That scary Safari malware that infected your Mac? There might be a very simple fix

I was recently visiting my parents when I got the dreaded question: I think my Mac has a virus but I thought Macs didn’t get viruses? They were obviously a little concerned and somewhat embarrassed that they could have allowed something to happen to their Mac.

First off: yes, your Mac can get a virus, though it is still somewhat rare. After all, there are far fewer viruses in the wild to attack macOS than Windows, and way more PCs than Macs in the world. But there are Mac attacks in the wild and many of them originate within a web browser.

There are plenty of ways to scan your Mac for viruses and protect it from incoming attacks. Apple even has its own built-in antivirus tech called XProtect that constantly scans for known malware. But even with all that protection, things can get through.

Still, if you’re getting messages popping up on your Mac warning you about a critical virus with scary emoji, it’s probably not a virus. There’s a good chance it’s just an application notification masquerading as a critical system alert.

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Here’s what happened. While browsing with Safari, my parents either clicked on an ad or were served a pop-up that brought them to the updates-mac.com site. When they got there, another box asked them if they wanted to receive notifications from the site. In a fit of clicking to get away, they somehow clicked “Allow” when asked whether they wanted to receive notifications. That told Safari that it was OK to spam them with scary-looking alerts.

Thankfully there’s an easy fix—head over to the Websites tab in the Safari Settings in the menu bar and deny permission for the site to send alerts under the Notifications tab—but had they clicked the alert, there might not have been. The truth is, these alerts aren’t just designed to annoy, they’re hoping to fool you into clicking the wrong thing or signing into the wrong box and giving access to your accounts or computer.

Apple also has a malware tracker built into macOS called XProtect and is constantly updating the OS to patch any known vulnerabilities. To limit any further damage, you can download an antivirus app, which will protect you from inadvertently installing something malicious and help you get rid of it if something gets through. But for everything else, just check your Safari notifications first.