What’s the Apple Security Alert and is it a virus?

Sometimes you might encounter an Apple Security Alert saying that your Mac is at risk, but is that a virus or the real deal? Realistically, Apple will not send such messages themselves. So when you see them, usually that means you have some type of virus on your Mac. The signs will vary, but it’s usually something in the lines of pop ups, links redirecting you to random sites, the Mac freezing and so on. Here’s what you want to do if you see the Apple Security Alert.

Is the Apple Security Alert a virus?

Before we go onward, we need to figure out if the security alert is a virus or not. At its core, this is a type of malware called PUP or potentially unwanted program. These programs will end up affecting your computer indirectly. That means they are the entry point for all kinds of malware, even if they are not affecting the device on their own.

Instead, what they do is they bring malware onto your device by making you click on the alert. Obviously the alert is fake, it’s not real, even if you think that might be the case. But generally, it’s not going to be real, and it certainly brings its fair share of challenges as well.

What signs should you look for when it comes to the Apple Security Alert?

There are a few telltale signs that show you there are some virus or malware issues that you might be dealing with right now:

•       You end up receiving a lot of strange requests and messages that seem out of place for your computer.
•       Additionally, your Mac is freezing randomly and without control, something that seems very fishy.
•       There are fake messages and emails that you are getting very often, which try to take you to a random website. Obviously that is not coming from Apple, it’s a ploy from these people to try and get you to a place where they can steal your data.
•       The browser automatically redirects you to a website that you never used, which is also not owned by Apple. When you see something like this, you really have to question yourself and narrow down the situation to understand where it will go.
•     And yes, there are countless ads and pop ups that should not appear on your device. If those appear, something here is wrong or out of place, and you really need to address the issue the best way that you can.

Remove extensions from your browser

You should remove any extensions that you are not using at all. Doing that will help quite a bit, and it will make the process a lot easier for you too. Once you start removing extensions, you can also remove malware instances spread through the browser’s extensions too. You should always check the instructions and ensure everything is handled correctly.

Use a Mac cleanup tool 

The main purpose for this tool is to identify and then remove any type of malware on your device. That’s the best way to automate the cleanup process, and you will also remove random files too. It’s a great idea, and it will eliminate a lot of potential challenges. The main focus is on keeping things automated, which such a tool can help you.

Start deleting unused apps

Just like browser extensions, unused apps can host malware. It might not seem the case at first, but realistically, they can do that. So it makes a lot of sense to remove those unused apps if you can. And once you do that, you will not have to worry about any type of problems that might arise. It’s very helpful to just delete the apps and go to the Library folder to delete any launch daemons or agents related to that app.

There are times when apps can seem very suspicious and if you have any of those installed, you may want to delete them right away. It can be difficult to figure out what apps you need to delete. However, a good idea is to try and remove those that are suspicious and which you never installed yourself. You can also perform an online check to see the function of those apps and narrow down the best way to remove them, if necessary. The faster you do that, the easier it will be!

Delete junk files

Deleting junk files is a very good idea mainly because it allows you to eliminate random files which might get infected with malware. A lot of Mac users keep those junk files on their device because they don’t even know they exist. But in general, if you delete these junk files, you improve the performance of your device. And in doing so, you also prevent malware issues as well, which is something to keep into account here.

Reset your browser

Resetting your browser is certainly one of those things that can help quite a bit. What you really need to do is to save any files from your browser or bookmarks, and then reset it. That might clear a lot of potential problems. And it also extends to the entire computer. Resetting your Mac to the factory settings will delete everything, which might help when it comes to deleting malware residing on your device. It’s not the best solution, but it’s definitely a proper way to solve these problems.

Conclusion

We believe that taking your time and making sure any malware is removed from your Mac is a very good idea. Make sure that you delete the Apple Security Alert and ensure you fully remove everything as quickly as possible. The more time you allow this Security Alert virus to stay on your computer, the more problematic it will be. That’s why we highly recommend using a Mac cleanup tool and any other anti-malware solutions that can identify issues, and use them often. If you do so, you will have no problem eliminating a lot of these issues in the long term.