Your MacOS 10.13 High Sierra Is Infected With 3 Viruses! POP-UP Scam (Mac)

What is "Your MacOS 10.13 High Sierra is infected with 3 viruses!"?

"Your MacOS 10.13 High Sierra is infected with 3 viruses!" is one of many fake virus alert messages. It targets MacOS users only and is displayed on untrustworthy, deceptive web pages. Typically, users arrive at these sites inadvertently - they are forced to visit them by potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) that users often install inadvertently.

Once installed, PUAs cause unwanted redirects to deceptive websites, feed users with various ads, and gather data relating to browsing activity.

Scammers behind the "Your MacOS 10.13 High Sierra is infected with 3 viruses!" fake virus alert claim to be Apple support team members and state that their website has detected a trojan virus (e.tre456_worm_osx) on your Mac computer.

According to this alert, as well as the trojan, three other virus infections have been detected: two malware infections and one spyware/phishing infection. Scammers urge users to take immediate action and remove the detected viruses to prevent system damage and data loss. They give users five minutes. Note that Apple has nothing to do with this scam.

Cyber criminals use the company name to promote their fake product, which they state will remove viruses and prevent any further damage. In this case, they promote the Mac Cleanup Pro application. When installed, this app will detect even more infections and other problems on a Mac computer, however.

This is simply a way to trick people into purchasing this product by displaying fake results. The scan itself is free, but removal of detected issues must be purchased. Never trust scammers or purchase/use their apps. We recommend that you ignore "Your MacOS 10.13 High Sierra is infected with 3 viruses!" simply by closing the browser window or tab.

If this deceptive website prevents you from closing the window/tab, use Activity Monitor to force-quit the browser. Do not restore the closed session, since this will reopen the same deceptive website (or another site that led you there).

Users commonly arrive at these websites due to installation of potentially unwanted apps. These PUAs cause redirects to deceptive websites, deliver intrusive ads, and gather data. They display coupons, banners, surveys, pop-ups, and so on. They are displayed via tools that enable placement of third party graphical content on any site and also conceal underlying content.

They affect browsing quality and, if clicked, lead to untrustworthy websites or run scripts designed to download other unwanted apps. Furthermore, PUAs record browsing-related data (such as IP addresses, keystrokes, search queries, URLs of visited websites, etc.) and also personal details.

Developers share the data with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who misuse it to generate revenue. Thus, having these apps installed can lead to computer infections, privacy/browsing safety problems or even identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Your MacOS 10.13 High Sierra is infected with 3 viruses!" 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.

Many similar websites display fake messages and virus/error, and other, alerts. Some examples of other fake messages are Your OS High Sierra Is Infected With (3) Viruses!, Your Computer Was Locked, and Mac OS Support Alert.

Scammers often use these fake messages to trick people into believing that their computers are infected or damaged, and to encourage them to purchase unnecessary products or technical support/guidance.

Most PUAs are very similar - developers promote them as 'useful tools', however, these are merely attempts to give the impression of legitimacy and to trick users into downloading and installing them. Typically, they deliver none of the functionality promised and are designed only to generate revenue for the developers.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

Some potentially unwanted apps are available for download on their official websites, however, many users are tricked into installing them through clicked intrusive advertisements or a deceptive marketing method called "bundling". Developers use this method to trick users into installing unwanted applications together with other software.

In most cases, PUAs are hidden in "Custom", "Advanced" (and other similar) options/settings of the installation/download dialogs.

Information regarding the presence of PUAs in the download/installation set-ups is not properly disclosed. Nevertheless, inadvertent installations are usually caused by users who skip installation steps, leave download/installation settings unchanged, and click various ads.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Careless behaviour and poor knowledge of these threats are the main reasons for problems relating to online safety and privacy. To protect your privacy and keep your computer safe, browse the web and download, install software carefully. Do not download software from unofficial/untrustworthy websites, using third party downloaders/installers, or other such tools.

Check all available "Custom", "Advanced", and other similar options when installing or downloading software. Many malicious/untrustworthy advertisements lead users to adult dating, pornography, gambling, and other similar untrustworthy websites.

If you experience constant redirects to these websites, check all extensions, add-ons, and plug-ins that are installed on your browser and remove any suspicious/unwanted entries immediately. Also apply this to suspicious programs installed on your computer.

If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.

Appearance of "Your MacOS 10.13 High Sierra is infected with 3 viruses!" scam (GIF):

Text presented in deceptive website pop-up window:

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED

We have detected a trojan virus (e.tre456_worm_osx) on your Mac.

Press OK to begin the repair process.

Screenshot of deceptive website background:

Text presented in deceptive website background:

Your Mac is infected with 3 viruses. Our security check found traces of 2 malware and 1 phishing/spyware. System damage: 28.1% - Immediate removal required!

The immediate removal of the viruses is required to prevent further system damage, loss of Apps, Photos or other files. Traces of 1 phishing/spyware were found on your Mac with OSX.

To avoid more damage click on 'Scan Now' immediately. Our deep scan will provide help immediately!

4 minute and 22 seconds remaining before damage is permanent.

 Screenshot of a Mac Cleanup Pro app:

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:

• What is "Your MacOS 10.13 High Sierra is infected with 3 viruses!" virus?
• How to identify a pop-up scam?
• How do pop-up scams work?
• How to remove fake pop-ups?
• How to prevent fake pop-ups?
• What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?

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:

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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