, or similar) and encourage users to call paid fake 'tech support' or purchase useless applications.
Unwanted apps are all very similar. By offering "useful features", PUAs attempt to give the impression of legitimacy, however, most provide no real value for regular users. They deliver intrusive advertisements, cause unwanted redirects, and gather sensitive information.
How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?
Some unwanted apps have official download websites, however, due to the lack of knowledge and careless behavior of many users, they often infiltrate systems without users’ permission. Developers proliferate PUAs using "bundling" and intrusive advertising models. "Bundling" is essentially stealth installation of third party apps with regular software/apps.
Developers are not honest enough to disclose PUA installations properly. Therefore, most are hidden within "Custom/Advanced" settings (or other sections) of the download/installation processes. Furthermore, many users are often careless when downloading/installing software and browsing the Internet.
They rush download/installation processes and skip steps, and are likely to click advertisements without understanding the possible consequences. This behavior can lead to computer infections.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
The key to computer safety is caution. Therefore, be cautious when browsing the Internet and downloading/installing software. Remember that developers invest time and resources into intrusive ad design, and thus most seem legitimate. In fact, they often lead to adult dating, pornography, gambling, and other dubious sites.
If you experience these ads, eliminate all suspicious applications and browser plug-ins. Furthermore, choose "Custom/Advanced" settings and carefully study each step of the download/installation processes. Decline offers to download/install additional apps and deselect those already included.
You are advised to download software from official sources only, using direct download links. Third party downloaders/installers often include rogue apps, and thus these tools should never be used. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.
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:
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Quick menu:
- What is Apple Wants To Make Changes?
- STEP 1. Remove PUA related files and folders from OSX.
- STEP 2. Remove rogue extensions from Safari.
- STEP 3. Remove rogue add-ons from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove potentially unwanted plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox.
Video showing how to remove adware and browser hijackers from a Mac computer:
Potentially unwanted applications removal:
Remove potentially unwanted applications from your "Applications" folder:
Click the Finder icon. In the Finder window, select “Applications”. In the applications folder, look for “MPlayerX”,“NicePlayer”, or other suspicious applications and drag them to the Trash. After removing the potentially unwanted application(s) that cause online ads, scan your Mac for any remaining unwanted components.
Remove adware-related files and folders
Click the Finder icon, from the menu bar. Choose Go, and click Go to Folder...
Check for adware generated files in the /Library/LaunchAgents/ folder:
In the Go to Folder... bar, type: /Library/LaunchAgents/
In the "LaunchAgents" folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the exact same string.
Check for adware generated files in the ~/Library/Application Support/ folder:
In the Go to Folder... bar, type: ~/Library/Application Support/
In the "Application Support" folder, look for any recently-added suspicious folders. For example, "MplayerX" or "NicePlayer", and move these folders to the Trash.
Check for adware generated files in the ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ folder:
In the Go to Folder... bar, type: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/
In the "LaunchAgents" folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the exact same string.
Check for adware generated files in the /Library/LaunchDaemons/ folder:
In the "Go to Folder..." bar, type: /Library/LaunchDaemons/
In the "LaunchDaemons" folder, look for recently-added suspicious files. For example "com.aoudad.net-preferences.plist", "com.myppes.net-preferences.plist", "com.kuklorest.net-preferences.plist", "com.avickUpd.plist", etc., and move them to the Trash.
Scan your Mac with Combo Cleaner:
If you have followed all the steps correctly, your Mac should be clean of infections. To ensure your system is not infected, run a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus. Download it HERE. After downloading the file, double click combocleaner.dmg installer. In the opened window, drag and drop the Combo Cleaner icon on top of the Applications icon. Now open your launchpad and click on the Combo Cleaner icon. Wait until Combo Cleaner updates its virus definition database and click the "Start Combo Scan" button.
Combo Cleaner will scan your Mac for malware infections. If the antivirus scan displays "no threats found" - this means that you can continue with the removal guide; otherwise, it's recommended to remove any found infections before continuing.
After removing files and folders generated by the adware, continue to remove rogue extensions from your Internet browsers.
Remove malicious extensions from Internet browsers
Remove malicious Safari extensions:
Open the Safari browser, from the menu bar, select "Safari" and click "Preferences...".
In the preferences window, select "Extensions" and look for any recently-installed suspicious extensions. When located, click the "Uninstall" button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Safari browser - none are crucial for regular browser operation.
- If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Safari.
Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
Click the Chrome menu icon 
(at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "More Tools" and click "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".
- If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Google Chrome.
Remove malicious extensions from Mozilla Firefox:
Click the Firefox menu 
(at the top right corner of the main window) and select "Add-ons and themes". Click "Extensions", in the opened window locate all recently-installed suspicious extensions, click on the three dots and then click "Remove".
- If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Mozilla Firefox.
Outstanding!
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